Meet Andrea “Dre” Doerr… she’s been with VOBS since 2013 and can’t imagine working anywhere else!

Dre, why is canoeing so great? 

Canoeing is an awesome activity. And it’s really accessible to a wide variety of people. You don’t have to be a particular body type, or have specific skills. You don’t need previous experience – you don’t even have to know how to swim. We teach you everything you need to know, and support your safety (you’re wearing a PFD on our trips). But you DO have to communicate with your paddling partner.

You can’t paddle a canoe in a straight line if you don’t communicate with your buddy– verbal, non-verbal, doesn’t matter! You gotta learn how to work with your buddy, and stay connected. It’s pretty goofy when you first get out there learn to work together– the canoe goes all over the place. But that’s part of the fun. Outward Bound is a judgement-free zone… but we do like to have a lot of fun. You can’t try new things if you’re worried about messing up. We make it okay to screw up – we expect it – bring it on!

As you get out there and travel in your canoe, you start doing more new stuff. You practice steering in the back (we call that the stern) or paddling in the front (that’s the bow). 

We teach you how to use a map and compass, and then you start figuring out how to chart a course and go for it –also pretty funny at first. 

Then you start getting the hang of it, and you’re ready for other stuff – steering around rocks and logs, hauling up and over beaver dams, canoeing backwards and sideways – so cool. 

Then, of course, there’s portaging. That’s where you haul the canoe out of one lake, on to dry land, then carry it through the woods so you can drop it into the next lake and keep going. When you first try to do this, you’re like, “No way. This is never going to work.” But we take it one step at a time, and you and your buddy figure it out. And you’re totally amazed when you pull it off for the first time. There’s nothing like it! It’s awesome. Portaging isn’t easy, but it gets easier, and that feels awesome. You feel very strong, like a super hero.

The coolest thing is that Outward Bound is super supportive. People really get into cheering each other on. “You got this!” is something you’ll hear over and over again. Really, it’s all about, “WE got this.” A canoe expedition is an amazing way to try new things with other people, do some hard stuff and have fun. It’s fun. It’s truly inspiring – it feels great when people have your back – but it’s super fun to share all these new experiences with other people. There’s nothing like it.

What’s it like to be out there in the Boundary Waters for a week or more? 

You get so close. Because you’re out there doing all these new things together, you become like family. Outward Bound is really big on appreciation. There’s time every day to celebrate accomplishments and appreciate each other. It feels amazing to have other people see you. Other people see great stuff about you that you might now see yourself. That can change your self-confidence for the better.

And it’s not always easy out there. It rains. Sometimes it storms. It can be super windy. Sometimes you’re hot. Sometimes you’re cold. You get wet. Sometimes that’s a good thing, and sometimes you’re so sick of soggy socks. But the point is you’re facing this stuff together– the good and the bad. You’ve got people in your corner. They laugh with you and help you. You really start to trust people. They’re there with you through thick and thin. It feels great to help other people. One of my favorite things is seeing people go above and beyond to help each other, and they do it without thinking about it – helping friends just becomes second nature at Outward Bound. 

And people really lift each other up in other ways. People are so creative – it’s amazing what we can do without phones or all the comforts of home. We make up crazy songs, silly skits, tell stories, play games, and cook amazing things like chocolate birthday cakes! Human beings can have so much fun when we get together – you kind of forget how little you really need to survive and have a good time.

What about nature? Do you think it helps people?

Yes! For sure! Here’s the thing – we ask you to let go of your phone and head out there with a bunch of people you just met. You leave all the comforts of home behind, you sleep in a sleeping bag, out in a tent in the woods. You go to the bathroom outside! You don’t shower – you just jump in the lake. You don’t have heat or air conditioning. Your family and friends are far away. Everything you know is far away. And here are a bunch of new friends, and you learn to LIVE in the wilderness together. 

Maybe you’re not used to living in the woods, but nature is suddenly your new home! That can be a little scary at first for some people, but once you get past that, it’s just the best. Sky, wind, water, trees… Another cool thing about Outward Bound is that you remember that you belong in nature, you are from nature, it’s a part of you, AND it has awesome things to teach you. Nature is an amazing teacher. Water literally reminds you to reflect – you see sun bouncing off water, hear the slap of waves, and feel the wind in your hair. You are learning to live in the present. Some of it is hard, but nature and your friends teach you how to cope. You realize you’re actually enjoying yourself and making friends out in the wilderness. It gives you confidence, and it can be really comforting too. 

There’s no light pollution in the Boundary Waters. No motorized vehicles are allowed. There’s no sound pollution. It’s you, your crew and nature. All that beauty just fills you up, and it can help you relax. You start to reconnect with a part of yourself that you forgot existed. You see you can be a whole human WITHOUT a phone or a car or the comforts of home. You have these moments where it just really hits you. Maybe it’s after dinner, after you’ve cleaned up and you’re sitting around the campfire and talking about the day, or sharing things about your lives. Then all of the sudden, you see the stars, or hear a loon and it hits you – I’m so alive, it’s crazy! That’s awesome.  

What’s your favorite Outward Bound memory?

Oh, I remember paddling across Saganaga with a crew – it’s a pretty big lake. Suddenly the wind picked up, the sky got dark, and big raindrops began to fall. At first my crew was pretty grim, gritting their teeth and leaning into the wind, then one kid just starts whooping, and pretty soon everyone is whooping and yelling and paddling like crazy! Just having a grand old time. 

We kept paddling, and eventually the rain slacked off and the sun came out. Then there was a huge rainbow, just enormous. Right after that, we set up our campsite under a big stand of old red pines. The wind moved gently through those pine needles, and the stars came out. It was so peaceful sitting there and resting – even more peaceful because we had done this big hard thing, in this big storm, and now all was calm. It was an incredible day to share. There is magic out there!

Why is canoeing so great for developing interpersonal skills and building relationships among a crew? 

Canoeing is a tandem activity that is accessible to a wide variety of body types and physical skills. Good communication and patience are so important between the person in bow and the person in stern – talking about navigation, avoiding obstacles, and coordinating timing together. Especially at the beginning of the trip when most of our students are learning how to steer the canoe, the person paddling in front is a huge source of support and encouragement!

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