When sophomores returned to campus in late August, they had the look of young people who had been through an intense experience: disheveled, exhausted, and in desperate need of a bath. These students were bonded in the once-in-a-lifetime experience that is Outward Bound. 

Outward Bound is the annual trip for the rising sophomores of Branson, one that leads to community-building and an immersive experience in nature. It orients students for the school year and helps them transition from summer activities into the academic year.

The five-day trip in the Sierra Nevadas required students to learn how to cook their own meals, navigate the mountain trails, and cooperate to meet their needs in the backcountry. This cooperation helped with building stronger relationships with peers.

“[The Outward Bound trip] was so much less about the outdoor physical experience for me, and a lot more about the emotional connections,” said Charley Goldstein ‘26. “I think I definitely bonded with a lot of the people in my group that I wouldn’t normally think to, and it was a really good reminder to keep an open mind.”

With no phones or technology allowed, students learned to be present with one another in nature, a practice that proves difficult for some. 

Alexandra Sebastiani ‘26 said that the time away from her phone helped her “to be more present and not distracted by other things and just be in the moment and in the conversation.”

For Goldstein, being in the moment meant experiencing some of the best that nature has to offer. 

“[On the final night] we were on this big rock right by the campsite back at base camp and we slept under the stars, all of us together,” she said. “And in the morning we went onto this rock during sunset and took photos on our digital cameras. It was so nice.” 

Peter Zdrojewski, Branson’s director of outdoor and global education said, “When you are pushed out of your comfort zone, and have to dig deep and find some resiliency, and you’re doing that with ten of your peers, some of which maybe you don’t know or you’re not friends with, that inevitably forms a little bit more community.” 

Zdrojewski believes strongly in the merits of the program.

“Given our background of beautiful California wilderness and ecosystems, it seemed a missed opportunity to not have an outdoor program,” he said. 

Zdrojewski, also a Branson science teacher, enumerates the benefits of outdoor education to students and faculty alike: resiliency, pushing through challenges, learning more about one’s potential and community building. 

Students were surprised by what those benefits turned out to be. Others, however, had to dig deep to find the silver linings during the trip. 

“The third day was our biggest hiking day and the worst mental day for me personally,” Sebastiani said. “It was a pretty treacherous walk uphill the whole time and we went through just bushes the entire day. It was a long push, but once we got there, it was very rewarding.”

Zdrojewski understands that the trip is a mixed bag for students. 

“The goal is not for everybody to be hiking the Appalachian Trail next summer,” he said. “If some student falls in love with that type of experience or likes it even more than they already did, great. That’s icing on the cake.” 

That icing is exactly what sophomore Edgar Ruiz found in the Outward Bound experience. 

“I realized nature is something that I really enjoy, and community is also another thing,” said Edgar Ruiz ‘26. “I enjoy being stuck there with someone, having to rely on others and not being scared to ask for help.”

Most found at least some aspect of the trip to be rewarding. Ruiz found that the Outward Bound trip actually exceeded his expectations. 

“Weirdly enough, I was kind of scared to go, not knowing what was going to happen out there, of it being my first time actually camping outside — let alone staying there for multiple days,” he said. “But if it weren’t for Branson, I don’t think I would have gone. I don’t think I would have had that development with others and with myself.”