Each year, OBUSA and all of the Outward Bound schools offer a variety of Invitationals/Guest Expeditions. The purpose of these courses is to raise funds for the organization for scholarships, program improvement or other necessary operational costs. Through an Outward Bound course, donors get to truly experience going Outward Bound while growing in personal ways and contributing in financial ways. If you are interested in one of these opportunities or know someone who might be, please read on for more information!
The Invitationals being offered in 2005 are:
CATARACT CANYON WHITEWATER RAFTING May, 2005 (exact date TBD)
Below its confluence with the Green River in the heart of Canyon lands, the Colorado River becomes one of the swiftest rivers on the continent. There are twenty-five exciting rapids that rate with those of the Grand Canyon in power and difficulty, including the famous Mile Long Series, Capsize and Big Drops I, II, and III. In the nearby canyons, fantastic rock shapes carved by the whimsical forces of nature await hikers who venture off-river. Motors may be needed to travel from the end of the rapids to the take-out depending on the level of Lake Powell.
MIDDLE FORK - SALMON RIVER WHITEWATER RAFTING June 14 – 19, 2005
More information to come. Check back soon.
THE INCA TRAIL TO MACHU PICCHU August 27 - September 7, 2005
This short and beautiful trek allows you to recapture some of the awe that struck Hiram Bingham, who in late July 1911 almost literally stumbled on, and ‘discovered’ Machu Picchu ("Surprise followed surprise until there came the realization that we were in the midst of as wonderful ruins as any ever found"). After sightseeing in Cusco, you will spend two days exploring the Urubamba Valley and visiting the Inca sites at Pisac and Ollantaytambo, then take the train to the trailhead and begin a four-day trek. The group will overnight in campsites beside impressive Incan ruins, high above the cloud forest, and arrive at the great ruins via the Gate of the Sun. "What a breathtaking place!" Christopher Isherwood wrote, "a landscape built by titans in a fit of megalomania."
MONGOLIA September 4 - 17, 2005
Now is the time to visit Mongolia…before 2010, when construction of the 1,650 mile two-lane paved Mongolian Millennium Highway will begin. This expedition will transport you to a place unchanged by time, where you will have a chance to gallop across the Mongolian steppe as the great Khans did centuries ago to remote Buddhist temples, watch falconry, wake up in your heated "ger" to the sun rising over the Atlas Mountains, lope across the Gobi desert on a camel, visit nomadic families, and hike beautiful mountains with extraordinary views at altitudes up to 8,000 feet. You’ll watch Mongolian dancers, listen to Mongolian music, and be a spectator at the Mongolia Olympics.
HUDSON BOATING - PARENT/CHILD September, 2005 (exact date TBD)
More information to come. Check back soon.
To participate in these or future Outward Bound USA Invitational Expeditions, please contact Leigh Daily at 845-424-4000 x226 or email at ldaily@outwardbound.org.
