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Pathfinder Boundary Waters Dog Sledding & Cross Country Skiing

Photograph (above) taken by Larry Mishkar

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LOCATION

W Boundary Waters

EXPEDITION TYPE

Dog Sledding

Skiing & Snowshoeing

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

Ropes Course, Service, Winter Camping, Rock Climbing, Backcountry Snowshoeing, Ski Touring

PRICE

$7,395

PROGRAM

Pathfinder

AGES

18-25

LENGTH

30 Days

START LOCATION

Duluth, MN

END LOCATION

Duluth, MN

SEASON(S)

Winter

SKILLS

TECHNICAL

Basic First Aid
Campcraft
Cold Weather Safety
Food Preparation and Cooking
Knots
Leave No Trace Methods & Ethics
Map and Compass
Navigation
Outdoor Emergencies
Snow Travel

INTERPERSONAL

Character
Conflict Resolution
Independence
Leadership
Positive Risk Taking
Problem Solving
Responsibility
Self Awareness
Self Confidence
Service

“It takes extremes like sleeping under the stars next to a thermometer reading somewhere below -40 degrees Fahrenheit, watching snow blow across the Kawishiwi River after a long, hard day of travel, sitting around a stove in a canvas tent with a group of real, close friends, laughing and telling stories, and living simply in challenge and triumph, to learn some things about yourself, and without this experience, I would may have have never known them.” – Alison, Voyageur Outward Bound School Alum

“My Outward Bound experience was nothing short of utterly life-changing! I developed a keen self-awareness and a worldly view I never thought I’d be fortunate enough to have. My previously lack-luster set of morals and beliefs have been solidified into something I am truly proud to call my own, and my abilities to communicate my own thoughts and feelings is remarkable. Ski-joring across a frozen lake with a beautiful dog under a sunset was straight from a movie and might be the most magical thing I have ever done in my life! This course has given more to me than I ever thought I’d get out of an outdoor expedition.” – Mac, Voyageur Outward Bound School Alum

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Discover your strengths and develop skills that will shape your future on this 30-day dog sledding and cross-country skiing expedition.

This extraordinary adventure is your chance to gain leadership skills, define your values, be of service and—most importantly—discover what you are capable of. Travel over frozen lakes and rivers; learn how to manage teams of sled dogs; cross-country ski; navigate with a map and compass; check ice conditions; cook over an open fire and stay comfortable in extreme winter temperatures. Enjoy the satisfaction and camaraderie that comes from being part of a small team with a dedicated purpose as you enjoy hearty meals under the brilliant night sky. At the end of the course, participate in a facilitated family conversation where your family can gain insight into your experience and discuss how your newfound knowledge will transfer back to your daily life. No prior winter travel knowledge or experience is necessary.

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
VMPD-361	2.24.23 - 3.25.23	30	18 - 25	$ 7,395	APPLY NOW

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!

Pathfinder Expeditions

Sometimes you don’t know where you want to go in life until you spend a few weeks in the middle of nowhere. Pathfinder expeditions give you time and space to understand what’s important to you and the skills to get there. Over the next 30 days, you’ll rise to meet natural challenges, becoming accustomed to setting goals, making decisions, and recovering from set-backs, all of which help clarify bigger choices that await you in life beyond your course.

Build skills, form connections: Learn and practice wilderness, teamwork, adaptability and leadership skills. Participants will have the opportunity to chart a path and pursue it with their own motivation as extra fuel.
Value strengths and strengthen values: Resiliency to recover from set-backs is a treasured and useful skill that will play a part in any Pathfinder expedition. Participants will explore answers to their most pressing questions about what they value, where their strengths lie and what direction their lives will take next.
Demonstrate mastery: As students gain confidence in new skills, they will take on more leadership and decision-making responsibilities and gain a deeper understanding of who they are as individuals. The entire crew will work together and individually to achieve goals, solve problems and succeed.
What you’ll learn: After spending 30 days in the wilderness, you’ll have mastered multiple outdoor skills and you’ll know what it takes to traverse mountain passes, climb the steepest cliffs and successfully navigate the challenges of the natural world around you. You’ll discover more about your true self and what you want to achieve, how you overcome setbacks and, most importantly, how to move forward to reach important milestones.

Return home after broadening your horizons, learning how to adapt to new environments and trying untested possibilities, with an action plan for the future. With newfound leadership potential, self-awareness, and problem-solving skills, you’ll be ready for your next big step.

Photo courtesy of Larry Mishkar

Photo courtesy of Larry Mishkar

Photo courtesy of Larry Mishkar

Photo courtesy of William Durland

Photo courtesy of Adam Benway

Photo courtesy of Emily Sketch Haines

Photo courtesy of Rachael Pace

Photo courtesy of William Durland

Dog Sledding

Together with a team of expert Instructors and lovable sled dogs, students experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with nature, working animals and each other in this thrilling, challenging and utterly stunning wilderness environment. Using map and compass, students learn to navigate a route over frozen lakes, rivers and the overland portage trails between them. Students develop skills in dog mushing, cross-country skiing, ice reading, winter camping and sled dog care. Group members take turns mushing the dogsleds and skiing or snowshoeing throughout the course. Everyone cares for the dogs on a daily basis. Take part in a beautiful winter choreography as skiers serve as advance “scouts”—navigating, checking for safe ice conditions and tracking out a trail while mushers work with the dogs to help guide the loaded dog sleds to follow. The group comes together to maneuver the dogsleds over obstacles and steep terrain and make and enjoy camp at the end of the day.

Photo courtesy of Larry Mishkar

Photo courtesy of Larry Mishkar

Photo courtesy of Larry Mishkar

Cross Country Skiing

Students learn to rely on their own locomotion as they use skis to kick and glide across the frozen landscape. Adequate training will be given to teach the skiers to break trail, set the tracks for the dog sleds to follow and check the ice to allow for safe travel. The exhilaration that comes from the freedom of being able to efficiently move across a frozen lake or snow covered trail will make students understand why this is one of the oldest sport activities in the world. Skiers will occasionally help the mushers move the sleds over difficult terrain but otherwise travel separately from the dog sleds, carrying their own basic supplies for the day in backpacks or towing a small personal sled known as a “pulk."

Photo courtesy of Larry Mishkar

Photo courtesy of Larry Mishkar

Photo courtesy of Larry Mishkar

Winter Living and Camp Set Up

Students learn what it takes to construct a winter camp and live comfortably in the depths of a Minnesota winter. Instructors teach students techniques for harvesting water from beneath the ice, dressing properly for freezing temperatures, felling trees for firewood, cooking over an open fire and setting up shelters and cozy winter sleeping systems. A hearty dinner and enriching conversation with fellow group members around an outdoor fire or the wood stove in a large, canvas wall tent rounds out each day. Students often enjoy clear evening stargazing before drifting off into a well-deserved sleep. Students learn that not only can they survive, but truly thrive, in an extreme and remote winter environment.

Service

Service is a cornerstone of every Outward Bound experience. From the seemingly small daily acts of service to the environment to the regular tasks of being part of an expeditionary team, participants have ample opportunities to experience the value of giving back to the larger community. On the expedition, participants are encouraged to practice environmental stewardship in the form of Leave No Trace ethics - leaving campsites and trails in better condition than they found them. Participants also practice regular acts of service for their team including the hard-working sled dogs by preparing and serving meals, securing drinking water, breaking trail and giving the dogs plenty of affection.

Solo

At one point during the expedition students are provided a secluded spot to reflect alone, with all the food, skills and supplies they need, and are monitored by staff throughout the experience to maintain safety. We call this part of course, Solo. 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. Many students use this reflection time to make decisions about their future, journal and enjoy the beauty of their surroundings unencumbered by the constant external stimulation of modern life. The duration of Solo depends on the course length and type, as well as the competency and preparedness of the student group. Students find that Solo provokes profound and powerful learning in a short period of time and often becomes one of the most memorable parts of their Outward Bound course.

Outcomes

A 30-day Pathfinder course provides the opportunity to chart a path, the motivation to begin the journey and the skills required to achieve personal and professional goals. While adventuring in the backcountry and tackling physical, mental and emotional challenges, students will:

Develop more confidence and tenacity
Gain a deeper understanding of themselves, their strengths and values, and how to move forward in alignment with those values
Increase self-knowledge and awareness, as evidenced by a clearer sense of identity and an increase in sense of potential
Develop grit and self-efficacy, as evidenced by increased perseverance and confidence to complete tasks and reach for goals
Improve decision-making skills through the day-to-day running of an expedition

Depart with written goals for the future along with increased resiliency to handle what challenges may come as they pursue their newly defined direction

Photo courtesy of Brian Minor

Photo courtesy of Lisa Pugh

Course Area

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota
Established in 1978, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is a labyrinth of lakes and rock that has been specifically protected as a true American wilderness. No roads, power lines or motorized craft may enter its borders. Therefore, the Boundary Waters wilderness has changed little since its unveiling when the glaciers melted 10,000 years ago.

Over one million acres in size, the BWCAW extends 150 miles along the Minnesota/Canadian border. With over 1,200 miles of canoe routes, nearly 2,200 designated campsites and more than 1,000 lakes and streams, the BWCAW is a truly amazing place to experience the wilderness. It contains portage-linked lakes and streams, interspersed with islands, forests and crags. It has no piped water, prepared shelters or signs to point the way. Within these borders you can canoe, portage and camp as the native peoples and French-Canadian Voyageurs did before you. Paddling routes offer outstanding opportunities for solitude, remoteness, teamwork, adventure and challenge.

In the winter, the Boundary Waters transforms into an even more severe and remote wilderness. While more difficult, winter enthusiasts travel over frozen lakes and rivers by dogsled, cross-country ski and snowshoe. Winter in the Boundary Waters is mesmerizing, peaceful and exhilarating. It is a place of spectacular extremes, trackless snow, bracing cold air, glowing warm embers and powerful silence. These regions are the ancestral lands of the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ and Očeti Šakówiŋ (Sioux) nations.