After hiking to our first campsite, students learned to set up their tarps, make dinner using a whisperlite stove, and participate in the famous “Chow Circle”. The first night was spent on cold, but surprisingly comfortable ground. We awoke to rain and students outfitted themselves in blue rain gear and packed up for a day of hiking. Over the course of the trip, students hiked over 20 miles, set up four different camps on their own, and ate food that they made themselves and carried on their own backs. One student commented, “I couldn’t help but think about giving up. But I didn’t. I tightened the straps of my backpack and pulled through.”

As they hiked through the rain, sunshine and clouds, students observed things about the natural world, and learned new things about themselves and each other. They traversed rocky ground, learned how to perfect their knot skills, divided labor, kept track of each other, and solved problems. Hiking in single-filed lines, they learned to look out for the last person and not travel too fast or too slow for any members of the group.

Students spent the evenings setting up camp, cooking over a fire, listening to the wilderness and discussing life lessons with their instructors. They came back from this educational experience with increased self-confidence, a new appreciation for each other, and a familiarity with the outdoors that will stay with them as they take the important steps towards high school. “I think this trip helped everyone learn more about themselves and see life from a different angle,” reflected another student. We are so grateful to the Svitek Foundation for the opportunity to provide these students with this experience. –


Written by Chelsea Koelher, 8th Grade English Teacher

8th Grade Wissahickon Charter School Students Write Poems About Their Outward Bound Experience

A backpack is a struggle that pays off, hard work. A tarp is a roof, shelter, a household. Friends are people that are there in time of need and comfort. Rocks stand for “Never back down. Keep going.” Footprints are a path to a new start. Communication builds a connection. Teamwork keeps us together as a whole. Red = pain Yellow = no name Green = go for it if you can Thanks Outward Bound!

Rocky paths. Leaves so red Hiking for water, not there. Fallen trees. Tarps where we sleep. Stayin in the wild. Wanting to go home. Never being alone. Someone getting hurt. Feeling real bad, even a little sad. Can’t stop the tears coming from his eyes. Stayin in the wild. The last night was awesome. Sitting by the fire. Everyone happy, laughing and crying. Giving out badges. Expressing and revealing hidden feelings. Sharing what was great about a family member, a friend This is a memory that will never end. Outward Bound!!!

I’m Out of the Woods

It started on the first day. They wanted me to... sleep on the cold, hard ground. They wanted me to... Eat dry, not very saucy spaghetti. All the while it had dirt in it. They wanted me to... Sleep under a tarp on a ground sheet. They wanted me to... Go fifty feet in the woods and pee. The first day ended. The second day began. They wanted me to... Hike multiple miles. They wanted me to... Find a campsite that wasn’t on the trail. They wanted me to... Set up the tarps and ground sheet by myself. They wanted me to... Cook my dinner and find water. They wanted me to... Clean pots with water. They wanted me to... Exercise early in the morning. They wanted me to... Stink for five days. They wanted me to... Deal with the outdoors They did it, so I tried it. It wasn’t so bad.

You thought that going on a 5-day backpacking trip would be so much fun to do. But as soon as you got there you knew it was not for you. You were separated from your friends, then you made new ones on the trip. You weren’t happy about all the hiking, but became stronger in the end. You didn’t enjoy the pain in your feet or the food you had to eat, but you got through it. You didn’t think you would like your instructors, but you will remember the time you spent together. At the end of the trip you knew you just completed the adventure of a lifetime and you’ll never forget it!!