Outward Bound

This post should have really gone up a while ago, but I just got the pictures developed, so here goes...

Last month, I did a 4-day Outward Bound course for adults in North Carolina. I went to learn about how they run their programs, and to see a new part of the Blue Ridge mountains. We spent the four days backpacking and rock-climbing through the Linville Gorge. It was a gorgeous hike, with great vistas.

We've been describing Teva Treks to many people as a Jewish version of Outward Bound. After my course, I realize that what we're trying to create is vastly different from Outward Bound. OB is very clear about their core values, which they call pillars. The one that seemed to dominate our course was "fitness." We worked really hard over the course, and in my opinion, were not given nearly enough time to actually enjoy being in the outdoors. There was also very little done to build community. The instructors seemed to believe that would happen on its own, which it certainly did to some extent, but it was clear that building community was not a priority.

What OB does a phenomenal job of is teaching outdoor skills, and teaching safety & risk management. Their instructors are extremely well-trained and have a tremendous amount of experience. As we build our program, I think we can learn a lot from how OB trains their staff, and hopefully get access to some of their manuals. In the meantime, it's great to have a better understanding of what OB is all about, and how our program will be different.