STAFF EXPEDITION

On this expedition for Outward Bound staff you will travel through the striking desert and canyons of Joshua Tree National Park while meeting and bonding with individuals from around the network. You'll hike into the backcountry on the first night and not return until the last day. Carrying what you need for as much as a week in your pack, you'll travel or climb every day.

You do not need to have previous backpacking or climbing experience. With the help of our instructors and the shared experience of the group, you’ll learn what you need to know to travel comfortably, including how to set up a wilderness campsite in the desert and navigate using a map and compass. Several days of backcountry rock climbing offer an opportunity to rappel, belay, and potentially acquire anchor-building and lead climbing skills. Arriving physically fit will enhance your experience and ability to do well on the course and ultimately allow you to take full advantage of the expedition.

Joshua Tree Backpacking and Rock Climbing

The high desert, where rugged mountains and desert plateaus have been sculpted by wind and rain, meet in Joshua Tree National Park. This desert backpacking and rock climbing expedition includes both on-trail and off-trail terrain. Routes can be challenging as you traverse through boulder filled canyons and across vast desert washes. Joshua Tree is a high desert and areas of the park are over 5,000' in elevation, providing an opportunity for a pre-dawn start to a peak attempt. Though the landscape is demanding, there are few places in the world that compare to the beauty and uniqueness of an expedition in Joshua Tree.

The rock climbing section provides an opportunity to develop personal climbing skills while building trust among your crew members as you belay one another and set goals as a group. You will climb some of the highest quality granite in one of the most popular world destinations for rock climbers.

Participants can acquire or continue to build on skills associated with technical rock climbing, including introductory rock climbing basics, knots, anchors, movement over rock, rappelling, managing top and bottom belay sites, and equipment use. As time and skill proficiency allows, opportunities for lead climbing may also occur. This section will include a variety of styles: crack-climbing, face climbing, and bouldering.

Weather

Weather in the Mojave Desert is generally dry and rainfall is usually sparse, though it is unpredictable and sometimes persistent rainfall does occur. Temperatures in the winter can vary, with daytime highs around 50-60°F and nighttime lows possibly below freezing. This is a desert environment and temperature changes of 40 degrees within 24 hours are not uncommon.

Wild and free, living beneath the Joshua Trees.

Travel Details & Course Information

Dates: Tuesday, January 14 – Monday, January 20, 2025 (7 days)

Cost:  $650 / $550 OBCA Staff

Start Time and Location: 11:30AM, Palm Springs Airport (PSP)

End Time and Location: 1:00PM, Palm Springs Airport (PSP)

Course Overview | Packing List 

Registration is LIVE. Click here to register your interest!

Additional Course, Payment, Waitlist & Cancellation Information:

• Register by clicking the link above. Within two business days we will review applicants and send out Welcome Emails with next steps, including a medical history and liability release. Priority will be given to applicants in the following order: current OBCA employees, current OB employees, past OBCA and OB employees.
• If you are selected for an active spot, you’ll receive a Quickbooks invoice via email within 2 business days. Payment is due within 48 hours to hold your spot. If you need to work out a payment plan, let us know. Please note that your participation is not confirmed until you are medically cleared & OBCA has received final payment.
• If you cancel more than 30 days out from your course start date, you are eligible for a refund of your payment. Cancellations within 30 days are not eligible for a refund. Extenuating circumstances will be taken into account on a case-by-case basis.
• WAITLIST: If you do not get a spot off the waitlist OBCA will issue you a full refund. Waitlist spots will be reserved in the order that we receive enrollment forms. We will continue to communicate with waitlist applicants about your status and inform you when/if a spot becomes available up until one week before the course starts. If you choose to withdraw your application from the waitlist before that time please let us know. Payment will be due only when you are moved into an active spot on the course.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Carolyn Blessing, OBCA Student Services: [email protected]