Backpacking Trips History with Outward Bound Wilderness

Outward Bound was founded by Kurt Hahn, whose guiding philosophy was summarized best in the following quotation:

"The aim of education is to impel people into value-forming experiences, to ensure the survival of these qualities:

an enterprising curiosity
an undefeatable spirit
tenacity in pursuit
readiness for sensible self-denial, and above all,
compassion

Hahn was born in 1886 in Germany of Jewish parents. Influenced by Plato and the progressive school movement, he founded the Salem ("Peace") School in 1920. Hahn's innovations at Salem took place not in the classroom, but in the establishment of principles and practices that encourage character development and preparation for life.

Hahn believed that moral aims should influence every aspect of education. In 1932, after Nazi storm troopers kicked to death a young communist, Hahn wrote to all Salem school alumni telling them to choose between Salem and Hitler. Hitler imprisoned Hahn in 1933, but thanks to influential British friends, Hahn was allowed to emigrate and settle in England.

During World War II, Hahn transferred his boarding school philosophy to a shorter program that eventually became known as Outward Bound. In the early days of WWII, British merchant ships were being sunk by German submarines. The survivors would take to the lifeboats to often endure tremendous hardships in the North Atlantic. An unexpected phenomenon occurred with surprising frequency. The younger, fitter sailors were not faring as well as the older sailors. Lawrence Holt, of the Blue Funnel Shipping Line, surmised that this unexpected outcome could be attributed to the experience of the older men. He sought to develop an educational process that might help the younger men "to arm the cadet against the enemies within-- fear, defeatism, apathy, selfishness." He sought out Kurt Hahn and the first Outward Bound courses began in 1941. (The name "Outward Bound" comes from the name of the flag a ship flies when it is leaving the safety of the harbor and committing itself to the unknown hazards and rewards of the sea.)

Whereas most of us won't literally be torpedoed, all of us can reasonably expect to encounter serious challenges in our future. Outward Bound seeks to teach students to master expedition skills in the backcountry and on the open seas. Through mastering skills and using them to conduct successful expeditions, students develop the character and confidence necessary to face other challenges in their lives.

After the war, enthusiasm for the value of the Outward Bound experience led to the founding of the Outward Bound Trust (1949). Since then, more than thirty schools have been founded on five continents: Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia, and North America. Josh Miner brought Outward Bound to the United States in 1961 to Colorado. Backpacking quickly became on the the challenge courses that were offered to students to help them discover and experience the values of an Outward Bound course. In 2005, the individual schools in Maine, Minnesota, Colorado, and Washington unified under the Outward Bound Wilderness division of Outward Bound USA.

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