College of the Canyons goes to Joshua Tree National Park

On the weekend of May 15th through the 17th, Amber and Heidi hosted their final College Ambassador trip. With a total of 12 participants, the group explored and learned more about the desert, and we introduced a few people to outdoor camping.

On Friday the 15th, the group all met at Jumbo Rocks campground and got their bags ready for a small hike to the Live Oak Picnic Area. From there, they received a presentation from a park ranger on how the park was founded and the management issues it faces. This includes the challenges of park maintenance due to the high number of visitors. Upkeep, including trail maintenance; ensuring visitors follow pet rules; and providing signs that inform people who use the rocks to climb to keep their groups small to minimize disruption to vegetation. The group also learned more about the invasive plants that are in the park, the Joshua trees that grow there, and the oak tree we were under. 

After the ranger talk, the group went to Skull Rock to take photos. Later in the evening, the group was guided by Amber and an instructor on a cave system called “The Chasm of Doom”! There is one part of the cave that requires participants to crawl through, and all of them made it through confidently.

On Saturday, the 16th, participants were taken to the Boy Scout Trail and spent the day climbing at the North Wonderland crags. Most of our participants had never rock climbed and were being taught to belay on top ropes we set up with a rock climbing instructor. The group ended up rock climbing for 8 hours in total and enjoyed sharing their experiences around the campfire every night.