Do you need an escape from that 9-5 job, summer classes, or the monotony of staring out of your bedroom window longing for something new? If your answer is yes, the Order of the Arrow has the answer for you!
Each summer, the Order of the Arrow offers a myriad of different High Adventure opportunities to meet your summer needs. Maybe it’s wetting your appetite by going for a plunge in the Atlantic Ocean with the Ocean Adventure at the Florida Sea Base. Or maybe hiking is your passion; if so, what better place to go than the Philmont Scout Ranch, where you can hike the same trails as your Scoutmaster or Scouting ancestors as a part of your Trail Crew experience? Have you ever thought about what the Native Americans and early explorers did to be avid traders? Maybe the OA Voyage is your calling. Whatever your summer aspirations may be, these National High Adventure bases have put together a multitude of options for you.
Along with your one-week trek completely designed by you, each Arrowman will be afforded the opportunity to leave their mark in history by helping to sure up portage trails, backpacking trails, or coral reefs. Aside from providing a good deed to each of these high adventure bases, every participant will have the opportunity to work closely with other Arrowmen from across the country, who have a similar interest in the future of both the program and the adventure base.
You may be thinking that this is a daunting task, but it is an experience unlike any other afforded to you in Scouting, in that it takes you out of your world and places you with people who want to do something different. It’s not every day that you can tell your friends that you climbed into Cypher’s Mine, watched the Northern Lights from a canoe, or went scuba diving in the Florida Keys.
These programs help to ensure that the future of Scouting has a place to live, work, and interact. This summer, try something new or do something you thoroughly enjoy! Your destiny awaits you…
The Order of the Arrow Wilderness Voyage: Canadian Odyssey program is an experience like no other. For two weeks, you will join together with Arrowmen from around the country and experience the wild beauty of the Quetico Provincial Park of Ontario, Canada. Like its U.S. counterpart the first week of the program is spent giving back to the Quetico through portage trail restoration work. The second part is a trek through the Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada.
The Order of the Arrow Ocean Adventure program is a 7 day program conducted in the Florida Keys. The service portion of the adventure will be primarily based out of the Dry Tortugas National Park located 70 miles from Key West. Participants will have the opportunity to snorkel, kayak, paddle board and swim.
The Order of the Arrow Summit Experience program is an experience like no other. For 8 days, you will join together with Arrowmen from around the country and experience all that the Summit in West Virginia has to offer. Four days of the program will be focused on building or maintaining trails around the Summit, and the New River Gorge National River Area. The remainder of the experience will revolve around white water kayaking and rafting, along with mountain biking, climbing, and participation in other Summit activities.
The Order of the Arrow Trail Crew program is one of the best ways to experience Scouting’s premier high adventure base, Philmont Scout Ranch. For two weeks, participants see and experience all that Philmont has to offer and much more. For the first week, participants will do trail building in the backcountry. During the second week Arrowmen will experience Philmont in its finest. Unlike regular treks, Trail Crews make their own itinerary, instead of selecting from pre-planned routes. You can do and see just about anything, from the Tooth of Time to Baldy Mountain, your crew decides!
The Order of the Arrow Wilderness Voyage program is an experience like no other. For two weeks, you will join together with Arrowmen from around the country and experience all that the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota has to offer. The first week is spent giving back to the Boundary Waters through portage trail restoration work. Participants have the opportunity to leave their mark on the Boundary Waters that will enable millions of visitors each year to better enjoy their experience. The second part is a trek planned by the crew. From the 8-1/2 mile “Grand Portage” leading to Lake Superior, to the Height of Land, even the pictographs on Fishdance Lake, crews have done and seen all in the Boundary Waters.
To find out more about OA High Adventure opportunities and information, check out: