Sharing the fun

Women older than co-eds are not usually thought of as participants in an Outward Bound course, let alone a winter Outward Bound course. The usual image is one of fit young men climbing a cliff, portaging a canoe, hefting heavy packs, and having all the fun. We've learned, however, that the Dartmouth Outward Bound Center will sponsor a winter program exclusively for women over 30 - the first of its kind in the country.

The ten-day course, occurring February 5-14, will include ten students and two female instructors. Participants will snowshoe and ski in the woods and trails of northern New Hampshire, sleep in tents, and cook over fires. Outward Bound will provide all necessary equipment, including snow-shoes, cross-country skis, boots, tents, stag-pants, and a high-calorie food supply. No previous experience is necessary. There is no upper age limit, but the women Bounders will have to pass a physical examination.

"This is an experience that provides opportunities that you can't get anywhere else," says Peregrine Spiegel, mother of three and one of the organizers of the program at the Dartmouth Outward Bound Center.

"There's an immense feeling of achievement once you've done it."