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Voyageur Outward Bound School:

The still wilds of the Boundary Waters in Minnesota and Canada were the setting of the first courses offered by Minnesota Outward Bound School in 1964. Like the trappers and traders before them, students at Voyageur Outward Bound School (name changed in 1983) expedition in their canoes and on dog sleds through the one million acres and thousands of lakes in this pine forested region in the center of the American Continent. It is still one of the only places left in the lower 48 states where people can travel for days or weeks without seeing a house or road.

From its canoeing and Voyageur roots, this Outward Bound School expanded to include courses on the Rio Grande in Texas, the Northern Rocky Mountains of Montana, the Great Lakes, and the urban areas of the Midwestern United States. Today they offer climbing, whitewater canoeing, expedition canoeing, backpacking, dog sledding, inland sea kayaking, and cross-cultural courses. They have blended the classic with the innovative, offering traditional 14 and 22 day courses as well as courses for women, educators, couples, families, youth-at-risk, and life/career renewal.

Voyageur's philosophy of education is designed to educate people about their character by focusing on personal and psychological peaks rather than geologic ones. This is true even in their mountain programs where students do ascend geologic peaks. As a result, compassion becomes a key theme on their courses, "A large measure of the fulfillment in life stems from compassion for self and others, expressed through caring and being cared for." (Voyageur Instructor Handbook)

CONTACT VOYAGEUR OUTWARD BOUND SCHOOL:
101 East Chapman Street
Ely, MN 55731
Bus: 1 (800) 321- hike
Bus 2: 1 (218) 365-7790
Bus Fax: 1 (218) 365-7076
E-mail: vobs@vobs.org
Web Page: http://www.vobs.org