Join other OEF and OIF Veterans or active duty service members for an Outward Bound adventure in the Everglades.

<!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->Florida's Everglades National Park offers a magical place within which to experience an Outward Bound Veterans Program - a place of beautiful sunsets, abundant wildlife, remote wilderness and wide-open stretches of space. Expeditions travel by two person canoes. Some groups also hike or backpack through cypress strands and sawgrass sloughs.

There are endless mangrove islands and keys to explore. Develop your paddling technique while paddling through rivers, bays and warm Gulf waters. Monitor and forecast the weather. Learn to predict tidal changes and utilize your knowledge of ebbing, flooding, raging, and slack tides. Navigating is a challenge that requires cooperation from your whole group for successful expeditions. Survey your surroundings for important landmarks. Take a bearing with your compass. Work with your crewmates to use a chart and determine your location. Then paddle hard to your next destination. Spend the night on a raft made by lashing canoes together, or camp on a beach. Share personal stories or learn the history of local pirates, hermits, and homesteaders as the sun sets over the ocean.

On two-person, tandem, canoe expeditions you paddle through mangrove tunnels, exploring areas of the Everglades that are hard to reach in other types of boats. Tandem canoes offer an opportunity to focus on teamwork and communication as you and your partner synchronize strokes and collaborate to navigate your boat. Utilize teamwork and ingenuity to board up your canoes and turn them into a floating platform - your home for the night.