Joshua Tree National Park with Outward Bound California
This isn't my first time backpacking, and I'm sure it won't be the last. The first time I went backpacking was also through Outward Bound California. It was an experience that was challenging and wonderful. I made friends with people I had never met before, but the bond I made with my group will always be special.
This is now my second time backpacking through Outward Bound California. I am with people who I have met before and people who I am meeting for the first time. I thought five days would be a piece of cake compared to my last backpacking trip. Of course, I was wrong. Though the challenges weren't as great, I never thought that these little challenges would be much peskier. Bruised hips from the weight of the backpack, lumpy socks in my shoes because my socks were too big, cold toes from the desert cold at night, stingy zipper on my sleeping bag that would always get stuck when I wanted to get out and would pop open when I tried to get comfortable. Though these were minor inconveniences, OB instructors were supportive, checking in on us whenever they got the chance, and guiding us through the backpacking and camping. Boiling water for our water bottles to heat our sleeping bags and keep our feet warm.
This trip is all a new experience for me. I am forming new bonds and getting to know the people I knew much better. The people I just met are becoming more and more familiar to me. Hearing their amazement at the land, we are experiencing together from different viewpoints makes me appreciate how lucky I am to be there with them. I am very proud to be in Joshua Tree with my OB instructors, Nat and Roger, and of course, Lei for giving us the equipment we needed to make this adventure possible. I am proud of the rest of my group for being part of this adventure with me and for making the best of it!
I am very proud to share with you all the creative ways some of my group decided to share their experiences of our trip and what inspired them.
Here we have a haiku from Cebren Benson:
Conclusions Endless
Everlasting harmony
Nurturing Nature
“This was inspired from the release I feel in nature. We all lead busy and complicated lives in the city, but when you finally step out, the distractions fade away. Then there’s a clarity and acceptance that emerges which helps you lean deeper into whatever your essence is.” - Cebren
Here is a written piece from Vianey Moreno:
Mountains remind me of you
Your edges and valleys that fill your pain, tears, unknowing callings, dreams, and hopes
I'll see you in the cosmos when I return back with you to our beginnings
to where our souls will rest, to where we can find the voices and songs of our ancestors
where we can forgive and spiral into a borderless world
to where you and I no matter the distance, can exists
It's influenced by not having the opportunity to visit my grandma before she passed last year due to being undocumented - Vianey
This program is funded by the Outdoor Equity Grants Program, created through AB 209 and administered by California State Parks, Office of Grants and Local Services.
