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Oregon Rafting & Rock Climbing for Girls

Photograph (above) taken by Colby Blue

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LOCATION

Pacific Northwest

EXPEDITION TYPE

Rafting

Rock Climbing

PRICE

$5,195

PROGRAM

High School , Single Gender

AGES

14-16

LENGTH

15 Days

SEASON(S)

Summer

SKILLS

TECHNICAL

Basic Paddle Strokes
Belaying a Climber
Knots
Leave No Trace Methods & Ethics
River Reading

INTERPERSONAL

Character
Empathy
Independence
Leadership
Positive Risk Taking
Problem Solving
Responsibility
Self Confidence
Service

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This course offers students an opportunity to challenge themselves while exploring amazing wilderness areas.

The first days of your trip will be spent building critical competencies in teamwork and outdoor skills. Amidst towering geologic formations at the world famous Smith Rock State Park, you will learn climbing techniques, as well as use of basic gear, knots and rope systems. Along the wild and scenic Deschutes River, your team will learn paddling methods, river hydrology, raft captaining and self-rescue techniques. The course emphasizes leadership, character development and an ethic of service. Whether navigating rapids, hiking long distances to reach climbs, or keeping calm when exposed to heights, wilderness travel is demanding. You do not need to have any previous experience but arriving physically fit and excited for the opportunity for personal development will enhance your experience and allow you to take full advantage of the expedition.

This course is open to non-binary and gender expansive identifying students. We strive to create an inclusive environment for all of our students.

NOTE: This course requires that students submit proof of "Up-to-Date" COVID-19 Vaccination status as defined by the CDC. For questions regarding this policy please see this page or call us at 866-467-7651.

UPCOMING COURSES

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For detailed information on course availability statuses and what they mean, click here.

COURSE #	DATES	DAYS	AGE	COST
WOWV-241	7.6.22 - 7.20.22	15	14 - 16	$ 5,195	JOIN WAITLIST

Thank you for your interest in Outward Bound!

This course starts within the next week. Please call us at 866-467-7651 to assess the possibility of applying for this course!

Classic Courses

Are you ready to take a journey that will change your life? You won’t look at day-to-day drama the same way after you’ve conquered a high mountain ridge, heard the echoes at the edge of a vast canyon, or slept under the stars watching bats swoop overhead. Joining an Outward Bound expedition changes you. Your crew, your Instructor, your route and your adventures will have a profound and lasting impact on you as you rise to meet exhilarating natural challenges in some of the country’s wildest places.

Build skills, form connections: Learn and practice wilderness, teamwork and leadership skills. Find connections with your crewmates based on support and respect (and fun too!), and in the thick of challenges, discover there is more in you than you know.
Value strengths and strengthen values: Uncover your unique character strengths, develop your leadership abilities and learn how to let compassion into everyday life by pushing your own limits and working alongside your peers.
Demonstrate mastery: As you gain confidence in new skills, take on more decision-making responsibilities. Work together to achieve team goals, solve problems and succeed both as individuals and as a group.
What you’ll learn: For High School students, the opportunities to carry more weight (literally and figuratively) and make impactful decisions with accompanying consequences fills the expedition as you go through numerous trials and triumphs. It’s all about independence.

After you come home, many of the character, leadership and service traits you uncovered on your expedition stay with you, helping you navigate your daily life with more resilience and success.

Photo courtesy of Abby Taylor

Photo courtesy of Colby Blue

Photo courtesy of Abby Taylor

Photo courtesy of Abby Taylor

Photo courtesy of Abby Taylor

Photo courtesy of Ari Kosal

Photo courtesy of Colby Blue

Rafting

Students will travel on the river in four to six-person paddle rafts, and learn to “captain” (maneuver) their paddle raft team through Class II to III rapids. After lessons in basic river travel and safety, students will learn to read currents, anticipate obstacles and scout rapids. Students will also learn river hydrology, swimming in currents and paddle techniques. There may also be an opportunity for short day hikes.

Photo courtesy of Colby Blue

Photo courtesy of Radha Vyas

Photo courtesy of Colby Blue

Photo courtesy of Radha Vyas

Photo courtesy of Ben Stainstreet

Photo courtesy of Radha Vyas

Rock Climbing

Students will receive individual instruction and test their skills against the vertical cracks, steep faces and boulders of Smith Rock State Park. Among the skills students will learn are: basic climbing equipment, rope management, wearing harnesses, tying knots, belaying and rappelling techniques and movement on rock.

Service

Service to others and to our environment is a core value of Outward Bound and is integrated into each course. Groups follow Leave No Trace ethics as they engage in acts of service while leading and supporting fellow participants. Designated service projects are coordinated with land managers like the US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service to collaborate on land restoration projects. Additionally, students may have the opportunity to work alongside select social service agencies like nursing homes, hospitals, and organic farms. Students see the impact of their actions firsthand, and may develop a desire to continue service in their home communities.

Solo

In order for profound learning to take place, students spend time reflecting on their experience, and Solo is that opportunity. The Solo experience provides an important break from the rigors of the expedition and gives students the opportunity to reflect on their Outward Bound experience. With sufficient food and equipment, students will set up camp at sites of their own, using the wilderness skills learned during the first portions of the course. The amount of time students spend on Solo is based on course length, weather, student condition, age and Instructor preference. Solo campsites are chosen to offer as much solitude as possible (yet be within emergency whistle-signaling distance of other group members). Most students spend their Solo time journaling, drawing, reflecting, thinking and resting as they process lessons of the course to focus on their goals for the future. Instructors check on each participant at regular intervals, as safety is always a top priority.

Final Expedition

Outward Bound believes that an appropriate amount of independence is a powerful educational tool. During the travel sections of this course, Outward Bound Instructors purposefully and gradually transfer certain leadership responsibilities to the students culminating with a “Final Expedition.” Near the end of course—if the group has demonstrated the necessary leadership, team problem solving and wilderness living skills—students may have the opportunity to travel without Instructors immediately present. Many students feel this phase of the course is the most rewarding, as the group learns to work as a team, problem solve, and accomplish a goal independently, while utilizing all the skills they have acquired.

Personal Challenge Event

Courses typically end with a Challenge Event—an individual final physical push. This typically takes the form of an endurance run or triathlon-style challenge

Outcomes

This course provides an opportunity for students to learn and practice the ideas of leadership, character development, and service that are integral to Outward Bound. Students will develop and apply these skills in an expedition setting so that they can continue to grow once they return home. As a team, each group will work together to complete difficult tasks necessary for backcountry travel and expedition living. Instructors will work to challenge each student to try new things and step outside their comfort zones, as well as provide feedback that can be acted upon before course end.

Course Area

Deschutes River, Oregon

The Deschutes River is part of the national Wild & Scenic Rivers System, flowing north from the Oregon Cascades to the Columbia River and then on to the Pacific Ocean. Courses generally travel anywhere from fifty to one hundred miles along the Lower Deschutes. The rapids on the Deschutes are rated to class IV, mostly class II-III. The group camps each night along the banks of the river.

Smith Rock State Park, Oregon

Smith Rock State Park is a world-renowned climbing destination that attracts climbers of every ability level. The Crooked River winds its way through the canyon, and to the west, the snow-capped volcanoes of the Cascade Range rise on the horizon. One of the most striking features is a prominent spire, Monkey Face. Given the dry and temperate climate, rock climbing is feasible most of the year.

SAMPLE ITINERARY

DAY 1

Course Start, welcome and introductions, duffle shuffle, course overview

DAY 2-6

Whitewater Rafting: Fitting and use of PFD, safety topics, captaining a raft, reading water, swim assessment, navigation, and camp-craft skills. Practice with captaining a raft, flip drills, scouting, throw bag drill, swimming activities.

DAY 7

Complete the 96 mile river rafting section by taking out at Deschutes State Park. De-issue river gear. River closing and celebration.

DAY 8

Travel to Smith Rock State Park. Orient to new environment and new equipment.

DAY 5

Rock Climbing: Introduction to rock climbing systems. Movement on rock, belaying, top roping and lowering. Development of climbing technique. Experience various types of rock climbs and difficulties.

DAY 14

Personal challenge event, de-issue gear, de-brief, course end celebration and graduation.

DAY 15

Transport home