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Middle School
Water Gap – Backpack & Canoe
Paddle, hike, and lead your way through the Delaware Water Gap on a life-changing expedition that builds confidence, teamwork, and the skills to thrive in any challenge.
Open 
Philadelphia
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About This Course
Activity
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Backpacking -
Canoeing
Setting & Location
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Forest -
River -
Course Start Location: Philadelphia (Discover Center) -
Course End Location: Philadelphia (Discover Center)
Session Details
1 session are available for this course
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What You'll Learn
On Outward Bound courses designed for middle schoolers, you’ll do exciting things with new friends, build confidence, and discover you’re capable of more than you know! You’ll have fun, work on your willpower and crush right-sized challenges – together.
What You'll Do
Backpack and canoe through the Delaware Water Gap while building leadership, navigation, and teamwork skills. Learn to live outdoors, overcome challenges, and grow with your crew on this immersive expedition.
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Where You'll Be
Travel through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, a stunning region of the Appalachian Mountains known for winding rivers, forested trails, and rocky ridgelines - perfect for backcountry adventure and discovery.
Why It Matters
You belong here! Outward Bound is a unique place to try new things, make friends, and discover your strengths. Building community – and new skills – through adventure is what we’re all about. Find your crew here!
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Confidence Starts Here
What if you learned how to face obstacles head-on while feeling brave, included, and proud of who you are?
Two Week Courses for Middle School
Explore unique activities, forging skills to thrive! Discover your voice and learn there’s more in you than you know. You’ll have time to try new ways of working as a team in a supportive environment. Collaborate in moments of harmony and productive struggle, you’ll ask big questions like: “Who am I?” and begin to uncover the answers.
Bravery Meets Belonging
Uncover your own bravery with support from your crew. Meet challenges designed to activate your strengths, develop persistence, and show you what you’re made of—even when things get tough.
Skills for Life
You’ll practice key skills like communication, taking initiative, and problem-solving with purpose. You’ll be given space to make choices – and take responsibility for them. Through trial and error, learn how to face obstacles head-on—growing more capable with every step.
Stronger Together
You won’t go it alone—crew is everything. You’ll explore common ground with your crew while also learning how to acknowledge each other’s uniqueness in a group where every voice matters. You will learn how to face challenges as a supportive team, forging strong friendships.
Life on Course
Spend 12 days hiking, paddling, leading, and learning as you navigate rivers, trails, and teamwork in the stunning Delaware Water Gap.
From the moment you leave base, life on course means carrying everything you need and relying on your crew. You’ll paddle winding rivers, hike forested trails, and set up camp in a new spot almost every night. As you rotate leadership roles, cook meals, and solve problems together, you’ll gain practical outdoor skills, and even more valuable communication, collaboration, and confidence. With no screens or distractions, the focus is on the challenge, the growth, and the bonds you build.
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Sample Itinerary
Here’s an example of what your course itinerary might look like. The actual plan will depend on permits, weather, group skills, and instructor evaluation.
Swipe on table below to view more.
12-Day Course
| Day 1 | Meet and pack your gear, transport to the Delaware Water Gap, camp at mountain campsite 1 |
| Day 2 | Learn the basics of backpacking and backcountry travel, hike to mountain camp 2 |
| Day 3 | Begin to work on more advanced backpacking skills, hike to mountain camp 3 |
| Day 4 | Learn advanced backpacking skills, hike to mountain camp 4 |
| Day 5 | Wake up for a final day of backpacking to mountain camp 5 |
| Day 6 | Travel to resupply location, swap gear (backpacking gear for canoe gear), and drive to the river put-in. Learn canoe basics, and paddle to river campsite 1 |
| Day 7 | Practice canoe skills, paddle to river camp 2 |
| Day 8 | At this point, students will begin to run the expedition. Navigating, cooking, and making group decisions. Paddle to river site 3 |
| Day 9 | Paddle to river site 4, solo |
| Day 10 | Solo |
| Day 11 | Paddle to river site 5, final challenge |
| Day 12 | Take off the river and return to base in Philadelphia. Clean and de-issue gear, and participate in a large group graduation ceremony. |
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Thanks to Outward Bound I know how to be a leader, something I will carry with me and use throughout my entire lifetime.
FAQs
What is an expedition?
It is a multi-day outdoor, overnight experience. Each student will be part of a crew comprised of 8-12 participants and 2-3 professionally trained Outward Bound instructors. Our expeditions begin at our base in Philadelphia before traveling to our designated course areas. Each expedition will have a focused outdoor skill component(s) which include backpacking, rock climbing, or canoeing – all of which take place in wilderness areas located throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Participants will be sleeping outside at multiple campsites throughout their course, and will be setting up camp, preparing meals, and navigating by map and compass during the length of their expedition.
What should I expect on course?
Participants should come prepared to work hard, have fun and learn new skills. Your time with us will be spent outdoors in the natural world, meeting challenges, practicing leadership, managing risks and working closely within a group. Along the way, you will be guided by your instructors and supported by the camaraderie of fellow participants.
What kind of food is provided?
On course you will be eating nutritious and portable food 5 times per day (breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks daily). Staples include grains, pasta, cheese, vegetables, fruit and nuts, selected to meet high-energy demands of the course. Typical meals include cereals and oats, burritos, macaroni and cheese, pasta and tuna or chicken sandwiches. The diet may differ from what you are accustomed to at home. To prepare, we suggest you cut down on soft drinks, coffee and junk food. We are able to accommodate any eating restrictions and allergy concerns with our backcountry menu.
