Join us for a memorable week of service, fun and community during Alumni Service Week at Homeplace, our wilderness base near Ely, Minnesota.
Sleep on base, eat on base and help prepare for the upcoming season by contributing to various service projects throughout the week. Work side by side with base staff and other members of the Outward Bound alumni community – and build friendships that extend far beyond the week of service. Designed so that alumni and staff may benefit from each other’s energy and enthusiasm, Alumni Service Week offers plenty of opportunities for reflection, renewal and fun. Participate in exhilarating initiatives and decide on an optional day activity that might include rock climbing and rappelling, canoeing, an overnight expedition, saunas or a visit to local points of interest such as the International Wolf Center or North American Bear Center.
NOTE: For the health and safety of students and staff in the COVID-19 pandemic, students may be required to travel to course start by private transportation. Please work directly with your Course Advisor for your course for the most up-to-date and regionally-focused travel options. All students and staff must provide a current negative COVID-19 viral test result before arrival to course and/or consent to having a COVID-19 test administered at course start. Outward Bound requires students and staff to follow COVID-19 protocols for 14 days prior to course start and while traveling including physical distancing, wearing a mask in public, and frequent and thorough handwashing. For complete “Health and Safety Practices for Outward Bound Expeditions,” click here.
This course starts within the next week. Please call us at 866-467-7651 to assess the possibility of applying for this course!
Photo courtesy
of Larry Mishkar
Photo courtesy
of Holly Noble
Photo courtesy
of Holly Noble
Photo courtesy
of Holly Noble
Photo courtesy
of Holly Noble
Photo courtesy
of Holly Noble
Photo courtesy
of Holly Noble
Photo courtesy
of Holly Noble
Photo courtesy
of Holly Noble
Photo courtesy
of Holly Noble
Service Week
Listed below are a few of the service activities Alumni may take part in:
Painting or Staining
Landscaping
Chopping Wood
Setting Up Cabins
Repairing and Organizing Equipment
Course Area
Voyageur Outward Bound School in Ely, Minnesota
Homeplace is located at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, situated on Birch Lake in the Superior National Forest. It is a community in the midst of woods and water and is an ideal place to work and play. The base is surrounded by boreal forest full of giant white pines and cedars and overlooks rapids of the glacier-carved Kawishiwi River, a sliver of one of the largest inland navigable waterway systems in the world. Deer, pine marten, woodpeckers and eagles are commonly spotted right on the basecamp grounds.
SAMPLE ITINERARY
DAY 1
The week begins at the Duluth Airport before transporting to the Voyageur Outward Bound School basecamp in northern Minnesota. Meet your Outward Bound liaison, settle into your accommodations, eat dinner and enjoy getting to know the group.
DAY 2
Review the list of base camp service projects with your Outward Bound liaison. Meet current Outward Bound staff, sign-up for tasks and get to work.
DAY 3-6
Participate in a variety of optional activities like canoeing, rock climbing and hiking while also getting work projects done around the base camp.
DAY 7
Finish up work projects and enjoy a final banquet celebration.
DAY 8
Eat an early breakfast and depart for the airport to travel home.
If you are ready to enroll on a course click the enroll button next to the course you wish to select or you can enroll over the phone by speaking with one of our Admissions Advisors (toll-free) at 866-467-7651.
To secure your spot on a course you must submit an enrollment form and $500 deposit that is applied toward the total cost of the course and includes a $150 non-refundable enrollment processing fee.