Community service is an important component of all Northwest Outward Bound courses. So far this summer, patrols have completed over 150 hours of service in Oregon and Washington.
Students on course in Washington have been working to serve the Methow Valley area in north-central Washington. Service projects varied from helping a local family clean up their home after it was damaged by a fire to assisting with upkeep at a community garden that provides fresh produce to low-income families. Here are some photos of students from a 14-day backpacking and rock climbing course in the North Cascades helping out by picking weeds at Classroom in Bloom (http://www.classroominbloom.org/), an educational garden in Winthrop, Washington, that is partnered with the local school system.
In Oregon, the biggest service team of the summer is about to embark on the Pacific Crest Trail Backpacking & Service course, where one of the primary elements of the course will be doing trail work to maintain the central Oregon stretch of the PCT. This course is also designed so that students can choose to continue north on the PCT all the way to Canada after completion of the course in Oregon.