Outdoor Schools

When you spend most of your life in
the city, the idea of going to an "outdoors" school is about as far out as the idea of studying
Serbo-Croatian. To be honest, I don’t know a lot of New Yorkers who have taken the time, say a week or two, to
challenge themselves in the outdoors with an organization like Outward Bound. But I’ve long wanted to enroll myself in
one of these courses, to take one of their epic paddle trips in Baja or a survival class in the wilderness. But words
are weak. I’ve yet to actually enlist.

But you can. And to help you make your decision which outdoor school
might be right for you, the good folks over at Stellar Magazine, one of my favorites,
have got a solid little piece on how you ca get started. They really only cover the big two: the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and Outward
Bound
, providing links and some of the basics about what these schools offer,. Your best bet, really, is to go to
the sites themselves and browse the catalogs, considering which type of sports you are most interested in, and avoiding
those you might not be suited for (i.e. agoraphobics might avoid rock climbing courses).

One of these days, I
am definitely going to take one of these courses. In the meantime, I’d love to hear what others experiences have been.
Anyone taken a NOLS or Outward Bound course out there? Let us know what you thought.