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Returning to the Island That Changed my Life
Hurricane Island Outward Bound School
In this personal reflection, HIOBS alumnus Rick Lancaster (H-35) returns to Hurricane Island more than five decades after his 1971 course—walking the shoreline at age 70 in search of the places and moments that shaped him at 16.
Some experiences defy explanation; they must be lived to be understood.
Though the island has changed, and some of the memories are a little fuzzier, the challenges, teamwork, solitude, and wilderness that quietly redirected the course of his life still echo powerfully today, reminding us of the unique and enduring impact of the Outward Bound experience.
Alumni Story
Alumni Story
Alumni Story
Alumni Story A return to Hurricane Island, where memory, meaning, and a lifetime of lessons converge.
Excerpt originally shared with the HIOBS Alumni group
This past summer, I was privileged and honored to be taken to Hurricane Island by my friends, HIOBS Executive Director Eric Denny and Development Director Rachel Loomis Lee.
My last time on the island was in June of 1971 for course H-35.
The three of us walked the island’s circumference, following much of the running path we took in 1971 when I was sixteen years old. For me, it was a significant and emotional experience, trying to place my 70-year-old self back into the mind and body of 54 years ago.
Not everything came back due to a combination of changes in the land and losses of memory, but enough was familiar that I was able to remember where we took seaside lessons, where we rock-climbed, where we ate, where we slept, and where we jumped into the cold ocean.
My 16-year-old self was unable to foresee the life-long changes taking form then, and—even now—sorting and separating the lessons and experiences into “big” and “small” is close to impossible. As I talked to Eric and Rachel after our walk, I tried to parse 28 days into the parts that meant the most, and frankly, I can’t.
Pulling up to Hurricane, summer 2025.
Pulling up to the dock at Hurricane, 1971.
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Some lessons can’t be explained—only lived.
Was it overcoming the fear of hanging ninety feet on sheer granite?
Running 2.5 miles on rocks before jumping into 40-degree water?
Becoming a team with eleven other boys over miles of ocean under sails, or staying a team as we rowed for days over still water?
Was it spending three days absolutely alone for the first time in my life?
Or did it take ALL those things to reverse my path to failure in life?
I don’t know. Maybe it doesn’t matter. My path WAS reversed, and I am here today, being the only man I know how to be.
If you were to ask me why Hurricane Island Outward Bound would help a young person in today’s world, I couldn’t give you an answer that could be understood. How does pain feel? How about love? Some things can only be experienced.
Maybe if I say, “I am grateful,” it would be enough.
(All photos courtesy of Rick Lancaster)
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