By Forbes Cone, Director of Experiential Education

Even after being nominated by her crew to captain a 30-foot sailboat to shore, Colorado Academy senior Katie Cahn still doubted her ability to land near Hurricane Island off the coast of Maine. Prior to arriving at the Outward Bound School, Katie had no experience sailing. Yet over next 13 days, she got plenty of practice maneuvering her boat into persistent headwinds.

 

Late in the afternoon, her crew, tired, cold, and ready to stand on firm ground, Katie commanded the group: “Ready about!” “Ready!” they responded. “Helms a lee!” shouted Katie as she pushed the tiller hard to the lee side, causing the boat to turn up and tack. As the turn continued, the boom and mainsail crossed the centerline, and the sail filled on the other side. Now, Katie steered on a new path heading toward shore, warmth and rest.

 

Katie was taking part in the Hurricane Island’s Outward Bound School in Camden, Maine, a physically, mentally, and socially challenging experience designed to test one’s strength of character, leadership skills, and perspective. It is a theme that the Colorado Academy emphasizes, as well, – finding your strengths by engaging in challenging outdoor activities.

 

Katie says there were other things she learned on her summer Outward Bound experience: After 22 days away from Instagram and Snapchat, she says her social media “purge” felt like a relief. Katie’s says her time back in Denver is usually filled with “clogging her brain” with trivial stuff. “I was checking social media sites all the time, but realized I was missing things right in front of me.” Katie’s epiphany was not instantaneous; “it came after many hours of reflection and solitude.”

 

In the first hours of her 48-hour land solo, with only a small tarp, foam pad, cup of trail mix, bagel and apple, Katie WAS BORED. Students on solo are not allowed to talk, leave their site or read; even their watches and flashlights are taken away. Katie had an intense desire to sneak away and talk with one of her Outward Bound classmates. Instead, she relented and turned her attention to the ocean view and watched ants march across the beach collecting food for their colony. After intense processing and fluctuating emotions, Katie says she began to meditate on “what’s most important?” Katie says she discovered that her time spent on social media was rooted in a constant need for approval. Over time, she says this need was replaced with a sense of inherent value and self-trust.

 

Now that Katie is back in Denver, she is resisting her old habits and is rediscovering a place that she’s called home her whole life: the Colorado mountains. “The mountains are so beautiful!” Katie has been hiking local trails almost every day and says she feels like she is “engaging with the world from a solid base.” As a member of the Upper School’s Community Leadership Team, Katie says she is excited to meet her freshmen advisees and help them navigate their first year of high school. “I am less concerned with others’ opinions; I’ve learned the value of communication from my Outward Bound leaders, and now, I have confidence in my own voice.”