Adventure training has been used for nearly 40 years in North America to support combat veterans in addressing psychological impacts and transition challenges related to their military deployment experiences. A host of social, psychological, and treatment outcomes have been demonstrated utilizing wilderness-based adventure courses for veterans struggling with operational stress injuries and transition issues (Ewert et al., 2010; Hyer et al., 1996; Ragsdale et al., 1996). This paper reports on a mixed-methods evaluation of veterans' courses run by Outward Bound Canada, which assesses learning outcomes and articulates the subjective meaning of course experiences for participating veterans. Results from the Outward Bound Outcomes Instrument show significant increases from pre-course to 6 weeks post-course (N=50) on nine psychosocial constructs. Additionally, themes emerging from semistructured interviews with 12 participants from the sample brought voice to the impact, personal growth and change experienced, and the potential value of such wilderness adventure-based courses for veterans transitioning from combat to noncombat or civilian realities. Key Words: Outward Bound Canada—Adventure—Resiliency—Veterans—Operational stress injuries.
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