Photo By Christopher Jones | Hospitalman 1st Class Raquel Patino, from Van Nuys, Calif., with Navy Medicine...... read more read more
Against the backdrop of towering rock formations and vast desert landscapes, Sailors from Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Twentynine Palms, along with Marines from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, participated in a unique resilience-building event at Joshua Tree National Park on Feb. 5, 2025. The event, organized in collaboration with a nonprofit organization, focused on enhancing spiritual fitness and mental fortitude through physically demanding outdoor activities.
“We’re out here with Sailors from Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms and some Marines from Camp Pendleton,” said the excursion’s organizer, Chaplain Lt. Cmdr. Nicholas Suddath from Hogansville, Georgia. “We hooked up with a great nonprofit organization that puts on activities to build spiritual fitness and resiliency for active-duty Marines and Sailors. Today we are at Joshua Tree National Park where we engaged in rock climbing, rappelling, and caving.”
Sailors and Marines were tasked with pushing their physical and mental limits under the glaring sun of the Joshua Tree desert. The challenging terrain tested their endurance as they navigated deep caves, rappelled down sheer rock faces, and scaled towering rock formations. Each activity demanded focus, teamwork, and determination, forcing many participants to confront their fears and persevere through discomfort. The experience was designed to not only build confidence and resilience but also reinforce the importance of mental toughness and trust in one another, key attributes essential to military readiness.
For many participants, the event was an opportunity to step outside their comfort zones, push past physical and mental limits, and forge deeper connections with fellow service members in a challenging yet rewarding environment.
“I had the opportunity to do the caving first,” said Diego Escalante, a Religious Program Specialist 3rd Class from San Diego, Calif. who helped the Chaplain coordinate the event. “It was a lot of fun. It definitely had some good twists and turns. It was a great way for all of us to come together and do some trauma bonding to overcome the cave’s challenges. We all made it out successfully, and it was really fun.”
Escalante expressed that his perspective on the desert had changed significantly through the experience.
“I think Joshua Tree National Park is beautiful. I’m pretty naive when it comes to rocks because I always thought desert just meant more bland desert, but actually getting to explore the park, I’ve seen that it’s so much more than that. Having the opportunity to do this and set this up with the hospital and our team here has just been such a fun event.”
For others, the event was a chance to revisit past experiences while guiding others through new challenges.
“I participated in the rock climbing and rappelling activities today,” said Lt. Jillian Dunbar from Elmhurst, Illinois. “I’ve rock climbed in the past before, so mentally this hasn’t been that challenging, but getting into the physical challenges has been great. We have a great group out here, and supporting and assisting everybody has been a great experience. Joshua Tree is a great place to be active, and I enjoy hiking and running out here as well.”
Lt. Wyatt Frakes, an experienced climber from Dearborn, Michigan, echoed the sentiment and emphasized the mental resilience required to take on such challenges.
“As an experienced climber, it’s really fun to be able to come out here and see everyone have a good time, get out of their comfort zone, and try something new,” Frakes said. “It can be tough being in a remote location like Twentynine Palms sometimes, but rock climbing is one of the reasons I came out here. Seeing others experience it for the first time and watching them push through fear was exciting for me.”
Frakes also spoke about the unique opportunities that Joshua Tree offers to service members stationed at Twentynine Palms.
“Being stationed at the hospital and at Twentynine Palms, you’re no more than 15 to 20 minutes from two entrances of Joshua Tree National Park. A lot of people don’t realize what that has to offer. It’s a beautiful landscape, whether you’re going camping, rock climbing, rappelling, caving, or just exploring. It has everything.”
The event not only served as a physical and mental challenge but also highlighted the natural resilience of the surrounding environment.
“Joshua Tree National Park seems like a barren land at first,” Frakes continued. “But when you get up close, you see the resiliency of the wildlife out here. The different reptiles, the foliage, the strange beauty of the rock formations — it’s all a reminder of how living things adapt and thrive under tough conditions. You get to see how strange and beautiful it is that a landscape can end up the way it is.”
The sometimes harsh conditions of the desert provided an apt metaphor for the resilience-building goals of the event.
“Being out in the desert in a rugged landscape, it’s obviously tough,” Frakes said. “It’s dry. It’s hot. The rock is coarse. The plants are sharp and pointy. But being able to push through those difficulties and make a good outcome out of them says a lot about character building. It’s about more than just surviving — it’s about making something meaningful out of the experience.”
For many, the event also provided a deeper, spiritual connection to nature and themselves.
“Some people come out here to find their souls at Joshua Tree National Park,” Frakes said. “People from Los Angeles, San Diego, and even worldwide come here to reconnect with nature and themselves. There’s something about the stillness, the vastness, and the challenge of the landscape that gives you clarity.”
By the end of the day, participants had reportedly forged new bonds, gained new perspectives, and developed an even stronger sense of resilience — one that can serve them well both in and out of uniform. For the Sailors and Marines of Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree was not just a place to climb, rappel, or explore — it was a proving ground for perseverance, teamwork, and spiritual growth.
| Date Taken: | 02.21.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2025 16:29 |
| Story ID: | 491237 |
| Location: | JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | DEARBORN, MICHIGAN, US |
| Hometown: | ELMHURST, ILLINOIS, US |
| Hometown: | HOGANSVILLE, GEORGIA, US |
| Hometown: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 101 |
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