For the second year, cadets have had the opportunity to participate in Outward Bound, an educational wilderness experience.  Outward Bound is a Citadel-sponsored program coordinated by the Health, Exercise, and Sport Science Department, the Director of Intramural, Club, & Recreational Athletics, Mary Ellen Huddleston, and the Associate Director of Intramural, Club, & Recreational Athletics and RPED Coordinator, Terry Giguiere.  This year, 10 cadets spent their spring break in the Blue Ridge Mountains on a 5-day backpacking and rock climbing course (four days of backpacking/orienteering and one day of climbing).  Cadets met at the North Carolina Outward Bound Table Rock Base Camp before going on the course.  Located approximately two hours northeast of Asheville, N. C., the average temperatures range from 30-65 degrees. Students were challenged as they backpacked through the wilderness, learning various camping skills along the way.  Throughout this outdoor adventure, cadets were pushed to their limits physically and mentally.

Outward Bound provides cadets with a unique education that takes them out of the barracks and into the wilderness where they will face new challenges that will test their values.  Cadets are placed in a wilderness setting and taught difficult skills, such as map and compass techniques, knot tying, rock climbing or whitewater rafting.  Then, cadets are required to use these skills as well as the surrounding environment to work on teambuilding and leadership skills.

This year, selected cadets faced various challenges on the course.  For some, those challenges were being in a wilderness setting for the first time, or dealing with the technical aspects (rock climbing and/or orienteering).  For many, it was leading people in a non-military setting.  For a few, it was stepping up to take on a leadership role.  For these cadets who allowed others to take the lead, Outward Bound pushes them to realize their leadership capabilities.  Throughout the course, students have the opportunity for self-discovery as they reflect on their experiences.

The Outward Bound Experience

Although courses are offered all over the U.S., the cadets' Outward Bound experience has taken place in the Linville Gorge area of the Blue Ridge Mountains, an area know as the "Grand Canyon of the East."  The Blue Ridge Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountain Range.  More than 200 million years old, the Appalachian Mountains are one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world.  The highest mountains east of the Mississippi River can be found there with peaks reaching from 4,000 to 6,684 feet.  This area contains some of the best stands of uncut forest in the Southern Appalachian range.  A variety of plant life can be found including old-growth Hemlock and Yellow Poplar as well as an abundance of other rare plants and animals.  Hikers may even see a Peregrine falcon, an endangered species that was reintroduced to the area in the 1980s.  The Outward Bound experience in the Blue Ridge Mountains offers a true wilderness education! 

Each Outward Bound course includes technical skill building, teambuilding, environmental learning, solo, a service project, leadership training, a student-led final expedition, and a personal challenge event.  Outward Bound is experiential education at its finest!

The Outward Bound program has been a success!  Future programs will add elements like an extra day of rock climbing, multi-pitch climbs, lead climbing, and whitewater canoeing.  These extra elements will add greater challenges adn enriching experiences to the course.  Continued funding is necessary to support the Outward Bound program.  If you would like to sponsor this program or get more information about how Outward Bound supports the leadership initiative, please contact: 

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

About Outward Bound

Outward Bound is a non-profit educational organization that offers numerous courses that help develop leadership roles, wilderness survival techniques, and interpersonal skills.  Outward Bound's mission is "to inspire character development and self-discovery in people of all ages and walks of life through challenge and adventure, and to impel them to achieve more than they ever thought possible, to show compassion for others and to actively engage in creating a better world."  For more information, visit the Outward Bound website.

Outward Bound Alumni