Yosemite

Our recent Teacher Night events in San Jose, CA were a wonderful opportunity to connect with passionate Bay Area educators and share the transformative power of outdoor education.

September 2026 arrived, and despite an unexpected curveball from mother nature, WildLink was thrilled to welcome back another incredible group of participants from Health Careers Academy in Stockton. Due to heavy smoke from the nearby Dome Fire, the group had to delay their initial start date. However, these resilient students, alongside chaperones Mr. Butcher and Mrs. Pacheco, showed immense flexibility and a fantastic attitude, shifting plans seamlessly. Instead of the usual gradual start, the team arrived, packed up all their heavy gear with the help of their NatureBridge educator guides Lalo and Cassie, and headed straight up to the high country on day one to escape the valley smoke and find some clear alpine air.

Early September arrived and WildLink welcomed an amazing group of new participants from Mariposa High School for another expedition. The group arrived ready to make some awesome memories. Being the most local school, they wasted no time in settling into their cabins at the NESC before coming together for dinner and their first evening program with their educator guides, Andres and Katie, and their brave chaperones, Mrs. Whitfield and Mr. Bothwell.

The 2026 WildLink team from Venture Academy arrived in Yosemite bursting with energy and ready for the adventure ahead. The group arrived at the National Environmental Science Center (NESC) and settled into their cabins for the first two nights. Alongside their chaperones, Jeremy Sinclair and Kris Dustin, the students enjoyed a delicious dinner that led right into an evening program under the clear night sky, where everyone gathered around a fire, looked up at the stars, and got to know each other. The next day, the group woke up and spent the day in Yosemite Valley with their guides, Sam and Sarah, gearing up for the backpacking expedition ahead. Once everyone had everything they needed for their four-day, three-night journey into the backcountry, they enjoyed the rest of the afternoon in the Valley before heading back to the NESC for dinner and one last night in the cabins.

For the 2026 Armstrong Scholars, each day started with a song. Maybe it was "Unwritten" by Natasha Beddingfield, or "Believe" by Cher, or "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. Music and laughter carried us through our first waking moments—whether it was at 3 a.m. in wet sleeping bags preparing to hike up a pass, or at 8 a.m. next to a lake and ready for a rest day. We celebrated hard things the way we knew best—by dancing—at the end of a long day to warm up before slipping into our sleeping bags, or on top of a mountain pass, or at the trailhead at the end of a beautiful 65.7 mile-long journey.

What is outdoor education and why is it important? These questions may arise when you’re planning your first multi-day program for your school. Here is everything you need to know about NatureBridge programs, how they benefit students and teachers while enforcing classroom learning, and how to plan a program.