It’s been a whirlwind of a summer (how is it September already?). The wonders of technology allowed me to contribute two pieces to the Voyageur Outward Bound School’s “News from the Field” blog despite spending most of the summer in the field. Please enjoy them on the VOBS website:
Instructors Agree: Fall Is Spectacular
As the teasing breath of autumn interrupted the end of July, many of our staff began longing for September. A quick, unscientific survey of veteran instructors confirmed our initial suspicions: fall is the best time to travel the Boundary Waters.
7 Ways Outward Bound Fuels Success
On more than a few occasions, the phrase “everything I learned in in graduate school, I learned at Outward Bound first” has flashed into my consciousness. It first crossed my mind while I sat at a black lab table listening to my professor describe how to design a field ecology research project. As he explained the criteria required to create “SMART” goals, I thought of all the times I’d taught the same lesson among the pines and lakes of the Boundary Waters. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely goals, it turns out, help scientists secure multimillion-dollar National Science Foundation grants just as much as they help teenagers discover their best selves.
Going to the Mountains, Going Home 