Southern California is blessed with beautiful autumn weather, and both our local mountains and deserts are ideal destinations for an outdoor escape. This year, however, fire danger may close some of our nearby locales like our backyard playground Idyllwild or the San Gabriel and San Bernardino ranges. So where to go?

Longtime Wilderness Outings Instructors Monique LeMay and Michael Habicht have recently returned from a 4,000 mile roadtrip where they hiked, biked, and climbed in some of the most amazing areas in the United States. Read on for a vicarious adventure!

Waking up to an alarm at 2:45 AM is, well, alarming. Our brains are not prepared for the barrage of sights, sounds, and smells that attack our senses while camped at 10,000 feet. First we have to remember where we are, which usually comes back quickly as we brush a cheek against the side of a cold damp tent, then we have to remember why we came here. Ah, yes, the summit! It looked so peaceful and desirable from afar!

Hey...it's Joshua Tree Season again! Check out our upcoming rock climbing courses:

> Beginning Backpacking: 9.18, 10.16, 11.13
> Parent n' Kids Trek & Climb: 10.22
> Day on the Rocks: 9.26, 10.24, 11.21
> Anchor Skills: 9.25, 10.23, 11.20

Of course you can also find plenty of backpacking, navigation and first aid courses on our site.

Climb Smart 2004, October 1-3
This popular weekend event is back! Learn how to push your rock skills while being safe and be a good steward of your local crag. Wilderness Outings will be supporting this event by providing some of our best instructors to benefit the Friends of Joshua Tree and the Access Fund.