Joshua Tree Backpacking for Veterans
Backpack with fellow veterans through the rugged and unforgettable Mojave Desert on this 6-day journey.
Desert life provides the opportunity for you to find challenge, purpose and camaraderie while discovering new ways to connect to service in civilian life. This week-long course is designed for all levels of backpacking experience as you explore some of the most iconic desert wilderness in the United States and backpack through the vast expanses of the Mojave Desert. Along the way, the group will take time to reflect, relate and support one another as you swap stories and take turns leading the group down the trail, cook backcountry meals and set up camp under the bright starry night sky of Joshua Tree.
Please note: To reduce an extremely high cancel rate for these fully funded courses, we now require applicants to submit a $50 non-refundable Commitment Fee at time of enrollment.
If this fee is a financial barrier, please call our National Admissions Office at 866-467-7651 to request a Commitment Fee Waiver. The waiver process includes submitting a Statement of Commitment confirming your intent to follow through with this program.
Reducing revolving enrollments helps us keep our course inventory more accessible. Thank you for your cooperation.
UPCOMING COURSES
This course is not currently accepting enrollments. Please check back frequently, as this is subject to change.
APPLY NOW
This means a course has several open spots and is actively processing applications.
APPLY NOW – Almost Full
This means there are three or fewer currently available spots left on a course. To secure your spot click Apply Now to begin an application!
JOIN WAITLIST
Once a course has reached capacity, three waitlist positions become available. To join a course’s waitlist, click “Join Waitlist” to begin the application process. A $500 deposit is required. This $500 deposit includes a $150 non-refundable application fee and a $350 tuition payment. The $350 tuition payment is refundable only if you cancel your waitlist application or if an open position does not become available. If a position does become available, the applicant will be applied to the open position and the Application and Cancellation Policies of the Regional Outward Bound School will be followed, including forfeiture of the $500 deposit if you cancel 90 days or less prior to the course start date.
Waitlist applicants are encouraged to complete all required admissions documents while awaiting an open position. Positions may become available up to two weeks prior to the course start date. Applicants may only apply to one course. We recommend applying to a course with open positions instead of a course that is accepting waitlist applications. If you have questions, please call 866-467-7651 to speak with one of our Admissions Advisors.
CALL TO APPLY
This means a course is very close to its start date. Although it is unlikely to secure a spot this late, you can call the National Admissions office at 866-467-7651 to discuss your options.
COURSE IS FULL
When a course has reached maximum capacity, meaning all spots and the three waitlist spots are occupied, a course will read “Course Is Full.” This means applications are no longer being accepted.
CLOSED
As a course nears its start date, the availability status may read “Closed.” In this event, a course roster has been finalized and applications are no longer being accepted or processed.
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I really enjoyed my time in the desert! Being able to see and play in my own backyard has been an absolute delight! I hope one day you are able to go on an Outward Bound adventure and reflect on your time in service with other vets. It’s been therapeutic to say the least! Keep your chin up, it gets better!
This course is designed for those either new to backpacking, or who have some experience and are interested in exploring the desert environment. The ruggedly beautiful Joshua Tree National Park receives more than a million visitors each year, but only a handful of those venture more than a mile from the parking lot. With this up-close view, you’ll travel through the rich ecosystem of birds and animals beside the parks’ namesake Joshua Tree, cholla cactus and palms.
Participants will learn basic backcountry skills such as navigation and how to assess and adapt to varying weather conditions. As Outward Bound courses are not guided trips, participants share the weight of food and gear carried in backpacks, and divide camp chores like cooking, cleaning, and tarp setup.
Service to others and to the environment are core values of Outward Bound and they are integrated into each course. Participants follow Leave No Trace ethics as part of their service to the environment. Veterans students enhance their already ingrained appreciation of service with multiple small acts of service with and for their crewmates while leading and supporting each other throughout the journey.
Outward Bound expeditions encourage students to grow into the best version of themselves. Compassion for self and others is foundational to our educational approach. Students work collaboratively with their peers and as individuals to navigate challenging circumstances and the everyday harshness of the natural environment. The physical and mental challenges students experience on course allow them to discover their strengths and build authentic connections. Through intentionally tiered technical skill instruction, students also gain self-efficacy in outdoor competencies related to their course. Consistent and cultivated space for introspection or interactive reflective processes supports students making connections between their experiences and their life back home Whether the expedition is a few days or a few months, students realize that they are stronger than they know, and develop confidence and perseverance that will last a lifetime.
Some of the social and emotional learning outcomes students can expect include:
- Belonging – a sense of connection in the group founded upon respect, inclusion, empathy and compassion
- Courage – catalyzing strengths in order to persevere and take on challenge and risks
- Physical Engagement – develop body awareness and confidence through sensate and bodily experiences
- Self-Regulation – the ability to counter distraction and strong emotions by calming, refocusing, and turn-taking
- Reflection – examination and questioning of actions, roles, relationships and assumptions
Welcome to the high desert moonscape, where rugged mountains and desert plateaus were sculpted by wind and rain. Three distinct ecosystems come together to form this land of extremes, melding the dark, cold, starry nights with warm, sandy and boulder-filled days. Participants will travel through granite monoliths and through narrow canyons that have attracted travelers from around the world long before the park became a national park in 1936.
The Mojave Desert’s sunny fall and spring weather is perfect for a week on the trail or basecamping below the next climb. Weather in the park is generally dry and rainfall is sparse, though unpredictable and sometimes persistent thunderstorms do occur. Temperatures can vary, averaging 50 to 80 degrees during the day to a cool 30 degrees at night and potentially hitting 100 degrees early or late in the season.
Travel in the desert takes careful planning to ensure an ample water supply. Logistics staff place water and food caches around the park to enable extended backcountry travel in this unique wilderness.
Course Stories
I really enjoyed my time in the desert! Being able to see and play in my own backyard has been an absolute delight! I hope one day you are able to go on an Outward Bound adventure and reflect on your time in service with other vets. It’s been therapeutic to say the least! Keep your chin up, it gets better!
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