On November 22, 2019 we held the inaugural All-Decades Alumni Reunion in Portland, Oregon. This amazing event brought together over 120 Outward Bound staff, students, instructors, and supporters from the 1960s through 2019. Attendees traveled from Idaho, California, Colorado, and across Oregon and Washington to share stories, photos, and memories over food and drink at the beautiful Ecotrust building in Portland’s Pearl District.
One past instructor, Cindy L., recalled one of her favorite memories from 1991 at the Blossom Bar on the Rogue River. “We had the new Executive Director [Lou Jaffe] of Pacific Crest Outward Bound School (PCOBS) on his first Outward Bound trip,” she shared. “His paddle boat flipped on Blossom Bar and I executed a perfect throw at the bottom eddy and he the perfect catch. I redeemed myself after many disastrous rescue throws during staff training. It was a great memory.”
Another past instructor, Laura B. recounted her favorite Outward Bound memory from 2017. “It was on a 14-day Summer Search program on a push day towards the end of the expedition. We were camping in the North Cascades at a back country campsite underneath the Milky Way,” she wrote. “Students expressed it was the most stars they had ever seen. The first time they saw the Milky Way.”
During a brief program, we also heard from other past students, instructors, and staff members including Ricki Ruiz, Mariel Plaeger-Brockway, and Eduardo Queiroz who recalled the impact that Outward Bound had on their lives.
Due to the generosity of our community, the event raised over $21,000 from sponsorships, donations, and generous matches that will support Northwest Outward Bound School programs, scholarships, and initiatives that empower students to build new skills and learn through experience. Thank you to all who donated!
Additionally, we’d like to thank our sponsors and in-kind suppliers who made the All-Decades Alumni Reunion possible – Columbia Bank, Earthwell, Heritage Bank, Columbia Sportswear, Union Wine Company, KEEN, Base Camp Brewing, and Outward Bound USA for their item procurement.
If you haven’t yet signed up for the Northwest Outward Bound School Alumni Crew yet, make sure to do so online! When you sign up, you join our expanding local network of active alumni who get access to incredible benefits including exclusive deals and discounts from our partner organizations, invitations to attend special events and reunions, and opportunities to reconnect with other amazing alumni. You’ll also have the opportunity to get awesome swag like the limited edition Northwest Outward Bound School branded camp cup provided by Earthwell to All-Decades Alumni Reunion attendees (see below)! Learn more about our Alumni program.
Be sure to check out additional photos from the All-Decades Alumni Reunion below by Creative Images of Life. And make sure not to miss alumni photos from the event shared on social media using the hashtags #nwobsCrew and #AlwaysOutwardBound.