A few Favs

A Rendezvous with the Rocks

This past week I had the honor and privilege of spending five days in Joshua Tree National Park rock climbing with some of Outward Bound's finest women! There were 27 of us in sum, and we came from all over the nation (one even came down from Canada). The women were all different ages and skill levels and we all came together with perhaps different expectations or goals, but for the purpose of getting to know others in the Outward Bound community, to improve our personal climbing skills, and most of all, to have fun!


This mission was definitely accomplished, and expectations were surpassed, personally, during my time in JTree. I drove out with three other gals from the Golden Headquarters; thus we
were so named the Golden Girls :) We took turns driving and in two days and 16 hours of driving time later, we ended up in California's town of 29 Palms at the Joshua Tree Basecamp.








I slept under the stars, woke up with the sun, felt the strength of my body radiate through my fingertips and down through my toes. I bled. I sweat. I learned. I grew. I observed. I listened.












I found a new appreciation for the desert. I grew up in a similar environment but usually preferred the green grass to the brown desert. But this last week showed me some of the desert's true colors and they shined brilliantly into my heart and soul. I soaked in the sunshine, I smiled at the cacti, I made footprints in the sand, and I drank as much water as I could!


My time in Joshua Tree was magical, and I feel quite blessed to have had the opportunity to spend the time there with 26 other strong, beautiful, talented, wonderful women!