“I’d always wanted to try more outdoor activities, but never really had the confidence to go for it,” Megan said. “Doing this meant I could finally experience it and really push myself.” The decision to apply came after a difficult first semester at college. Like many incoming university students, she arrived expecting a fresh start. Instead, she found herself overwhelmed. “I went to college thinking it would be a new version of me,” she said. “But my first semester was actually really hard! I realized it wasn’t about the location; I just needed to take care of myself.”

So, she took a step back and decided to take a short gap semester. During that time, she focused on resetting and figuring out what she needed next. That’s when she found Outward Bound.

“It ended up being exactly what I needed.”

It ended up being exactly what I needed.

Disconnecting and Letting Go

Even before the course started, though, Megan faced a challenge familiar to most teenagers: giving up her phone. “Usually when I’m stressed, I just put on music. So, realizing there would be no phone, no music, and no contact with my parents was scary.” She tried not to think about it too much, at least until she was on the plane heading to North Carolina.

Reality didn’t fully hit until the first night. “At first it didn’t feel real, even after I handed over my phone,” she said. “But that first night when I woke up and realized I wasn’t in my bed and I was actually outside, I remember thinking, ‘What am I doing here?’”

Right in the Middle of It All

Everyone else seemed outgoing and ready to connect immediately. As someone more introverted, Megan felt unsure about where she fit.

“It hit me the most when we started hiking and stopped for a break,” she said. “You’d look around and realize you were literally in the middle of the woods with no phone and no real sense of where you were. That’s when it really sunk in. Like, wow, we’re really out here.” The first few days were physically exhausting. Hiking with a heavy pack on uneven trails was tough, and everything about being in the wilderness felt new.

But something started to shift as the group kept moving.

Rising to the Challenge & Finding Her Stride

“Hiking was actually a big part of the shift,” Megan said. “We’d just be walking along the trail talking, and it suddenly felt easier to open up. There was this moment where I realized it’s actually so much easier to talk when you’re walking side by side.”

Her crew bonded naturally as they moved through the forest together. That first step – just walking and talking – helped Megan begin to feel more comfortable with the experience and the people around her.

The next push came when her Instructors placed her in a leadership role.

“I think this shift continued, and I started seeing the impact, by the second or third day. They put me in a leadership position, which I think was intentional because I hadn’t been speaking much,” she reflected. “It forced me to start interacting more. After that, it felt easier to talk with people. That’s when I realized this was where I was, and I should make the most of it. Pushing myself was the reason I signed up in the first place.”

As we often see on Outward Bound courses, the activity Megan feared most ended up becoming her favorite: rock climbing.

“Honestly, rock climbing was the thing I liked way more than I expected,” she said.

“Before the trip, I was actually trying to find a course that didn’t include it [Laughs].” But once the group reached the climbing section, she decided to get it over with and even volunteered to go first. Partway up the rock face, Megan had a surreal realization:

“I remember thinking, ‘Wait… we’re literally climbing a mountain right now,’” she said. “I had maybe two days of experience at that point.” By the time she reached the top, the nerves had turned into something else entirely.

“I can’t believe I just did that,” she said.

I can’t believe I just did that.

Discovering New Strength in the Power of Opening Up

Moments like that started to change how Megan saw herself, not just in the outdoors, but in everyday life. “It was bigger than just learning outdoor skills. It was about being pushed out of your comfort zone in all kinds of ways.”

One of the biggest and most surprising realizations happened during a group reflection activity near the end of the course. Participants were encouraged to share personal stories with the group. At first, Megan resisted the idea.

“I had struggles with my mental health in the past that I had never really talked about with anyone. So, when they suggested sharing our stories, I didn’t want to,” Megan recalled. But, one of her Instructors encouraged her to see the moment as a chance to practice being vulnerable in a supportive environment. Eventually, Megan decided to share her story around the campfire.

“That moment was the turning point for me, thanks to my Instructor,” she said. “By that point, we’d been out there for almost three weeks, and I felt comfortable with everyone.” Opening up in that setting made it easier to do the same once she returned home. “After doing it there, it became so much easier to be open with people in my life,” she continued.

Carrying It Forward, Together

Living outdoors together also created strong friendships within the group. Back at home, Megan is still in touch with a few members of her crew and has made plans to see one another as schedules allow.

“Being out there helped us connect because we were all going through something completely new together,” she said. “You open up really fast when you’re sharing that kind of experience.”

Being out there helped us connect because we were all going through something completely new together.

Now at the University of Washington, studying International Studies and Political Science, Megan still carries the lessons she learned from those weeks in the wilderness. “Being outside has become such a big part of my life,” she said.

“After the course, I even learned how to scuba dive, and started doing little walks near home, and now I’m doing longer hikes here in Washington.” She’s also joined outdoor clubs on campus and enjoys encouraging other students to try things they might normally avoid.

It All Starts with The First Step

For Megan, the course wasn’t about climbing mountains or navigating trails. It was about finding the courage to take that first step.

“Just trust me, and show up. I know it sounds crazy! You can’t imagine being outside for a month doing all these things. I was so doubtful, too. But, I learned so much about myself and what I’m capable of,” she said.

I learned so much about myself and what I’m capable of.

Looking back now, Megan knows the hardest part wasn’t the hiking, climbing, or sleeping outside. It was simply deciding to try.

Sometimes growth starts with something small: filling out an application, stepping onto a plane, or taking that first step down a trail you’ve never walked before.

Photos provided by Megan Farley