Outward Bound USA Home
Middle School
Big Run to Potomac River – Backpack & Canoe
You’ll explore river, rock and trail wilderness across the outlands of Maryland, leveling up your leadership skills along the way.
Open 
Maryland/West Virginia
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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: Baltimore -
Course End Location: Baltimore
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
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What You'll Do
Travel between unique riverside campsites, camping on land at night and paddling on the river during the day. Halfway through you'll trade your paddles for packs and learn how to hike effectively, setting up and managing trail campsites each night.
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Where You'll Be
Home to mountainous terrain and mixed hardwood forest, this region is lush with streams and deciduous forests with rocky lookouts. From Big Run you'll move to the Potomac River: over 400 miles of water that eventually flows in to the Chesapeake Bay.
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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
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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
Navigate winding waterways, shady forest paths, and sharpen your collaboration skills on this 12 day adventure.
You and your crew will learn what it’s like to live off what’s in your pack for nearly two weeks – on foot and by boat. Work as a crew to navigate the river, connect with new friends, and make memories that will last a lifetime on this epic course across Maryland’s natural landscapes.
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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 | Course start, introductory lesson is backpacking, begin hiking |
| Day 2-4 | Backpacking, introductory lessons in travel, navigation, camp craft |
| Day 5 | Backpacking final challenge |
| Day 6 | Resupply, solo |
| Day 7 | Introductory lesson in canoeing and river dynamics, begin paddling |
| Day 8-9 | Canoeing, lessons in advanced paddling-technique and river rescues |
| Day 10 | Canoeing final challenge |
| Day 11 | Return to base, clean and de-issue gear, service project |
| Day 12 | Graduation, depart from base camp |
FAQs
What will be happening on the expedition?
In addition to the physical activities of an outdoor overnight expedition, Outward Bound’s Educational Framework uses challenge and adventure to allow students to learn through experience. A supportive environment of peers and instructors make it easier to try new things, speak your mind, listen, and to be heard – all elements of today’s most successful leaders. We value and teach compassion, integrity, excellence in craft, inclusion, and diversity. Each student will return having practiced the skills of a leader and they will be more aware of their personal strengths and abilities
Where do students sleep?
Students on expedition will not be in cabins or permanent buildings, but will sleep outdoors in tents or tent like structures. Sleep groups will be determined by students’ gender. Crews will be moving to multiple camping locations during the duration of their expedition.
Will students have their cellphones while on course?
When students depart from our Baltimore basecamp, their phones will be left in a secure area on base and returned to them on the last day of the course.
Is it safe?
Outward Bound courses take place outdoors and include activities that present risks that can be managed but not eliminated. Running our courses safely is central to our educational goals and our safety record is excellent. Our instructors not only identify and reduce risks but also teach students to assess and address hazards with preparation and care, rather than fear and avoidance. Students and their families participate in our safety systems by familiarizing students with the course description prior to the course and by filling out our application and medical forms completely. We regularly review our safety training systems with our peers and other industry experts and continually seek to create or adopt the most effective practices. Every course is equipped with the ability to get help in an emergency. For more information, visit our Safety & Risk Management page.
What should I do if there is an emergency?
Please understand that you will not be able to speak with your child while they are on course. You will be provided with an emergency phone number for questions, concerns, or if there is a family emergency during the expedition. This phone is available strictly for true emergencies, and is monitored 24-hours a day, 7 days a week.
