Older Adults in Adventure Education

Adventure education in the U.S. has long been understood from within the context of young adults in adventure education programs. Adventure education programs have historically treated young people as the target audience of their programs. Meanwhile, social scienctists continue to alert us of an `agewave`, whereby aging baby boomers will populate social corridors that never have been asked to accommodate them. As the baby boom generation in the U.S. and elsewhere begins to enter older adult hood, educators will be faced with this wave. This study of older adult experience in adventure education explores the inner experience of older adults while participating in a remote backpacking trip. Professionals in the social sciences, education, and gerontology will appreciate this study which further defines the world of older adult education and experiential education. The findings of this study are located within 3 themes of older adult reflection (connecting to values, time, and health), as well as researcher observations about how reflection in adventure education supported learning and higher development for older adults.. Five key observations describe how reflection in adventure education supported older adult learning and higher development in this study. These observations included: 1) Participants engaged in a process of reconsidering their values, and 2) Participant reflection process resembled reminiscence and life review.