Gap year programs are by no means a new idea. In many countries it is the norm for students to take a structured break from formal education between high school graduation and a higher degree. These ‘gaps’ are meant to... READ MORE

By Staff Member, John Watkins, 1967-1974 Fifty one years ago (!), I received a phone call from a man named Lance Lee. I was 16 years old and living in Chapel Hill, NC at the time. He asked, “How would... READ MORE

Asheville Citizen Times, July 26, 2017 ASHEVILLE – Andrew Williams Jr., 66, recounts each day of an outdoors adventure he took 50 years ago as if still living it. He describes scaling mountains in the winter, trekking a half-mile through... READ MORE

By Ryan Wilusz Staff Writer, Morganton News Herald He looks behind him and then straight ahead — not a soul in sight. He sits on the ground all alone, with a couple quarts of water and a tin can of... READ MORE

Title: Lead Instructor, Course Director, Whitewater Paddling Specialist Years with North Carolina Outward Bound (NCOBS): 5 What inspired you to become an Outward Bound instructor? Did you know before you went on your Instructor Development Course? I started my first year at NCOBS... READ MORE

THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA 06/29/2017 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/29/2017 12:11 BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA A PROCLAMATION WHEREAS, in the summer of 1967, a group of passionate North Carolinians saw a need to introduce a program of experiential education for the youth of the state; and WHEREAS, for fifty years, North Carolina Outward... READ MORE

From Carolina Center for Public Service When Ami Patel ’18, APPLES Service-Learning president, agreed to spend four days in the North Carolina wilderness with fellow Tar Heels during a North Carolina Outward Bound experience, she didn’t realize how much the... READ MORE

By Alumna Sierra Farrell, Spring Semester Course, 2017 All I could think about was sitting down, and giving up. Every muscle in my body was screaming, telling me to stop pushing, to sit down, and quit. Every inch of me... READ MORE

By Alumna Jaime Burse, Libby Jones Scholarship Recipient, Blue Ridge Backpacking and Climbing, 2016 Today I opened a letter that started “I hope you’re showered with clean nails and deodorant on, but I also hope you remember how normal it felt... READ MORE

By Alumnus Samuel Kim, Family Course, 2017 “Close your eyes,” said Nora. “Now, I want you to think about why you selected this course and what you experienced and learned since Wednesday.” Sitting in a circle with others in the woods... READ MORE