For years the juniors and seniors of La Salle have continually been given the opportunity to participate in a trip to the adventurous desert-resembling area of Moab, Utah; and this year is no exception. From living in tipis to not having access to a shower for an entire week, this trip gives students the chance to fully experience the outdoors with no technology other distractions of modern society holding them back.

On this year’s trip to Moab, the participants will depart from the Portland airport on Monday, April 18th and will return the following Saturday, April 23rd. Once the participants arrive in Utah, they travel by bus to a camping site in the Professor Valley Field Camp near Moab, which is operated almost by the Canyonlands Field Institute.

The campsite will be covered with brown tipis where the students will be sleeping for the next five days, and where staff of the Field Institute will provide them with the experiences needed to be able to understand and appreciate nature at a higher degree. In addition to sleeping in the tipis, both the phones and iPads of the participants will be collected immediately following the arrival at the camp.

Math teacher Mr. Linus Oey, who had joined students on a past Moab trip as a chaperone, said that the students really “learn to disconnect from social media [and] from just the outside world so that they can really concentrate on themselves and their friends during the trip.”

Another past chaperone of the Moab adventure, English teacher Mr. Paul Dreisbach, described what he believes is the most important lesson that the students are able to learn on the trip. He explained, “At the camp you look at the economic issues that are impacting the area, the social issues, the religious and cultural issues, in addition to the some of the legal issues as well. It helps to see how in one situation, one place, there are all these different facets that are affecting it in one way or another.”

Senior Trinity Swift, who went with other Lasallian students last year on the 2015 trip, said, “I would recommend this trip for many reasons, but I found it was a relaxing change to be away from modern day conveniences and enjoy the beauty of nature with my peers.”

Although tipis are available for participants to sleep in, many students prefer to sleep outside of the tipis. Trinity said that “Mostly everyone slept outside on cots. The tipis were slightly warmer, but we found it more pleasing to sleep out under the stars.”

Being at a 4-5000 feet elevation amidst the desert with daytime temperatures usually ranging from 60 to 80 degrees also allows students a break from the typically cold, dreary Oregon weather. However, participants are encouraged to be prepared for almost every type of weather.

This trip to the deserts of Moab will not only give the students the experience of living in the outdoors; it will also teach them about animals, the natural history of the area, and allow the students to spend quality time with their peers.

The juniors attending this trip are Tyler Person, Joel Simmons, Olivia Cooper, Christopher Farrow, and Jasmine Gloden. The seniors attending are Sean Henson, Natalie Herder, Ally Jansen, Carly Veasy, Kelly Nisbet, Regan McCabe, Jack Miller, Ellie Choate, Caitlin Lee, Brooke Eilersen, Chloie Lamer, Hannah Baggs, Willa Jutzi, Jordan Kersten, Deanna Mische, Raleigh Slyman, Thomas Foy, Duncan Hildreth, and Kevin Whitson.

The two chaperones supervising these lucky students will be Ms. Kerri Kelvin and Mr. Tom McLaughlin.

As Nadene Prentice, a past participant, said, “Moab is a unique experience to be completely cut off from the stress of our busy lives and just enjoy each other’s company within the center of the canyons in Utah.”