Do more than you ever thought possible. Find the depth of your true potential.

Move beyond your abilities with the oldest independent Outward Bound school in the country. Since 1967, North Carolina Outward Bound has delivered challenging wilderness adventures that teach more than outdoor skills. Our courses can help you learn the value of teamwork, discover your leadership abilities, find inspiration and feel a sense of accomplishment. And you may make some lifelong friends along the way.

Our Mission

To inspire people to discover and develop their potential to care for themselves, others and the world around them through challenging experiences in unfamiliar settings.

Our Principles

The following principles are integral to our heritage and mission. The first four are called the Four Pillars.
Physical Fitness - Building the physical and emotional stamina to meet challenges
Craftsmanship - Modeling quality and intention in one’s actions
Self-Reliance - Being resourceful, recognizing and applying personal strengths
Compassion - Selflessly engaging in the welfare and dignity of others
Diversity - Embracing people’s differences as sources of learning and growth
Safety - Managing risk for physical and emotional safety in everything we do
Service - Acting selflessly to meet the needs of others and our environment
Courage - Taking risks to achieve goals and stand up for universal well-being
Leadership - Utilizing collaborative relationships to initiate collective action
Environmental Stewardship - Preserving our natural world for posterity.

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Why North Carolina Outward Bound?

North Carolina Outward Bound isn't summer camp. We are a wilderness experience and have courses all year round for youth and adults. Outward Bound is the beginning of a life-long personal journey. The real power of Outward Bound is what you make of it in expanding your possibilities. North Carolina Outward Bound courses are wilderness expeditions designed to propel our students into character-building experiences that require digging deep and discovering hidden strengths.

To be “outward bound” literally means to leave the shelter of the harbor for the open sea; figuratively it means leaving comfort zones, putting fears aside and discovering possibilities. True to our roots, North Carolina Outward Bound courses incorporate service, leadership and compassion for others. Students spend time together completely immersed in the wilderness, camping under the stars, cooking on gas stoves and learning leadership through wilderness activities. Sharing these duties are all a part of the Outward Bound experience, an experience that has endured for over 40 years to make us the leading outdoor educator in the world! Whether it’s learning to make good choices, being a role model for peers or participating in service projects, challenge, adventure and teamwork combined create an ideal platform for teaching leadership in the Outward Bound setting.

Our course areas are the North Carolina Mountains, North Carolina Outer Banks, the Florida Everglades National Park and Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge and Patagonia.

Click to review Frequently Asked Questions about North Carolina Outward Bound.

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North Carolina Outward Bound for Everyone

For teens, the North Carolina Outward Bound experience is truly meant to be challenging as well as eye-opening, but we don’t forget the fun. We take the adventure of paddling a rapid or rappelling down a rock face and use them to develop qualities for life. Even in the midst of a great adventure, teens discover the tools needed to travel in the backcountry as well as take away valuable life lessons.

North Carolina Outward Bound may cultivate these life lessons for teens, but for adults we reinforce them. Whatever your reasons for choosing North Carolina Outward Bound, at every bend in the trail, every eddy in the river and on every rock ledge or mountain peak opportunities for personal growth abound. We're there to remind you that you are capable of going beyond your limits to accomplish seemingly impossible things.

For all our students, being Outward Bound also means continuing the journey once you go home. We aim to enhance leadership and teamwork skills while in the wilderness so these, and other core values of North Carolina Outward Bound (the Four Pillars), can become life-long commitments for our students.

Most North Carolina Outward Bound courses include an opportunity to participate directly in an environmental or community-based service project.  These are some of the most gratifying moments on course, and many students report increased levels of self-respect and interest in service to others by the end of course.

Upcoming events

We're coming to see you!  Spring Road Trip!

This spring 2012 North Carolina Outward Bound will be visiting cities across the Southeast. Our goal is to enlighten students on the benefits of completing an Outward Bound course with North Carolina Outward Bound. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in learning more about our courses and mission, please let us know- we might make a stop in your home town.

Here is a list of places you can expect to see us at:

Jan. 12th- Pace Academy Gap Year Fair- 5:30-7:30 (Atlanta, GA)

Jan. 17th- Providence Day School Gap Year Fair- 7-9 (Charlotte, NC)

Jan. 18th- Marshall High School Gap Year Fair- 6:30-9pm (Washington, DC)

Jan. 19th- Thomas S. Wooten School Gap Year Fair- 6-8:30 (Washington, DC)

Jan. 21st- Sidwell Friends School- 12-3:30 (Washington, DC)

Jan. 21st- Atlanta Parent Camp Expo- 11am-4pm (Atlanta, GA)

Jan. 29th- MetroKids Camp Fair- Conshokocken Marriot- 1pm-4pm (Philadelphia, PA)

Feb. 2nd- Tower Hill School Adventure Camp Fair- 1-4 (Philadelphia, PA)

Feb. 4th- Springside Chestnut Hill Academy Camp Fair- 11am-2pm (Philadelphia, PA) 

River Bound Race Series in Charlotte, NC

Join us in 2012 for the River Bound Race Series at the US National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC! All proceeds from the River Bound Race Series benefits North Carolina Outward Bound's Charlotte Regional Scholarships for youth, educators, veterans and the Unity Project.  Be sure to sign up on www.riverboundrace.com!

• March 10^th: 5K/8K
• May 19^th: 5K/10K
• July 21^th: 5K/15k
• September 22^nd: 5k/half-marathon

Sponsorship

If you are interested in being a sponsor for the 2011 River Bound Race Series, you can download a sponsorship application here.

Our 2011 sponsors were:

• Coca Cola Bottling Company Consolidated
• Powerade
• Dixon Hughes Goodman
• Wells Fargo
• Merrill Lynch
• McGuire Woods
• Presbyterian Orthopedic Hospital
• Mountain Khakis
• Charlotte Running Company
• Timberland
• GoLite Footwear
• Sturner Murray DDS
• Great Outdoor Provisions
• Jesse Browns Outdoors
• REI North Lake Mall
• Queen City Cycles
• Carolina Sportpix
• Endurance Magazine
• Blue Point Capitol

About the River Bound Race Series

 Our River Bound Race Series in 2010 was voted #1 Trail Running Race Series of Western NC by Endurance Magazine!We had approximately 1,200 runners for the whole series in 2010 and raised over $30,000. The 2011 River Bound Race series kicked off on in March with nearly 450 runners participating in our 5K/8K run.  The race series continued its success with our 10K/5K in May and 15K/5K in July. The 2011 series doubled the sponsorship and running participants from the first annual race series.

Latest News

Our Staff

To contact us, visit www.ncobs.org/contact

To contact Student Services, click here.

Our Instructors

As a leader in wilderness-based experiential education, our wilderness instructors are accomplished outdoor educators, with extensive experience and training in technical and facilitation skills. Our community and administrative staff are passionate about our mission and are focused on supporting the mission of the school in the communities we serve. We value and seek a diverse range of people who are sincerely interested in the growth and development of others on a personal, group and larger societal level.  If you'd like to learn more about who we hire and our certifications and requirements for hiring, please visit www.ncobs.org/careers.

North Carolina Outward Bound Staff Wiki

North Carolina Outward Bound Staff Wiki (for staff only)

Log in to view announcements, download forms, and access course planning and organizational resources.

North Carolina Outward Bound Board of Directors 

Bernard J. "Bernie" Arghiere - Asheville, NC

Aram Attarian - Raleigh, NC

Heather Baldino - Atlanta, GA

Ann R. Baruch - Bryn Mawr, PA

Amos Beason - Charlotte, NC

Marjorie B. Buckley - Bethlehem, PA

Susan R. Buckley, Vice Chair - Wayne, PA

Gordon Caudle, Vice Chair - Durham, NC

Deb Follo Caughron, Board Chair - Bat Cave, NC

Rufus M. Dalton - Charlotte, NC

Henry W. "Hank" Flint - Charlotte, NC

Matthew J. Gould - Charleston, SC

David P. Hardy - Philadelphia, PA

Stephen C. Hassenfelt - Greensboro, NC

Thomas James - New York, New York

William States Lee, IV - Charlotte, NC

Edward G. Lilly, III - Hendersonville, NC

Ronald W. Miller - Charlotte, NC

Andy Mink - Charlottesville, VA

Scott B. Perper - Charlotte, NC

William Sanborn "Sandy" Pfeiffer - Asheville, NC

Scott Puritz - Chevy Chase, MD

J. Kenton Richards, Board Treasurer - Atlanta, GA

L. Kent Satterfield - Greenville, Sc

Richard K. Schell - Charlotte, NC

David R. Sibilsky - Atlanta, GA

R. Jordan Smyth, Jr. - Bethesda, MD

Michèle Taylor, Board Secretary - Atlanta, GA

Jeff Yost - Atlanta, GA

Life Directors

Arthur M. Blank - Atlanta, GA

Linwood S. "Inky" Inscoe, Jr. - Morganton, NC

Dan Meyer - Green Valley, AZ

Marjorie H. "Mag" Whittaker - Ooltewah, TN

Land Use Agencies 

North Carolina Outward Bound would like to thank the many land-use agencies who allow us to use their lands.

North Carolina Outward Bound operates under permits from the following agencies:

Chattahoochee National Forest, GA
Cherokee National Forest, TN
Nantahala National Forest, NC
Pisgah National Forest, NC
Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge, NC
Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, FL
Cape Lookout National Seashore, NC
Everglades National Park, FL
CONAF - Chile
Blue Ridge Parkway, NC
Big Cypress National Preserve, FL
Sumter National Forest, SC

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy, North Carolina Outward Bound is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination, write to: Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer