Pathfinder Big Bend Canoeing & Backpacking
Learn to take risks, find connection among your crew and identify your own strengths while experiencing the thrill of adventure amidst the stunning Texas landscape.
With all of the color and contrast the Big Bend area has to offer; this Pathfinder expedition is an unforgettable wilderness experience. On this 30-day canoeing and backpacking expedition, you’ll discover your strengths and develop skills that will shape your future as you travel, learn and grow in the American Southwest. Deliberately focused on character development, personal leadership, self-awareness and accountability, Outward Bound Pathfinder expeditions are designed to cultivate confident and compassionate young adults. While you’ll certainly acquire an extensive range of practical outdoor and life skills, even more important is the confidence, independence and sense of pride that comes from mastering those skills. Prior to completion 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.
UPCOMING COURSES
Course # VRPF-2461
Age 18 - 25
Days 30
Cost $7,695
Dates 2/24/2024 - 3/24/2024
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
Course # VRPF-2462
Age 18 - 25
Days 30
Cost $8,070
Dates 11/4/2024 - 12/3/2024
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
Course # VRPF-2561
Age 18 - 25
Days 30
Cost $8,070
Dates 2/24/2025 - 3/25/2025
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
APPLY NOW – Almost Full
This means there are three or fewer currently available spots left on a course. To secure your spot click Apply Now to begin an application!
JOIN WAITLIST
Once a course has reached capacity, three waitlist positions become available. To join a course’s waitlist, click “Join Waitlist” to begin the application process. A $500 deposit is required. This $500 deposit includes a $150 non-refundable application fee and a $350 tuition payment. The $350 tuition payment is refundable only if you cancel your waitlist application or if an open position does not become available. If a position does become available, the applicant will be applied to the open position and the Application and Cancellation Policies of the Regional Outward Bound School will be followed, including forfeiture of the $500 deposit if you cancel 90 days or less prior to the course start date.
Waitlist applicants are encouraged to complete all required admissions documents while awaiting an open position. Positions may become available up to two weeks prior to the course start date. Applicants may only apply to one course. We recommend applying to a course with open positions instead of a course that is accepting waitlist applications. If you have questions, please call 866-467-7651 to speak with one of our Admissions Advisors.
CALL TO APPLY
This means a course is very close to its start date. Although it is unlikely to secure a spot this late, you can call the National Admissions office at 866-467-7651 to discuss your options.
COURSE IS FULL
When a course has reached maximum capacity, meaning all spots and the three waitlist spots are occupied, a course will read “Course Is Full.” This means applications are no longer being accepted.
CLOSED
As a course nears its start date, the availability status may read “Closed.” In this event, a course roster has been finalized and applications are no longer being accepted or processed.
I entered this course with the hope that I would grow and learn but had very little idea how. I hoped that I would gain confidence and courage, I hoped that I’d find my way. But this course was hard. I was uncomfortable. And that was the greatest gift Outward Bound could have given me. There is little room for growth within your comfort zone and miles and miles and miles of growth out there, in the wilderness. And out there you also find lessons about concepts you never even thought of. I could probably write a book on the things I’ve learned during these 30 days!
After first learning basic whitewater strokes in calm currents, students are ready to begin the expedition. Paddling together, the group travels down-river through sections of calm currents and swift-moving whitewater rapids. The waters of the Rio Grande offer beginning and more advanced paddlers a progressive challenge and a perfect place to learn and hone skills.
Instructors assist students in mastering skills of paddling, scouting and running rapids. Students learn all the skills they need to move efficiently down-river, including an introduction to whitewater rescue techniques. As there are only two students in a whitewater canoe, everyone has the opportunity to "captain their watercraft." Students learn to adapt to the river and desert environments and reset their internal clock to rise with the sun and sleep with the moon.
Explore the Chihuahuan Desert, crossing mountainous terrain and traveling through water-polished canyons. The elevation is varied throughout this desert but remains mainly between 1,000-2,000 feet above sea level. The small group will hike both on and off trail, crossing mountain passes, exploring immense canyons and traversing a rugged desert where atmospheric clarity and wide-open spaces make distances deceiving and navigation challenging. While hiking, students will learn desert travel skills, such as strategies for water management and environmental preservation and the finer points of balance and foot placement on rough terrain.
During climbing days, students learn about general rock climbing equipment, safety and etiquette. Students have many opportunities to climb, belay and rappel while learning and employing safety systems that are compliant with national standards. The rock climbing sites provide a number of different route options including cracks, sheer faces and chimneys. Regardless of a student’s rock climbing background, they are sure to find a route that will encourage them to expand their comfort zone and accomplish their goals.
Weather and group dynamics permitting, there may be an opportunity to go canyoneering on this course. During this activity, the group will descend down steep canyons using rappel techniques learned during their rock climbing experience. These canyons often provide a group problem-solving aspect, as students descend the canyon, cross pools of water and navigate maze-like boulder constrictions. During canyoneering, teamwork is essential to getting everyone and their equipment safely and efficiently through the canyon.
Service to the environment and to others is one of the core values of Outward Bound. Students are encouraged to practice service to the environment; leaving campsites cleaner than they found them and practicingRecreate Responsibly ethics. 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. Other projects may be based in the local community. Students develop a value of service, seeing the impact of their actions firsthand, and transfer this desire to serve to their communities back home.
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 all the food, skills and supplies they need, students are given a secluded spot to reflect alone, and are monitored by staff throughout the experience to maintain safety. The duration of Solo depends on the course length and type, as well as the competency and preparedness of the student group.
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. 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 experience.
Big Bend Ranch State Park and Big Bend National Park, Texas
Along the US-Mexico border in southwestern Texas, a powerful river and a mountainous desert unite in Texas’ Big Bend park system. The Texas course area is one of the most remote and geologically interesting in the nation. The Rio Grande River carves a huge, sweeping bend where Big Bend National Park earns its name. This 750,000-square mile wilderness is the eighth largest national park in the lower 48 states and a desert backpacking and rock-climbing paradise. In this region, delicate desert flowers exist alongside fossilized trees millions of years old. Mountain passes give way to steep-walled canyons and cliffs. The land itself is awe-inspiring, with canyons towering 300 to 1,200 feet over the river. It is one of the last true desert regions in North America. Much of this rugged land has remained unchanged for centuries. Hundreds of species of birds and a healthy diversity of other animal and plant communities thrive within the splendid isolation of ancient limestone canyons, juniper and mesquite-covered mesas and coal-black night skies. These regions are the ancestral lands of the Jumanos, Yoli (Concho), Pescado, Mescalero Apache and Chiso nations.
Course Stories
I entered this course with the hope that I would grow and learn but had very little idea how. I hoped that I would gain confidence and courage, I hoped that I’d find my way. But this course was hard. I was uncomfortable. And that was the greatest gift Outward Bound could have given me. There is little room for growth within your comfort zone and miles and miles and miles of growth out there, in the wilderness. And out there you also find lessons about concepts you never even thought of. I could probably write a book on the things I’ve learned during these 30 days!
On my pathfinder journey, I learned many things about myself. I learned that I can do anything I set my mind to & I can push myself further than I ever believed possible. I am the master of my own destiny and how I act and portray myself greatly affects the outcome. I appreciate the chance I got to spent 30 days and 30 nights with eight other people searching for answers to questions we didn’t even know we had.
On this experience I learned a lot about myself as well as how to live and work with a group of people. All of us came from different backgrounds, strengths and weaknesses. We learned how to use those strengths to benefit the group. We learned how to manage and support others through their struggles. Although Outward Bound is challenging, you will feel a sense of pride and accomplishment like no other when you finish. And you definitely see the parallels of the simple tasks in the back country to the complex situations life throws at you in the front country.
I realized during the solo portion of this course that I am comfortable with my thoughts and am able to be happy alone. During this course I discovered I have a strength of being able to stay calm and rationally think through things even under dire circumstances. I will most definitely continue to backpack and camp in the future.
This is the end of my third Outward Bound expedition, so this is the third letter I've written and every time I look back on the experiences I have had, I am thankful this type of organization exists. I live in Chicago and don’t get that many choices to experience nature in its fullest. Outward Bound has been at the forefront of a lot of changes in my life that have only made it better.
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Getting Started
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.