In this paper, multiple authors present research findings on the components and outcomes of an outdoor education trip involving college students, responses to the findings, and recommendations for a research agenda. The Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education (CORE) program at Indiana University provides classroom and outdoor experiential education concerned with outdoor leadership, building toward a 3 to 4-week expedition phase. An Outdoor Leadership Efficacy Scale developed by CORE staff was administered to 12 students before and after a 3-week mountain expedition. Results support the importance of mastery experiences, feedback, modeling, and verbal and emotional support in the development of leadership efficacy. While the most emotionally engaging and active components were most valued, many less exciting components were also regarded as somewhat valuable in leadership development. In a second study, the 12 students were asked to describe their five most vivid "flashbulb" memories from the expedition. Almost all remembered events were successes. Remembered events took place in both planned and down time, often involved either anxiety or contentment, and were evenly split between personal and group importance. Experts' responses focus on how the findings coincide with or differ from their own experiences and observations. Recommended research areas include improvement of instruction, improvement of program design, and a phenomenological approach to the "lived experience" that occurs on a leadership development course. (Contains 23 references and 11 selected readings.) (SV)