Eleven weeks. Four trips into the wild. One welcoming room full of people figuring it out alongside you.
The Wilderness Basics Course is San Diego's longest-running on-ramp to backpacking. We'll teach you to read a map, pack a pack, stay warm, stay safe, and actually enjoy sleeping in the dirt. No experience required.
The Wilderness Basics Course (WBC) meets in person at San Pasqual High School in Escondido. Tuesday nights, January through March. Add four weekend outings, and you've got everything you need to confidently plan and execute a day hike — or your first real backpacking trip.
You'll learn from people who've actually done it. A lot. All of our instructors and trip leaders are unpaid volunteers who happen to be wildly experienced backcountry travelers. They teach because they love it — and because someone once taught them.
The classroom side is mellow. The outings are not. You'll need to be in good physical condition and able to carry roughly 40 pounds over varied terrain. Trip leaders make the final call on whether a student's fitness level is appropriate for a given outing.
A working education in the fundamentals — the kind of stuff that makes the difference between a trip you remember fondly and a trip you survive. Here's a sampler.
Find yourself before your phone does it for you.
What to buy, what to borrow, what to leave home.
Backcountry meals that don't taste like cardboard.
Read clouds. Pack for surprises. Stay dry-ish.
First aid, hazards, and how not to become a headline.
Leave No Trace, in practice — not just on a poster.
Permits, logistics, contingencies. The boring magic.
A full syllabus is shared on day one.
This is where it clicks. You'll test your gear, practice what you've learned in the classroom, and meet the people who'll become your hiking partners for years. Beautiful places, real challenges, no fake stakes.
The friendliest possible introduction. Drive in, set up camp, sleep under a sky full of stars. A low-stakes weekend to shake out gear and find your rhythm.
Now it's on your back. Big sky, slot canyons, the particular quiet that only a desert delivers. Your first real overnight with everything you need on your shoulders.
Pines, granite, elevation. A weekend in higher country where you'll feel the difference altitude makes — and the difference your training has made.
The graduation trip. Camping in actual snow — or, if the desert blooms are calling and snow isn't your thing, an alternate Flower Camp. *Flower Camp doesn't count toward graduation requirements.
WBC is built for beginner backpackers, but all experience levels are welcome — our trip leaders offer outings at a range of difficulty levels so there's a fit for most fitness profiles.
Your course fee covers the classroom, the materials, and a few small things to launch you well. (Personal gear — sleeping bag, pack, tent, boots — is on you, but we'll teach you how to do it on the cheap.)
Your reference for everything we cover, with the bits you'll forget.
Wilderness Basics by Kristi Anderson — the field-tested classic.
A real one. You'll learn to use it. You'll feel like a wizard.
For each outing you sign up for. Hand-picked for the route.
Student-rate deals at participating outdoor retailers.
Finish the course and walk away with a WBC certificate & patch.
*If you can't attend the snow backpack, an alternate cactus Flower Camp is available — but Flower Camp doesn't count toward graduation. Any exceptions to these requirements must be approved by the Chair and Program Chair.
Every cent goes to the program. Staff, lecturers, leaders, and assistants are all unpaid volunteers. Your fee covers the classroom, the textbook, your compass, your maps — the essentials.
Eleven Tuesday nights in Escondido — close enough to commute, far enough to feel like the trip has already started by the time you arrive.
Heads up: Trip sign-ups and some optional lectures start early — 6:30 PM. Show up early if you can.
Eleven weeks from now, you'll be packing a bag for a real backpacking trip. The hardest part is signing up.