Age is Just a Number

"...it's not the years in your life that count.
It's the life in your years."

-Abraham Lincoln

Abraham has good insight here, especially as it pertains to our courses. Yet, if he was about to send his son on a Costa Rica Outward Bound course, we could probably bet that he, too, would inevitably ask the question,

"How old are the other children on course with my son?"

First of all, it's important to note that most of our courses have age ranges:
Adult courses, 21+
Semester courses, 17+
Summer courses, 14+
Girl Scout courses, 13-15 and 15-18

Therefore, we obviously think that age is an important factor in both course purpose and group dynamics. The concern most parents have is sending their student on course with others much older than him/her. Other inquiring students don't want to be the oldest in his/her course.

Luckily the facets of Outward Bound courses allow for a broad range of age ranges to learn, enjoy, and be challenged equally.

Instructors talk to - and treat - all students the same way.

There's a chow circle* each night before dinner, and a nightly meeting** to end each day.

The students are accountable for one another.

A list of responsibilities rotate from student to student each day of course.

All of the equipment and activities are the same for every student.

Challenges remain the same, and age becomes neither an advantage or a disadvantage. All of these listed factors all "level the playing field," and help the group to bond. Most groups, regardless of age become their own little family almost immediately. In fact, we had a course once where the age range was greater than 40 years. In the end, it was the oldest (over 50) and the youngest (under 25) who bonded the most. In dealing with the same experiences and challenges, the common ground unites group members in a unique and unexplainable way.

Each student brings his or her own experience to the table. Some students will have a stronger background in the various outdoor activities on course, so they end up helping and encouraging the students who struggle. And more importantly, instructors have no tolerance for bullying, ridicule, or any maltreatment of other students. If any situation indicated that a student was singled out in a negative way, instructors address it immediately with the problem student(s) privately or at the nightly meeting**.

Donna, a 40-year-old 2007 Leadership student, took a course consisting of all 18-25-year-olds. Her attitude going into it was that she knew she had a lot to learn from the 'younger students.' "They keep me young," she says.

In the end, it all comes down to the student's mindset. Students can bring any level of energy, encouragement, positivity, motivation, maturity, or leadership they want. It becomes these qualities which differentiate the students from one another, not the year on their birth certificate.

Abe would be proud.


*a meeting before dinner when the students say something they appreciate that day and hear a quote from the daily group leader
**nightly meetings consist of an "open space" to discuss issues among the group or praises for individuals, a review of students' "highs" and "lows" of the day, a Spanish lesson, and a journal reading about the day's activities

Girl Scouts Who Earn It: Part 2

When Virginia LaGrow was accepted* into the Rainforest River & Reef course in 2009, she had no idea what kinds of adventures she would face and what she would learn. But after returning from course in July, she knew what she experienced and the lessons she learned were worth sharing. From school to a Girlfest Convention, Virginia earned the title of Costa Rica Outward Bound Ambassador for her work informing others about her experience. Read her course reflection below, taken from an essay she wrote.

As you walk through the mountains of Costa Rica you will hear the birds chirping, snakes slithering, rivers running and leaves rushing from above. The air you breath in is clear, no pollution to tint it at all.

With friends by your side, this is a paradise that I would love to return to someday.

I thought I would just stay at the homestays, eat, sleep then get up in the morning and hike again, but it was more than that. The families helped us relax after the day of backpacking, they came and even if we couldn’t understand them, they would watch what we were doing, the moms made sure we had enough to eat, they were really nice. It was something that I had not expected at all.

I think my favorite thing on the trip was meeting all the girls from different parts of the country. It was fun to talk and find out where they liked to go to eat lunch or what they did for fun. It was really fun when we found words we all said differently. Even if we were all different we were friends in a day.

Going down the 200 foot waterfall was really weird. When I was waiting for my turn to go down, I was really, really scared, but as I was being told what to do and how to do it, I was less scared. Then, as I was going down the waterfall, I found out that I was paying attention to not falling instead of being scared to falling. That was really unexpected, but I still had the time of my life!

Backpacking was really fun, too. I had done it before with my family, but nothing compared to this. At first we were all going at a pretty good pace, but then a girl started to go really slow. Obviously she had not exercised at all, and it really aggravated all of us. But we were patient and before we know it, we were at our destination, even though it was later than we would have liked. I learned another level of patience from this experience and really liked how we all came tighter.

While I was hiking, I learned that I don’t give up easily. I learned that for a girl my age, I’m pretty persistent. I kept going even when my heart felt like it would give out at any time, and my lungs we hurting so much. Afterward I was really happy with myself. I think I will want to do backpacking again soon.

I had so much fun. Of course I missed my family and friends, but along the thirty miles I hiked, I had found at least sixteen new friends across the states. I would love to do another Destination in the future. This has made a great impact on my life and when I get old enough, I want to travel and make even more friends all over the world!

Read more "Girl Scouts Who Earn It":
Part 1: Kelly Wolf

*The Destinations program, on behalf of Girl Scouts USA, is a chance for members to participate in enriching travel and adventure opportunities, ages 11-18. Girl Scouts must apply through their respective Councils. Applications consist of an essay explaining their ambition to attend, two recommendations describing her as a qualified participant, and a general Q&A portion.

Costa Rica Outward Bound has been a Destination location for more than five years. In 2010, there are four Destinations for ages 13-18: Underwater Explorers, Rainforest River & Reef, Service Challenge, and Catching Waves. Click on the studio2b links on their respective crrobs.org pages to find the applications.

Leadership Series: Part 6 of 7

What do they do with all of those skills?

This "Leadership Series" has almost completed answering this question for seven Leadership alumni as we anticipate the coming of our next Leadership Semester course students arriving this week on April 1st. This week we profiled Alex, the sixth of our seven profiled leaders.


Leadership Alumn #6: Alex Cook

Leadership Course: Spring 2009

Hometown: Roxboro, NC - "The middle of nowhere."

Currently: Alex has been working for Costa Rica Outward Bound off and on since he completed his course a year ago. His primary skill is surfing, but he has also been instructing multi-element phases of courses from time to time. During the high season (June to September) he will be the Surf Technician at our Manuel Antonio base. In the meantime, however, he is exploring new Costa Rican beaches and hopefully competing in the next surf competition!

Reasons Enrolled: Alex is quite familiar with Costa Rica Outward Bound. In 2008, he participated as a student in the 15-day Surf Intensive course. It was then when he fell in love with this place, causing him to look for another longer course. Therefore returned the following year "to complete the Leadership semester in hopes for another amazing experience."

Future Aspirations: "Go to college and explore the islands of Indonesia for perfect waves!"

Favorite Course Moment: "Seeing the excitement in a student after surfing their very first wave."

Quote: "I learned that we can do anything, but we can't do everything... at least not at the same time. So think of your priorities not in terms of what activities you do, but when you do them. Timing is everything." -Dan Millman




Click to read about past profiled Leaders:

Leadership Alum #1, Sean Marr

Leadership Alum #2, Amy Nicolson

Leadership Alum #3, Heidi Ruckriegle

Leadership Alum #4, Donna White

Leadership Alum #5, Joe Ewing

The Costa Rica Outward Bound Leadership Semester is meant to prepare students in such a way that they can use the skills they develop to use in a career and/or any leadership role. This 60-day experience consists of: earning nine internationally-recognized certifications and 12 school credits; learning how to surf, kayak, raft, rappel, camp, and scuba dive; and facing the challenges and responsibilities involved with any Outward Bound course.

Packing List: Backpack Covers

Surprisingly overlooked, backpack covers are practically crucial when traveling anywhere, much less to a country that is almost half rainforest.

The purpose is obvious: rain protection. (For traveling nomads, it can also be helpful to prevent instant petty theft.)

Now, to answer the ever-famous common question posed by incoming students for every packing list item, "Do I really need this?"....

Our answer is: "It's up to you."

What we will tell you, however, is that it can make or break your enjoyment while on course. The backpack cover is clearly not a survival item, but you won't have much fun if all of your clothes and gear are wet. (See image on the right to get an idea how a backpack cover is applied to your backpack.)

If you decide to protect your backpack with one of these, you can find one at any outdoor retailer on and off the internet. Costs range from $10-25 depending on the material quality. Basically you want to invest more if you'll use it for a long period of time - a backpack cover can go through a lot of wear and tear, as it is removed and applied every time you open or close you backpack. Plus, it will take the brunt of anything hitting, rubbing, touching, or scraping your backpack as you hike and travel.

For students on shorter courses (under 15 days), you could go a cheaper route: large black trashbags (click here to learn how) or ponchos (covering both you and your backpack). These alternative options may not cover the bottom of your backpack, which easily gets wet when splashing through puddles or putting your backpack down in the rainforest's muddy environment. Again, it's up to you.

But whatever you do, be sure that your cover is big enough to cover the backpack! Students use our Jansport backpacks with a capacity of 5000 cubic inches, but of course you are always allowed to bring your own.

And remember: A dry camper is a happy camper. (Cheesy? Yes. True? Definitely.)

Alternative Spring Break, 2010

When students read "Spring Break" on their annual school schedule, "rainforest challenge" is not typically the first thing that comes to mind.

But this year, for 14 State University of New York (New Paltz) students, 10 Tallahassee Community College students, and 10 Canterbury School students, it was. And after hearing their feedback, they seem to have made the right decision.

It took just seven days of homestays, hiking, surfing, and rafting for some students from each group to leave empowered, impressed, and wanting more. And, from some of these comments, it looks like we have a lot to learn from them, too.

Read their comments below:
(And read more SUNY New Paltz testimonials and trip journals at their Wellness & Recreation web page.)

---

“I have learned that I’m a caregiver for people that fall behind because I know I would want their support of the positions were switched.”
-Megan, 19

---

"Everything was excellent in Costa Rica, we had an amazing time. They really enjoyed it and that's what counts! The course was extremely affective, there is really nothing I felt had to be changed. I believe the course affected the development of the students in a positive way. I heard many of them say this was one of the best weeks of their lives. They learned a lot as you do from international travel and I think they were impacted greatly.

"So overall, the trip was a huge success, I am working on a presentation to the admin of the college to expand this program or at the very least continue our program of coming down there every spring break." -group chaperone
Click here to see this SUNY New Paltz video.

---

“It was a complete culture change that exceeded my highest expectations while forcing me to discover new things about myself and look at the bigger picture.
-Louis, 22

---

SUNY New Paltz hiking near Orlando's homestay

---

“Costa Rica Outward Bound provided a trip that enabled me to push myself and look at life in a different way.” -anonymous

---

“I learned that what we as Americans have is too much. The people here had a lot les than us, but were as happy as can be. Family plays and important role in the smooth flow of life. I learned that life could be lived that “Pura Vida” way.”
-Amy, 17

---

“My experience was breathtaking; it opened my eyes to the awes of nature and gave me more self-confidence and self-reliance.”
-Julianne, 16

---

“I learned that life isn’t about materialistic objects and we don’t always have to be stressed about what is coming next. What matters is love, believing in yourself and overcoming challenges.”
-Janet, 15

Panama: Lionfish Invasion

One of the most crucial parts of the scuba certification education process is learning about aquatic wildlife.

Why 'crucial?'

Because a human's touch can be fatal to an entire species; and on the flip side, marine life, too, can be fatal for humans.

The lionfish, while not fatal, does fall in the "danger" category, as it is a poisonous aquatic predator with an incredibly painful sting. The sting can last up to two days and cause some swelling. Immediately, the sting can be treated by frequently immersing the affected area in water no warmer than 114 degrees Fahrenheit until symptoms subside.

Because of its deceptive beauty and its large Panamanian population, our scuba dive masters had to draw special attention to its danger when instructing the Water & Wave and Tri-Country students last week - and OB USA this week - in Bocas del Toro, Panama. It was a helpful lesson because they did, in fact, report having swum very closely with the colorful fish.


The large and growing population of this South Pacific and Indian Ocean species has become a major environmental issue, not only in Panama, but in the Caribbean and all the way up the US east coast.

It's invasion in this hemisphere is a unique and interesting story.

In 1992, an aquarium broke during Hurricane Andrew and is believed to have released a few lionfish into the Atlantic Ocean. Since then, reports have begun to come in regularly from divers in Florida, all the way up to Massachusetts, and now all the way down to Panama these past 20 years. (Luckily for the northern states, the species’ intolerance of cold winter temperatures means it is unlikely to survive in these areas.)

This is a problem to the marine environment because lionfish are voracious predators that quickly adapt to eating new types of food, and they have no native predators in Atlantic or Caribbean waters. Lionfish have venomous dorsal, ventral, and anal spines that can deter predators and injure humans. They can reproduce year-round and are relatively resistant to parasites, giving them an advantage over native species. They are also fast growing and can outgrow and out-compete native species for food and space. Lionfish are eating fish, invertebrates and coral in large quantities, including juvenile spiny lobsters, parrotfish, and the Atlantic coral reefs. Reefs depend on some of the decreasing reef species to prevent seaweed and macroalgae from overgrowing the corals.

There is no way to really rid the waters of this species, but different diving groups and governements are playing their own part in trying to alleviate the problems. And actually, while the students were in Panama last week, the local paper published an article educating civilians about lionfish and urging people to kill the predator when they get the chance!

A recent article in Smithsonian Magazine reported, "Some experts believe that lionfish are so widespread that their effect on the ecosystems of the Western Atlantic will be almost impossible to reverse."

Fantastic Phases

An Adventure Ballad

The semester students are on course down here for many days,
and for this, the courses are arranged from phase to phase.

The Panama Phase began for Outward Bound U.S.A.,
filled with a variety of activities in the Bocas' bay:

Scuba certification, free dives, and bike riding;
sea kayaking, snorkeling, and learning about guiding.

Instructors Danny, Scott, Jim and Antonio have been there to train,
and they reported clear water, abundant wildlife, and some rain.

Tri-Country and Water & Wave, however, hit the waterways.
Their River Phase began this week, and continues for another 15 days.

They began on Río Pacuare, training for the title of an SRT*,
practicing in unseasonable rains and the Pacuare's world-renowned beauty.

Instructors Joe, Alex W, Santiago and Diego say the students are doing well;
their river skills and knowledge are beginning to excel.

Overall, the students are busy, happy and learning a lot.
Hopefully, with the abundance of experiences, they can remember what they're taught.



*Swiftwater Rescue Technician

Girl Scouts Who Earn It: Part 1

"I see that this traveling experience will bring to me greater understanding of the world in its entirety. Knowing this, I will better understand how the contacts of the world connect."

Kelly Wolf, an 11-year Girl Scout from Ohio, has quite the dedication to community service, surprisingly at the young age of 16. And most of this work has been for the benefit of others. Adopting families during the holidays, assisting troubled youth with emotions through art, donating to food pantries and clothing stores, improving awareness of animal shelters, initiating delivery of supplies and clothing to Puerto Rican orphanages, and assisting the Girl Scout summer programming office to lead activities and teach skills.

Where does Kelly get such motivation? A large part of it comes from her dedication to learning life skills and enriching her own mind through being a student in summer programs. She has realized and understood the positive impact these experiences have had on her life and overall outlook. Saddle Up, a horseback riding camp through the Appalachian Mountains, and Dive In, a scuba diving camp, are two camps that have expanded Kelly's mind and encouraged her to do more.

"The camps gave me a chance for independence."

And this is only the beginning.

Kelly applied for the Costa Rica Outward Bound Underwater Explorers course this summer, for which her acceptance was obvious. She described her passion to come in her application essay:

"Scuba diving is a story worth living a million times over. It is an exhilarating experience that confines you into a world of silence and a place among a thousand places that is to be calm and serene, all the while, pushing you into endless opportunities for exploration and adventure."

Sounds like an Outward Bound student already.



The Destinations program, on behalf of Girl Scouts USA, is a chance for members to participate in enriching travel and adventure opportunities, ages 11-18. Girl Scouts must apply through their respective Councils. Applications consist of an essay explaining their ambition to attend, two recommendations describing her as a qualified participant, and a general Q&A portion.

Costa Rica Outward Bound has been a Destination location for more than five years. In 2010, there are four Destinations for ages 13-18: Underwater Explorers, Rainforest River & Reef, Service Challenge, and Catching Waves. Click on the studio2b links on their respective crrobs.org pages to find the applications.

Leadership Series: Part 5 of 7

What do they do with all of those skills?

This "Leadership Series" hopes to answer this question for seven Leadership alumni, one each week until the next Leadership Semester course begins on April 2nd.

Leadership Alumn #5: Joe Ewing

Leadership Course: Fall 2008

Hometown: Castle Rock, CO

University: Western State College of Colorado

Currently: Recently hired as Costa Rica Outward Bound's new Whitewater Coordinator, Joe has been very busy handling the organization of courses and staff when it comes to any whitewater adventures. He also prepares the students through talks about safety and explanations about what to expect when out in the rapids. This position proceeds from over one year of kayak and land instruction for Costa Rica Outward Bound and raft instruction for an Outward Bound Mexico course last fall.

Reasons Enrolled: Joe's first encounter with Costa Rica was actually working on a finca (farm) here back in 2008. He had already known of Costa Rica Outward Bound because of its affiliation with Western State College of Colorado which helped speed up his research when looking for something new and exciting in Costa Rica. He found the Leadership course and signed up immediately.

Future Aspirations: Joe has a dream to run all of the best whitewater rivers worldwide either as a rafting guide, a kayaker, or member of a rafting group. His next goal is to make it to Africa this year where he can run the famous White Nile in Uganda and Zambia's Zambezi River (Africa's fourth longest river).

Favorite Course Moment: Joe distinctly remembers entering Piedras Blancas for the first time. He loved seeing where his instructors were born, and what their lives were like growing up. He remembers witnessing their loving family dynamics and the peaceful atmosphere of the tiny remote village.

Quote: "Tuan-dot-com." (Joe's catch phrase, which comes from the Costa Rican slang word tuanis, meaning "cool.")



Click to read about past profiled Leaders:

Leadership Alum #1, Sean Marr

Leadership Alum #2, Amy Nicolson

Leadership Alum #3, Heidi Ruckriegle

Leadership Alum #4, Donna White

The Costa Rica Outward Bound Leadership Semester is meant to prepare students in such a way that they can use the skills they develop to use in a career and/or any leadership role. This 60-day experience consists of: earning nine internationally-recognized certifications and 12 school credits; learning how to surf, kayak, raft, rappel, camp, and scuba dive; and facing the challenges and responsibilities involved with any Outward Bound course.

24 Hours of Hiking, Diving, Surfing, Sailing, Serving

What haven't our current students been doing around Central America in the past 24 hours?

Only four courses are out right now, yet they've managed to stay busy in almost every activity just within a small period of time.

The Tri-Country Semester, Water & Wave Semester, OB USA, and SUNY New Paltz have covered a lot of land. Tulin's beaches (in Costa Rica), our base in San Jose, our base in Manuel Antonio, Solarte (in Panama), and Rancho Tinamu (in the depths of Costa Rica's Central Valley rainforest) are all areas our students have been seen lately.

State University New York, New Paltz just finished four days of hiking from Rejas to Rancho Tinamu to Londres yesterday. The reward at the end of the long hike was a great one, though. They headed straight to our base at the beaches of Manuel Antonio to begin their surfing lessons today.

Tri-Country and Water & Wave are partnering up for their scuba diving certification course in Panama. After their final dive yesterday, they woke up to a fun and fulfilling day today, sailing to Bocas del Toro (in Panama), Solarte to help the indigenous community there.

Finally, Outward Bound USA made it back to base today after some adventure-filled days on the beaches of Tulin, Costa Rica where they, too, were learning to surf. For some, it was a thrill learning to catch a wave under the instruction of veteran surfer Carlos "Diablos", and for others an exciting part was meeting professional surfer, Gilbert Brown who randomly shared some watermelon with them on the beach. We managed to catch a few of these students in our bodega today before they head to Panama tomorrow:



And in just a few weeks, we'll be even busier. The Leadership Semester students arrive April 1st!

Packing List: Water Containers

One of the most common questions is how to prepare for hydrating oneself on course. It is best to begin with the question: "Are you hiking on course?"

If the answer is yes, bring a camelback in addition to a water bottle. If not, only a water bottle is necessary.


As for water bottles, any water bottle that withstands a lot of abuse is good, this includes steel water bottles and hard plastic bottles. It's very important to have these bottles for day trips (to the river, beach, waterfall, service), but not as the primary source for backpacking and hiking.

Camelbacks are crucial for staying hydrated during rigorous and long activities. The tube near the face is not only a constant reminder to hikers to continue drinking water, but it is also easier to access and holds more water than a water bottle. Donna White, one of our Land Instructors, explains more about their importance:

SUNY New Paltz: Meet Their Instructors

14 eager students, 7 adventure-filled days, and 2 tough instructors.

State University of New York, New Paltz arrived with excitement on Saturday, the 13th. Our Custom Course Manager met them and reported, "It's refreshing to have such a motivated and enthusiastic group." Let's meet the instructors that have the pleasure of leading this group of go-getters:

Mauren Granados

Hometown: Piedras Blancas, Costa Rica
About: Mauren is one of our toughest female instructors. She is known as "Mau" by her friends, and she got married last year to another adventure guide.
Read More: official site staff description











Alex Cook

Hometown: Mount Pleasant, SC
About: Described by his friends and students as compassionate and goofy, Alex has as many silly talents as he has surf skills. He has been surfing since he was a kid in South Carolina and brought that talent to Costa Rica as a Leadership student a year ago. He amuses his students with his ability to expand his abdomen four times its size and can slant his eyes inward.

Leadership Series: Part 4 of 7

What do they do with all of those skills?

This "Leadership Series" hopes to answer this question for seven Leadership alumni, one each week until the next Leadership Semester course begins on April 2nd.

Leadership Alumna #4: Donna White

Leadership Course: Spring 2007

Hometown: New Bern, NC

Currently: While awaiting her return to instruct more Costa Rica Outward Bound courses this summer, Donna is helping her long-time friend run her 30-year-old restaurant, Stanley Hall Cafe in Oriental, NC by cooking and serving. This summer will be her fourth return to instruct Costa Rica Outward Bound students, having already instructed over 100 students in over 20 courses.

Reasons Enrolled: Donna was ready for a change in life. With a passion for nature, she wanted to work it into a living. It was also important that she find something through which she could make a difference and work with young people, empowering and guiding them.

Future Aspirations: To continue her career in outdoor/experiential education, possibly all over the world. It's most exciting for her to continue empowering young people and giving them the opportunity to live "outside the box" and be anything they want to be. Mainly, though, she wants to continue instructing for Costa Rica Outward Bound, as she really relates to its philosophy and values. In an unrelated topic, Donna has also always wanted to write a cook book. She has a background in culinary arts, and hopes to combine that with her experiences in the great outdoors by including many different kinds of recipes for in and out of the home.

Favorite Course Moment: Donna couldn't choose between three of her favorite course moments.
1) "We were learning Swift Water Rescue and had to float freely down the rapids with only a personal flotation device. I thought 'I don't want to do that!' Then Phil assured me that I could, but I didn't have to do it. After doing it with motivation from my coursemates, I felt empowered. I never in my life would have ever done anything like that."
2) After a long hike the group was covered in mud, and Donna never remembers being so covered in her whole life. They took advantage of the situation and decided to finish the final part of their hike to Orlando's rolling down the hill in more mud.
3) The homestays. Within one week, Donna had three incredibly strong 'deja vus.' It wasn't just these experiences that connected her so strongly to the village life there, but also it is when she felt the most at peace and most spiritually/physically balanced than ever before.

Quote: "I have always lived by Thoreau's quote, 'Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.' I think everyone can benefit from these words."



Click to read about past profiled Leaders:

Leadership Alumnus #1, Sean Marr

Leadership Alumnae #2, Amy Nicolson

Leadership Alumnae #3, Heidi Ruckriegle

The Costa Rica Outward Bound Leadership Semester is meant to prepare students in such a way that they can use the skills they develop to use in a career and/or any leadership role. This 60-day experience consists of: earning nine internationally-recognized certifications and 12 school credits; learning how to surf, kayak, raft, rappel, camp, and scuba dive; and facing the challenges and responsibilities involved with any Outward Bound course.

Course Updates

With all the activities and locations, it can be hard for families & friends to keep track of students in the field. All our current courses will transition phases soon, so we expect them all on base (in San Ramon de Tres Rios) this week. We’ll do our best to get photos- read below to catch up on their adventures!

Water & Wave (day 16 of 70): Water & Wave students began their journey in Costa Rica with a week-long trek to Piedras Blancas, where they rappelled down a waterfall, spent a night alone in the jungle for their solo, and experienced life in the Costa Rican countryside. Students backpacked to the coast where they began surfing! They’ve been surfing & volunteering at the turtle refugre on Playa Tulin (read for more info.), and arrived at our beach base on Manuel Antonio on Saturday for more surfing.

What’s next? Panama with Tri-Country! Both courses will get scuba certified, wakeboard, and sail in the archipelago of Bocas del Toro in Panama.

See this video for what students can expect in Bocas del Toro:



Tri-Country (day 52 of 85): Tri-Country left 8 days ago to paddle up the Rio San Juan, the border between Nicaragua & Costa Rica. They will take a tour of El Castillo (read this article for more info.) as well as visit San Juan del Norte.

What’s next? Panama with Water & Wave! Both courses will get scuba certified, wakeboard, and sail in the archipelago of Bocas del Toro in Panama. See video above.


OB USA: Both patrols of OB USA have been paddling on the Rio General, in class III-IV rapids. They have been kayaking & rafting on the river for a week, learning swift water rescue & how to guide.

What’s next? Six days of lifeguard training, surfing, and staying at the turtle refuge at Playa Tulin (read this article for more info) on the Central Pacific coast.

Fiesta at Piedras Blancas

by Debbie Mayer

On Sat., Feb. 20th, & Laura Statesir got to join the families in Piedras Blancas for their annual party. Family & friends all gathered by the school in Piedras Blancas for an all-day affair of soccer, food, music, and great company.

Piedras Blancas is not only where our students conduct homestays, but also the hometown of most of our Costa Rican instructors. See our previous blog entry for a family tree of the 18 children of Doña Flor and Don Hormidas and find out what students learn from their homestays.

Getting to Piedras Blancas is no easy accomplishment (as any of our students can tell you). The fastest way to PB is from Brujo, a tiny village about 2 hours from the city of San Isidro. From Brujo, a 6 km trail leads to Piedras Blancas. The trek took us 4 hours (but Carlos Granados tells us that it takes him under 2.5). Most visitors ride horses for the journey- which will cut off some time.

The Piedras Blancas fiesta isn’t just a party- the goal is to raise money for the school & town. A lot of preparation goes into the party- families must bring in all the supplies and spend days cooking to get ready. Piedras Blancas residents cook all day, and they sell delicious Costa Rican food & drinks at cheap prices. In addition to selling food, there were ongoing raffles for small prizes. Laura won a towel!

The party was another great reminder of how Piedras Blancas really is the heart of Costa Rica Outward Bound. Orlando Zamora tells us that the town raised 500,000 colones, almost $1,000. They will decide as a group how to best use this money.

Leadership Series: Part 3 of 7

What do they do with all of those skills?

This "Leadership Series" hopes to answer this question for seven Leadership alumni, one each week until the next Leadership Semester course begins on April 2nd.

Click to read about:

Leadership Alumnus #1, Sean Marr

Leadership Alumnae #2, Amy Nicolson

Leadership Alumna #3: Heidi Ruckriegle

Leadership Course: 2009, Fall Semester

Hometown: Breckenridge, CO

University: University of Colorado, Boulder

Currently: After her Costa Rica Outward Bound Leadership course last fall, Heidi was asked to work as an instructor this fall. She is currently leading the Tri-Country Semester course, and she has 44 more days with her nine students!

Reasons Enrolled: Education was her key priority, but she wanted a break in between undergrad and law school. Heidi wanted to feel productive in this year off. When she found the Costa Rica Outward Bound Leadership course, she was immediately attracted to its experiential education, Spanish development, international travel opportunity, and its athletic challenges.

Future Aspirations: Heidi wants to go to law school next, and she finds out if DU or CU accepts her into their programs in April! In the long term, she wants to run a library/gallery café in Colorado someday. This venue would be a comforting and relaxing cafe to which local artists and authors could submit their work and get exposure.

Favorite Course Moment: Every moment in which Heidi was heading to a new place and had a time to reflect on the beautiful surroundings. For example, in the vans viewing the countryside, rafting down a tranquil river section admiring the riverbanks and cliffs, and admiring a mountain range on a long hike.

Quote: "Nothing is impossible…. The biggest thing I learned is that the human body is capable of anything… and overcoming any challenge."

The Costa Rica Outward Bound Leadership Semester is meant to prepare students in such a way that they can use the skills they develop to use in a career and/or any leadership role. This 60-day experience consists of: earning nine internationally-recognized certifications and 12 school credits; learning how to surf, kayak, raft, rappel, camp, and scuba dive; and facing the challenges and responsibilities involved with any Outward Bound course.

Celebrating the Arrival of Equipment

Out with the old, and in with the shiny rafts, brilliant yellow z-rests, and stain-free backpacks.

We thought we would involve you in our celebration, seeing as though the process in acquiring new equipment is far from easy, as we are located out in the rainforests of Costa Rica.

What takes so long?

It is a combination of needing good, quality USA items and deciding which items will be best suitable for the land and rivers we explore with students. It’s not as convenient as one would expect this day and age.

To choose a raft, for example, we had to consider:
• Group Size: Obviously, a bigger group requires a bigger raft.
• River Width: Think about manueverability you want from the raft.
• River Needs: Consider rough vs. calm water, windy vs. straight rivers, many vs. few rocks.
• Shape: Oval for turning easier? Square back for stability in rough water? Pointed nose for maintaining a straight direction? An oar boat for heavy gear?

To acquire the rafts, we had to:
1. Research brand quality of rafts to choose a distributor.
2. Find a way to ship 300 pounds of rafts from USA to Costa Rica.
3. Separate two rafts into six large, 50-pound boxes.
4. Ship boxes to Outward Bound USA students.
5. Check all huge boxes with luggage.
6. Pick up the boxes at the airport.
7. Reassemble six parts into two 14-foot elliptical rafts.

The end result? Two USA-made, 14-foot rafts of elliptical shape and with pointed noses.
Jim Rowe, our Executive Director, proudly explained, “These rafts are narrower which makes it easier to maneuver in Costa Rica’s technical waters.”

Celebrate good times... C’mon.