“If I’d been afraid,” she said, “I never would have started out in the first place.” Who was Grandma Gatewood? Emma Gatewood was the first woman to solo thru-hike the entire Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail, which runs from Maine to Georgia, covers nearly 2,200 miles and takes months for most to finish. She completed… READ MORE >
Who Are the Board of Trustees? As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the Philadelphia Outward Bound School is governed by a Board of Trustees. Trustees work collaboratively to establish and execute strategic and other planning goals. They also participate on committees, some of which focus on safety, finances, and fundraising. Trustees have limited direct interaction with… READ MORE >
Earlier this summer when protests started in Philadelphia and across the country expressing outrage at the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Rayshard Brooks, POBS – like many other organizations – took to social media to show our support for #BlackLivesMatter and to announce our… READ MORE >
Outward Bound USA has provided programming to thousands of returning service members and recent veterans since 1983. Outward Bound for Veterans was originally designed to serve Vietnam War veterans through collaboration with staff from the Veterans Administration unit for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Colonel Bob Rheault, who served as commander of the U.S… READ MORE >
Sophia Ozenbaugh, our Marketing Manager, is no stranger to adventure and the outdoors. As a middle schooler, Sophia experienced the great outdoors for the first time with Philadelphia Outward Bound School, through our longstanding partnership with the School District of Philadelphia. Now, she spends time exploring local trails and traveling to natural landscapes near and… READ MORE >
Exploring nature doesn’t have to stop when children become part of the equation. This week we find ourselves immersed (literally) in Hickory Run State Park, with 14 families and a week of non-stop rain! Hickory Run State Park Once a year Karyn Lyman, our Advancement Director, and her family join a troupe of fourteen families… READ MORE >
This week we share with you how a spontaneous hike in the Pine Barrens blossomed the idea to have a long distance race of the 53-mile Batona Trail … in costume! Follow along this July as we share our staff’s top trail picks. Our faculty instructor, Megan Kietzman-Nicklin, recounts the experience as “never having wanted… READ MORE >
Who doesn’t love a good love story? Follow us this week as we highlight memories from Pennsylvania’s Worlds End State Park. Recognize a familiar face? That’s Meg Wise, our Executive Director! Meg’s first visit to Worlds End State Park was in 1992 with Ken, her husband of 26 years. They hiked Loyalsock Trail, carrying all… READ MORE >