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The Outdoor Adventure Skills program is an invitation for Scouts to try something new to be outside more, testing themselves with progressive challenges while remaining within their capabilities to stay safe. In short, it’s about having life-changing experiences. Below are some important tips to begin to prepare yourself for one of the greatest adventures of your life and to help you get the very most out of your Outward Bound experience. You’ll find that planning pays off as you start on your expedition on the right foot from day one. During an Outward Bound course, students are encouraged to be proactive about taking good care of themselves.

You’ve considered dozens of exciting destinations across the United States. You’ve debated between kayaking, canoeing, backpacking, sailing, rafting, canyoneering, mountaineering, and rock climbing. You’ve convinced your parents that you’re ready for an outdoor adventure that’s more than just a summer camp. Your paperwork is done. Your tuition is paid. And now you wait. But don’t wait. Get ready. Outward Bound expeditions are physically demanding; so while your course start may be months away, the time to start preparing is now. The Outdoor Adventure Skills program is an invitation for Scouts to try something new to be outside more, testing themselves with progressive challenges while remaining within their capabilities to stay safe. In short, it’s about having life-changing experiences. Below are some important tips to begin to prepare yourself for one of the greatest adventures of your life and to help you get the very most out of your Outward Bound experience. You’ll find that planning pays off as you start on your expedition on the right foot from day one. During an Outward Bound course, students are encouraged to be proactive about taking good care of themselves. This means drinking plenty of water, wearing sunscreen, washing hands before every meal, and carefully monitoring their well-being. At home, you can start good self-care habits early. Start by drinking plenty of water. Carry a reusable water bottle and challenge yourself to drink and re-fill it 3-4 times throughout the day. You can add citrus or fruit to the water to add some flavor– and keep up the hydration motivation. Your course advisor will advise you on exactly what kind of shoes you should bring. Though they likely won’t name a brand, they will be specific about things like ankle support and degree of waterproofing. When it comes time to purchase your shoes, pay careful attention– the guidelines have been selected just for your course area and expedition style. Each Outdoor Adventure Skills pathway is divided into nine stages with a badge awarded for each stage; however, the purpose of the OAS program is not the badge. Rather, the Outdoor Adventure Skills should be seen as tools to support the Plan-Do-Review process—for example, organizing an activity that matches the level of skills that the participants have, or evaluating the amount of growth a person experienced in a particular skill set they wanted to expand on.