Outward Bound began in 1941 during WWII. The organization started with group of young sailors in the North Sea. They were taught basic survival skills that challenged their limits of endurance. This exercise provided the young men with a sense of self confidence. It also built character that provided a foundation for each man’s future pursuits.
Santa Fe Connection
The late Ernest Tapley of Santa Fe was one of the founders of this experimental education program in the wilderness. Following World War II Tapley spent six months in Britain developing the program for Outward Bound with other like-minded individuals. During the war he served with the 10th Mountain Division, which used skis to maneuver as they engaged in battle. After the war Tapley worked for the U.S. Forest Service and the Park Service packing mule teams, fighting fires, mountaineering and working as a ski instructor. Tapley moved to Santa Fe in 1971 when he got a job teaching mountaineering at Camp Stony. In 2004 Ernest Tapley was named a Santa Fe Living Treasure for his remarkable life