Adrienne is on the far left!
Picture this: I had just finished instructing a 14-day course with twelve teenagers, having hiked 64 miles from Point Reyes National Sea Shore across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and now was travelling to my brother’s wedding. It was hilarious to imagine my gritty, smelly, backpacking self next to my pink bridesmaid dress, high-heel-wearing self. Yet, they were one and the same—if only a couple days (and a shower) apart.
What I found interesting, however, is that you don’t ever need to go very far to find another Outward Bound enthusiast. Imagine this scene: I was poolside at my brother Ryan’s wedding when I met his boss, Bob. After exchanging pleasantries, I mentioned that I work in the captivating and ever-changing world of outdoor education, in particular, as an Outward Bound instructor. Bob exclaimed, “Oh! My wife Anne did an Outward Bound course when she was growing up.” So, sure enough, I met Anne. Her eyes gleamed as I asked about her experience. She said, “Well, do you have an hour?” I smiled back, intrigued. Anne went on to say “Over the course of my life, two things have dramatically changed it; Outward Bound and having a kid.”
We went on to speak for the next 45 minutes—me, sitting in a one-shouldered bridesmaid dress, and her, polished and wise with earnest eyes. Anne expressed that on her 21-day Outward Bound expedition she began to witness the power of her mind on the body. On one day in particular, students were rappelling down large rocks. She always thought of herself as courageous, but fear held her tight and Anne said that she couldn’t do it. It was only after watching her entire group rappel that she came up against her breaking point. Why was it that she didn’t think she could rappel the rope? Everybody else was able to do it safely. Anne soon recognized it was her own self that was holding her back and saw that the consequences were drastic—she felt tight, small and contracted. Anne explained this to me with such presence and ease, and I could tell that this was transformational for her. She then sweetly told me how she bolstered up the courage to climb and rappel back down the rock; she remembers her instructor winking at her—and in her words saying, “I knew you could do it.”
After this pivotal moment in the story, Anne and I exchanged smiles, sat together a little longer and then went into the evening to dance. I recognize that it’s those moments that are turbulent and powerful that Outward Bound nurtures. And moving through those moments, we too, then celebrate and dance.
