On April 20th, 23 La Salle juniors and seniors departed to Moab, Utah for almost a week. We had to be at the airport promptly at 4 a.m. Monday morning, April 20th. We traveled to the Canyonlands Field Institute about 30 minutes outside of Moab.

We started our first day getting used to the campgrounds before going on a night hike around the camp. Upon our return, we brought our sleeping bags and cots outside under the stars. Some of us (including Keenan, Keaton, and Michael) tried to be very cocky and sleep in our boxers, despite being warned that it was going to get extremely cold at night. It turns out that that night the temperature dropped below freezing, therefore sleep was hard to come by and it did not last long.

At 6:30 the group was awakened by our counselors and we put on as many warm clothes as we could find. We were still cold. The big group split up into two groups: one group went on a hike through the desert up to a huge rock with hieroglyphics on it. We climbed up and then down another steep hill to get back to camp.

This hike took most of the day, once we got back we had a little bit of free time where we could hang out around the camp. After free time and dinner, we gathered at the fire pit to talk about constellations, stars, and to sing campfire songs.

At 10 p.m. we returned to our beds and slept under the stars.

The counselor once again woke us up at 6:30 for breakfast. Then the two groups from the day before switched hikes. The group that went to the rock with hieroglyphics then went to the creek. Once we first got to the creek we played in the sand and, soon after, the counselor showed us the quicksand. Some of us got into the quick sand to their knees and then leaned as far back as we possibly could. As long as we stood still we would not sink, but once we started to move we started to sink.

Once we were done with the quick sand we competed with each other in a boat race down the creek. All of us first had to find “a boat” (a little stick, leaf or something that floats). After the race we had lunch by the creek under a sky that started to get cloudier and darker.

We did one last experiment about water consumption and then by that time the wind had picked up and it started sprinkling. We ran back to camp and moved all of our cots and sleeping bags inside our tipis so they didn’t get wet. After we were done we had some more free time then dinner.

After dinner we did an activity with our buddy and we had to jump on each other’s backs like duck duck goose and then followed by free time and a hike since it was dark. Once we got back we again slept under the stars. Most of us did not go to sleep right away but instead talked for awhile and then slowly, one by one, fell asleep.

The next morning we were awaken by more singing, once again at 6:30. After we got ready and ate breakfast, we had a little free time to kill. We then drove to the Colorado River to go white water rafting and split up into three different rafts. With our packed lunches, we set off.

It started off sunny and warm but about halfway through the clouds started to come in along with the wind. The wind hindered us from moving so we had to paddle super hard in order to simply go down stream. About ⅔ of the way down the river we stopped to eat lunch.

Once we were done we walked down to a calm part of the river where we jumped again, because it started to become sunny again. Some of us jumped in and realized how cold the water really is in April and we all jumped back into the raft almost immediately. After a while, we had to stop and start paddling the rest of the way.

When we returned to camp, we had some more free time and ate dinner together. Following dinner we had a mock town hall meeting about prospective buyers of land on the Colorado Plateau. We took the role of town people and had to portray their viewpoint.

There were three potential buyers, a contractor company to build homes, a rancher to farm Alfalfa, and a nature conservation to make it a tourist attraction. In the end of the meeting the nature conservation won. It was almost bed time and, since it was our last night in Moab, we all wanted to sleep under the stars so we all moved our cots back outside while getting yelled at because we were all supposed to be asleep. After talking for a while, we all fell asleep

For the final time, we woke up at 6:30, ate breakfast, and then packed up all of our stuff. We traveled to Moab where we spent 30 minutes to eating and buying some souvenirs.

We departed Moab and traveled to Arches National Park and hiked to Delicate Arch.

About halfway back it became really windy and sand started to hit us painfully. We ran back to the bus and then had to drive three hours back to Salt Lake City.

We got to sleep in till 8:00 on Saturday and left the hotel at 9:00 and then took off from the airport at about 11 and did not get home till about 4:45, because of our delay in Las Vegas.

Moab was an extremely fun and educational trip. We all learned so much about nature, the wildlife, and the Colorado Plateau. Everything about the camp was out of this state from the counselors, to the activities and even how educational this was. This Moab trip is truly a once in a lifetime experience. Everyone should apply for this trip, and hopefully you can go and have this life changing experience.

All photos are provided by Tanner Latham and Ms. Cassinelli.