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Middle School

Water Gap – Backpack, Canoe & Rock Climb

Backpack, canoe, and rock climb through the Delaware Water Gap on an unforgettable adventure that builds grit, leadership, and real-world

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Philadelphia

CB20 Course Overview

About This Course

Activity

  • The image shows a blue outline of a hiking backpack against a black background. The backpack is fully packed, with a sleeping bag or similar item strapped to the top. It has multiple compartments and straps, suggesting it's designed for carrying a substantial amount of gear. The style is simple and graphic, resembling an icon or a line drawing. Backpacking
  • The image shows a simple, stylized drawing of a canoe in blue against a black background. The canoe is depicted with curved lines outlining its shape, and there are horizontal lines inside the canoe to suggest its structure or design. The style is reminiscent of a basic illustration or icon, with a focus on clear, recognizable shapes rather than detailed realism. Canoeing
  • The image shows a stylized, blue drawing of a foot and ankle, possibly representing a ballet dancer's foot in a pointe shoe. The foot is positioned vertically, with the toes pointing downwards. The drawing has a simple, almost cartoonish style, with thick lines outlining the shape of the foot and shoe. The background is black, which makes the blue drawing stand out. The image could be used to represent dance, movement, or elegance. Rock Climbing

Setting & Location

  • The image shows a simple, hand-drawn style illustration of three evergreen trees, possibly pine or fir trees. They are depicted in a solid blue color against a white background. The trees are stylized with jagged edges to represent the needles and branches, giving them a whimsical and slightly abstract appearance. The trunks are simple vertical lines. Forest
  • The image shows a stylized, pixelated scene of nature. Two tall, slender pine trees frame a view of distant mountains. A body of water, possibly a lake or river, is visible in the foreground, reflecting the scenery. The color palette is limited, with a dominant dark blue against a black background, giving the image a retro, digital aesthetic. River
  • airplane Course Start Location: Philadelphia (Discover Center)
  • airplane Course End Location: Philadelphia (Discover Center)

Session Details

2 sessions 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, canoe, and rock climb alongside your crew on this expedition-style course. Travel by foot and water daily, build leadership and teamwork skills, and take on new challenges as you explore the wilderness with Outward

Where You'll Be

Journey through the scenic Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and the Appalachian Mountains. This stunning wilderness region offers rivers, ridgelines, and forests, an ideal setting for outdoor adventure and personal

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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CB11 Scrolling Bullets

Confidence Starts Here

What if you learned how to face obstacles head-on while feeling brave, included, and proud of who you are?

Educational Approach

One Week Courses for Middle School

Try exciting things and practice new ways of connecting with your group. You’ll take on challenges, weigh healthy risks and work together with your crew to find success! Are you ready for adventure? Let’s go!

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.

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Life on Course

Immerse yourself in daily adventure - traveling by foot and canoe, cooking outdoors, sleeping under the stars, and growing alongside your crew

From day one, you and your crew will leave basecamp and begin traveling through the Delaware Water Gap by trail and canoe. Each day brings new challenges: paddling river currents, scaling rock faces, and navigating rugged trails. You’ll take turns leading the group, cooking over camp stoves, and setting up campsites under the stars. With no cell phones or modern distractions, you’ll quickly form strong bonds and develop resilience, leadership, and the confidence that comes from conquering the unknown.

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CB39 Table Feature

Itineraries

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.

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10-Day Course

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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 Wake up early, hike for a half day, rock climb, and camp at the rock site.
Day 5 From the rock site, crews will drive to their resupply location, swap their gear (backpacking gear for canoe gear), and drive to their river put-in. Learn canoe basics, and paddle to river campsite 1.
Day 6 Practice canoe skills, paddle to river camp 2.
Day 7 At this point, students will begin to run the expedition. Navigating, cooking, and making group decisions. Paddle to river site 3.
Day 8 Paddle to river site 4, solo.
Day 9 Paddle to river site 5, final challenge, camp close to the river takeout location.
Day 10 Take off the river and return to base in Philadelphia. Clean and de-issue gear, and participate in a large group graduation ceremony.

12-Day Course

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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 early, hike for a half day, rock climb, and camp at the rock site
Day 6 From the rock site, crews will drive to their resupply location, swap their gear (backpacking gear for canoe gear), and drive to their 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.
CB27 Pull Quotes

This experience has been absolutely life-changing for me and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

ST

CB17 FAQs

FAQs

What is an expedition?

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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?

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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?

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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.

THERE'S A BREAKTHROUGH OUT HERE. THERE'S A BREAKTHROUGH OUT HERE. THERE'S A BREAKTHROUGH OUT HERE. THERE'S A BREAKTHROUGH OUT HERE.
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