In the blue tabs below you will find your Course Overview, Course Paperwork, Clothing & Gear List and Travel Information.
A 7-day back-country experience on HIOBS' Burnt Island basecamp - a spectacular and remote 300-acre island located 4 nautical miles off the coast. Burnt Island is an ideal setting for a challenging and rewarding shared experience that promotes personal and collective reflection channeled into on-course writing exercises.
Instructors will guide students through the basics of remote camp living and outdoor activities, turning over responsibility to students as the course progresses.
Throughout the days, students and instructors use the island as a base for activities like sailing and rowing in a 30’ open pulling boat, rock climbing and rappelling a sea-cliff rising out of the ocean, island hikes, service work, solo, and other outdoor activities that will challenge students to hone leadership skills, collaborate, communicate, solve problems, resolve conflicts while helping students feel a sense of belonging.
During the nights, students and instructors will sleep in tents on the island and, for one or two nights, on the 30' pulling boat.
You will spend time aboard our 30-foot open sailboat. These seaworthy boats are sailed and rowed, depending on weather and destination. Underway, you will learn to set your sails properly for sailing at different angles to the wind and to anticipate and respond to changes in weather and navigation needs. As you practice rowing, two to six of you at one time, you will discover that by coordinating all rowers’ movements so that the oars work as one, you halve the effort it takes to travel on windless days.
For the one or two nights spent sleeping on the pulling boat, the deck will be configured as a sleeping platform. Through the night you and your watch mates will take turns at anchor watch under brilliant night skies.
During your course you may have the opportunity to do some rock climbing on one of this area’s many granite cliffs or on our ropes course at the Outward Bound basecamp. You will learn to use climbing equipment, tie knots, climb and belay each other, while instructors provide overall supervision of the site. Climbing gives you a chance to practice your balance, coordination, and flexibility as well as the group’s ability to trust and encourage each other.
It is important to keep in mind that being able to climb is dependent on a variety of factors such as weather, course route/length, and staffing availability. We intend to have this be an element of your course, but it is not guaranteed.
Service projects are often incorporated into Outward Bound courses through coordination with local land managers, conservation groups, government agencies or social service agencies. While in the wilderness, students are encouraged to practice service to the environment and their team by sharing responsibilities and following Recreate Responsibly ethics throughout the expedition.
The solo experience is a standard element of Outward Bound courses. With sufficient food and equipment, you will set up camp at a site on your own. The solo will last anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on the length of your course. Your solo site is chosen to offer as much solitude as possible, yet be within hearing distance of other group members. You will not travel during this time alone, and your instructors will check on you occasionally. The solitude and break from the fast pace of your expedition allows for rest and personal reflection, which is necessary to make the most of your experience.
Our courses end with a Personal Challenge Event, an individual final physical push. These events typically take the form of a running and/or swimming activity, though may include another element that you learned during your course. This event is a chance to finish your Outward Bound Experience with a true personal challenge where you can own all of your decisions and efforts in contrast to the time you have spent operating within an expedition team.
Open Boat Sailing Skills
Rock Climbing (dependent on various factors)
Island Camping Skills
Group Dynamics
Your course is based on Burnt Island, a 265-acre, private island 4 miles from shore along the coast of Maine. With an intricate shoreline, the Maine coast is a unique segment of the North Atlantic seaboard. It is renowned among sailors for its picturesque beauty, iconic lighthouses, abundant bays and harbors, rocky islands, and quiet coves. Our potential cruising area covers nearly 200 miles of the Maine coast, with countless rivers, bays, and islands to explore. The rocky, spruce-covered islands are the summits of a prehistoric mountain range. Many generations of inhabitants have made their livelihoods here. Evidence left behind on the islands reveals the historic presence of indigenous Abenaki camps, pre-colonial fishing communities, post-colonial timber and farming operations, and early 20th-century granite quarries. Cold, nutrient-rich waters flow from the Canadian Maritimes and make the Gulf of Maine home to a wide range of sea birds, seals, porpoises, and whales.
Next Steps: Within a few days of submitting the Medical and Liability Release Form, you will receive a Welcome Email with a link to your Student Portal. Your Student Portal will have links to follow-up medical forms which are part of our screening process. Please be aware that we can't clear you for participation without the medical screening process being complete, so timely return of these forms is critical.
Note about Medical Screening: Safety is our top priority. All students undergo a medical screening process to make sure they are safe and ready for their specific course. Occasionally, we are unable to clear a student to participate due to their medical history.
You are welcome to bring extras of the items marked with a plus (+) sign. Where a range of quantities is indicated, e.g., “1-2” bring the smaller quantity if you are on a one-week course, and the larger quantity if your course is 10 days or longer. There are multiple brand name options available at varying prices. The clothing and equipment on this list is widely available in many places. Specialty outdoor stores like L.L.Bean, REI, Campmorand Eastern Mountain Sportswill have a range of appropriate items to choose from. Discount retailers, like Sierra Trading Postand the REI Garage often have good prices on name-brand gear and clothing. You may also locate many first- quality clothing and equipment items at military surplus stores and area consignment stores and thrift stores, such as Goodwilland The Salvation Army.
The HIOBS website has some great items. A complete collection of HIOBS-recommended-for-course items can be found HERE. Please contact your course advisor for suggestions.
Packing several light layers rather than fewer heavier layers allows you more flexibility as the weather and workloads change. Inner layers should fit closely, middle layers should fit loosely and outer layers should be just a little bit baggy. When shopping or packing, it is a good idea to try on your layers together.
Before your expedition, your instructors will check your gear; they will assess your clothing with the actual route and the anticipated weather in mind. Items you don’t take on expedition will be stored safely at base. We suggest leaving the tags on any items you purchase in case you don’t actually pack them for expedition, but please note that you should check with each store to see what their return policies are. If there are items that you would like to bring but which are not mentioned on this list, feel free to call and ask your course advisor at 855-802-0307.
Tick- and mosquito-borne diseases are an increasing risk of traveling in the wild regions of the Americas, including our course areas in Maine, New Hampshire, Florida, the Bahamas, and Costa Rica. Fortunately, there are prevention steps that are very effective and, in most cases, treatment is relatively simple and recovery complete, so long as the diagnosis is made early. Students and their families should educate themselves on the risks, prevention measures, and signs and symptoms of tick-borne illnesses.
Since prevention is always better than treatment, we STRONGLY recommend pre-treating your footwear, long pants, long-sleeve shirts, jackets and hats with a chemical barrier containing permethrin, at least two days before traveling to your course. Applied correctly and allowed to dry before wearing, the treatment remains effective for up to a month. For even longer-lasting protection, you can either purchase clothing with permethrin embedded within it, or send your clothes to Insect Shield®, who will treat them and ship them back to you, ready for your course. Use the Coupon Code “HIOBS” to receive a 15% discount on both clothing and treatment services at this website (please note that you need to use the coupon separately for products/ service).
Permethrin spray is readily available at many retailers, including Dick's Sporting Goods, Campmor, and Walgreen's.
For more information, please download our Vector-Borne Disease General Fact Sheet.
Summer in Maine is often warm and sunny, but cold fronts are common and these bring wind and rain. Out on the water, the air stays cool and moist so warm, quick drying clothing is essential. The sun can be intense making sun protection (sun screen & clothing) very important. Temperatures at night can drop to the 40s and even lower in May and September. Daytime temperatures range from the 50s to the 80s.
Bringing the required clothing on your course is crucial to being prepared for ALL the weather conditions you may encounter. You will carry a lot less than when you travel in the regular world. The clothing on this list is designed to keep you warm if it is cold or wet and be flexible enough to allow you to pack away items if it is hot. Please bring everything on the list.
These are NOT required items. Please only buy them if you plan to use them outside of your course.
Please note that Outward Bound provides all other equipment, including (but not limited to):
The course will begin and end at our Wheeler Bay sea base:
113 Marina Road
Spruce Head, ME 04859
The course starts on August 7 at 12:00 noon. Please eat lunch prior to your arrival.
The course ends on August 13 at 3:00pm.
Please plan to arrive no more than 15 minutes before the scheduled times.
If you encounter problems with your travel plans that will delay your arrival, we can help troubleshoot solutions so that you can get to your course start - please call 207- 706-6675.
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