Are there any Outward Bound Alumni here?

Just 35 years ago, I did something that probably has done more to shape the type of individual I am than many of the experience I had had before or have had since. In the course of 23 days, I also learned that I had more strength and resources than I had ever given myself credit for.

Back in early 1987, I was supposed to spend my Summer in New York City doing an internship with my dad's employer, a large US brokerage firm. Everything was set, except that for some reason the path to get a US visa became suddenly more complex that year, to the point that I didn't have enough weeks to complete the process in time. I was gutted, because this trip was meant to be my first during which I would be on my own, fully independent, and a bit of a reward after completing French high school and getting my Baccalauréat. My parents told me that they were ready to organize a US vacation for the 3 of us, but that was no consolation. I wanted to do something more special.

Then, I came upon an idea. Many years before, my mom's best friend had married an American novelist, and they lived on the East Coast with their kids. Their son, Anthony, was a year older than I was, and the previous Summer he had done some trip that his mother described as "wandering in the woods, sleeping in a sleeping bag, and hiking in the Colorado wilderness". I had not had a chance to discuss with him directly the true nature of his experience, but based on that I thought that it might be a nice change from my usual family holidays. So, with my mom's friend assistance, I convinced my parents that I should embark on such an adventure too.

I soon received a pretty thick information packet, with some documents to provide such as a medical check-up signed from my GP. I still had no clue what I was signing up for, but I knew that it would be different from my usual family holidays, and that was enough for me at the time. There was also a very specific list of items to bring for the trip, on top of which was a pair of serious mountain hiking shoes. In retrospect, this alone should have triggered alarm bells, because I was not exactly in great shape as a somewhat chubby teen who hated sport, apart from downhill skiing. But I blissfully ignored the signs, just like I paid little interest in the several pages of recommendations that were part of the file. I finally read those when I was on the plane flying me to the US!

Before flying to Colorado, I spent a night in New York City where I met my mom's friend. And she was hardly reassuring, because she took me to have a properly decadent dinner at Petrossian, telling me that it would be "my last taste of proper civilization for a while". At that point, I was slowly beginning to have second thoughts. What the hell did I sign up for exactly?

The next day, I took a flight to Denver and checked in at the Colburn Hotel which was the rendez-vous point the next day. I didn't exactly sleep well that night, and I remember going to have breakfast in a sort of haze. Other young people were scattered in the lobby, all of them with huge backpacks. Soon, a large bus parked in front of the hotel, and we were asked to gather for a roll call. People names were called, along with their city of origin, which quickly revealed that I was the only foreigner present. It also told me that English might turn out to be a bit of challenge, since my level at the time was fair at best. But it was time to go, so we loaded our gear in the bus, and off we went for a 6 hour trip South to the San Juan Wilderness.

Mid-afternoon, the bus dropped us off at the start of a trail. There, we were instructed to load our bags on the flatbed of a pickup truck, which promptly drove off. So, in order to "stretch our legs", we were told to do a 1 mile long jog to the "base camp". It might have been okay at sea level, but at above 9,000 ft my lungs quickly felt like they were burning and I ran out of breath. I was not alone experiencing this, but we somehow all made it.

We were then divided into groups, referred to as "patrols", and assigned a couple of instructors. After that, we were each issued a standard mountaineering backpack, a sleeping bag, a helmet, and some gear and some food to split among ourselves. After cramming the required items of clothing on the list we were sent beforehand, there was practically no space left for other personal effects. I just took my camera, and my trusty Swiss Army knife.

And so began 23 days during which we faced mountains, snow and hail storms, lightnings, discouragement, and hunger. I climbed 3 fourteeners, one of them twice, and saw and felt muscles in my legs that I didn't suspect were there. I experimented with all kinds of things (leaves, rocks, sticks, flowers) to make up for the absence of toilet paper. More than once, I thought that I was at the end of my rope, only to push myself further and further each day. And needless to say that my spoken English improved considerably during this time, also acquiring quite a few more swear words.

This Outward Bound course turned out to be an unforgettable experience, and I truly regret that I haven't kept in touch with the people who shared it with me. All I have left are wonderful memories and a few old photos that I should really have digitized properly some day.


On top of Handies Peak, 14,048 ft

So, any of you guys have similar memories to share?

In the course of these 23 days spent there, I climbed Uncompaghre Peak, Handies Peak (twice), Wetterhorn Peak and Matterhorn Peak (twice). During the first 10 days, I hated the experience with all the fibers of my body, but the 3 day solo changed that. Left alone with my sleeping bag, my notebook and a ridiculously small piece of tarp to shield myself from the elements, I reflected upon all the things I had achieved, knowing that a few people had dropped off and I hadn't. So the second half of the journey was at last pleasurable to me, even though it was at least as though as the first part. The Outward Bound pin I got awarded at the end is possibly one of the things I am most proud of in my entire life.

I would love to go back to the San Juans one day, but now in my fifties I would probably favor seeing them from inside a 4x4 vehicle travelling the Alpine Loop Byway.

I did Outward Bound at Ullswater (UK) in October+November 1969. For me it was a month's paid vacation (courtesy my employer) because there wasn't any activity I had not done before in the Boy Scouts. Some of the OB was a bit more white knuckle though....
.... some, possibly most, was pussycat stuff if you'd done it before.

I very thoroughly recommend any late teens person to do the Outward Bound and even more for an 8 year old to join the Scouts/Guides and take that the whole way.

Once they have done that then OB is a very enjoyable vacation. And, in my class, you get to be the smart alec. Yeah, someone should have found a way to knock me down a peg or two.