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About Us
Todd Vogel
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IMG_3089Outdoor Link, LLC focuses on helping people of all ages explore, enjoy and connect with the natural world and each other; we help individuals and groups experience the outdoors. We provide a wide variety of programs including hiking and backpacking, peak climbs, rock climbing and outings aimed at simply discovering and enjoying a place. Nature photography and sharing images from our programs is another way we accomplish our mission. Out intent is to inspire and to educate, and to provide a framework for others to learn. This is not just our job, it's our calling.

 

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The quality of our programs is our top concern. We are professional mountain guides and outdoor educators, do our jobs seamlessly, and as proud as we are of our work, we're even more proud and humbled by the faith our clients place with us. We have more than twenty-five years of passionate involvement in creating and delivering quality outdoor education programs in the Southwest and around the world. 


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Todd Vogel
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Joshua Tree National Park

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Todd Vogel
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“Understanding one’s own magical mystery is one of theteacher’s most important assets if he is to understand that everyone is thusdifferently equipped.”—Buckminster Fuller

 

How we learn is often how we teach! The effective teacher works to balance learning and teaching styles.

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Todd Vogel
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CREATING A LESSON PLAN (Adapted from American Canoe Association)

A.            Goals: the purpose ofwhat you want to teach.

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Programs
Todd Vogel
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Programs:

Please see this page for information on our program locations.

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Please help us improve our courses by completing this short evaluation. Your ip address is recorded but otherwise your response is confidential if you are not logged into the site. If you are logged in your user name is associated with your post. Your responses can be of any length and are not limited by the size of the text box.

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Todd Vogel
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You must be a registered user to access the pages past this one. Please use the contact form if you need access information.

Registered users will find the following information available: sign up forms, course/program itinerary, meeting place/time and travel directions, links to photos following the program, trip feedback form, pre study information (if relevant), FAQs. Some programs have a dedicated forum available through the links below.

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Todd Vogel
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When you need a specialist, you go to someone who has been trained and  examined before his or her peers. Contractors - doctors - teachers - lawyers all have a mandatory training and certification process. For outdoor instructors, a level of certification like that is hard to come by.

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Todd Vogel
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Outdoor Link was founded by me, Todd Vogel, in 2006. The name is new but I have been professionally active in outdoor education since the mid 1980s. Like many guides and outdoor leaders, my start was working for a university outdoor recreation program. In my case it was for the University of California, Santa Cruz program where I led crosscountry ski trips, easy mountaineering trips, and instructed rock climbing. At the time I was also working at Western Mountaineering (now Bugaboo Sports) and teaching climbing for them.

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Todd Vogel
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IMG_3098We provide many different school programs themed around the concepts of community, sustainability and awareness and appreciation of the natural world. Also, our programs have a bioregional focus - for example, we have programs geared to desert study, mountain study, and marine environments.

Here is an example of an imaginary program for a fictitous group. Let's make them a class of seventh graders from the Southwest somewhere. After much pre trip work with the school during which we seek a good understanding of the School's goals and objectives for the program we have put this program together:

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We have a course March 5 - 8, 2009. Please use the contact form to enquire or to sign up. 


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Clothing and Equipment List for Joshua Tree Programs

All your gear should fit in one medium size duffel bag please

Our intent with this list is to provide guidelines for appropriate equipment for the trip. You do not need to go out and spend a fortune on equipment - please contact Outdoor Link if you have any questions on what to bring or not bring, in many cases we may be able to provide or rent the right piece of gear if you do not have access to what is on the list.

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Todd Vogel
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Westridge School Spring Joshua Tree Program

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Getting to JT
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Joshua Tree National Park is one of the jewels of the Southern California desert. Due to its position at the intersection of the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts "JT" is home to a unique ecosystem. Add to that fantastic wind-carved rock formations and interesting mountains and the fact that the Park is only three hours from the LA Basin and you have a setting uparalled for desert exploration.
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Todd Vogel
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Death Valley is a great place to come to study geology and desert natural history. The name is legendary among desert parks and the place has nearly endless possibilities for exploration. It takes a lifetime to see all of Death Valley National Park. The natural history of Death Valley is spectacular - and holds some unexpected surprises, like waterfalls and rare desert streams. Their website is worth a visit.

 


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Todd Vogel
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Clothing and Equipment List for Joshua Tree Programs

All your gear should fit in one medium size duffel bag please

Our intent with this list is to provide guidelines for appropriate equipment for the trip. You do not need to go out and spend a fortune on equipment - please contact Outdoor Link if you have any questions on what to bring or not bring, in many cases we may be able to provide or rent the right piece of gear if you do not have access to what is on the list.

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Todd Vogel
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MPMS Spring Joshua Tree Program

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Getting to JT
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One of our favorite and most powerful itineraries is our Eastern Sierra Backpacking program. Customizable, of course, this program is  perfect from late May thru June and again from September into early November. This program is intended for sixth and seventh grade students.

A sample itinerary is as follows: