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Get your life on course

Denver native Jonathan McMaster was a high school freshman in 1999 when he witnessed two friends and a teacher killed in the Columbine High School cafeteria.

His first semester at Tulane University in New Orleans in 2002 was a mixed bag — A’s in the classes that didn’t require a lot of out-of-classroom dedication and not such good grades in those that did.

And the massacre at Columbine had left an impression.

McMaster turned to the Marine Corps in 2003, both for adventure and in hopes of forming the discipline he lacked in college.

“Some of that also had to do with the fact that I wanted to learn how to defend myself with weapons and guns,” McMaster said frankly.

Now the Iraq war veteran, a former radio man with a crash course in Arabic interpretation, is moving to Connecticut with his wife and son, where he’ll enter Yale University as a nontraditional student of the school’s economics program this fall.

McMaster attributes his resolve to one moment of clarity that occurred on a Colorado mountaintop during an Outward Bound wilderness expedition.

The program

Outward Bound teaches by creating experiences, from Minnesota dogsledding trips to skill-building exercises for urban youth.

The nonprofit is now accepting applications for free courses available to 1,500 vets, complete with round-trip travel and lodging, to be awarded over the next three years to veterans who deployed in support of operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom, active-duty service members included.

The expanded veterans’ program is funded by a grant from the Military Family Outdoor Initiative Project, a joint effort of the Sierra Club and Sierra Club Foundation. Individual vets may enroll in open courses, or groups — from the same unit, for example — can organize custom trips.

Tuition for Colorado Outward Bound courses similar to the one McMaster attended is usually $1,295 per person.

“We think there’s going to be a lot more demand than we’re going to be able to serve,” said Mickey Freeman, Outward Bound’s chief operating officer. He’ll consider that a good problem to have.

Freeman regards the free expeditions as a pilot program he hopes will grow into something bigger.

What you learn

Bob Dawes and Bob O’Rourke are instructors on Outward Bound veterans’ courses.

They facilitate a low-stress experience with enough of a difficulty factor to meet participants’ expectations of a wilderness adventure.

“In most cases, it’s a very profound experience,” said Dawes, an Army vet. “A lot of these guys tell me they don’t really have people to talk to. We create a community that allows them to reconnect with people who have had similar experiences.”

But the Bobs don’t want you to get the wrong idea — an Outward Bound course is not group therapy.

“We keep everything on a very positive note,” Dawes said. “This is not sitting around talking about past experiences.”

O’Rourke, a former Marine, led the Leadville, Colo., expedition McMaster was on. The trek traverses the 10th Mountain Division’s World War II-era training grounds, beginning with a three-mile hike to the first campsite. Groups take it easy the first day to allow backpackers to adjust to the 10,000-foot altitude.

The five-day trips may include rock climbing in Colorado or California, canoeing in Maine, canyoneering in Texas or dogsledding in Minnesota. They also provide plenty of personal time to reflect, allowing group members to gain perspective and a firm footing from which to start their futures.

The summit

McMaster found his foothold at 13,000 feet, at the summit of Virginia Peak, where he and fellow veterans on the Outward Bound course paid respects to friends lost in fighting overseas.

“For me it really brought home the point that there were other people who had sacrificed. … It was a very emotional moment for everyone,” McMaster said. “I recommitted myself to living vigorously for the dreams and goals I wanted to pursue.”

Hurricane Katrina derailed McMaster’s second attempt at Tulane, and he was enrolled in Metropolitan State College of Denver when he found Outward Bound in 2007. He re-evaluated his educational goals and transferred to the University of Denver. Now he, wife Kelsey and son Elijah are planning their move to Connecticut.

McMaster recommends Outward Bound to anyone who might benefit.

“That kind of opportunity is a fantastic opportunity,” McMaster said.

How to apply

Outward Bound wants veterans’ course applications to go through its veterans’ adviser, Doug Hayward. You’ll need to fill out an Outward Bound application and enrollment packet that asks about your medical and behavioral history — including smoking, which is not allowed on Outward Bound courses. The packet also includes instructions on getting in shape, traveling to your course, clothing and boots. To apply, e-mail Hayward at obvets@outwardbound.org.