By Lily Mitchell
Managing Editor
From May 20-24, 38 seniors from a variety of science classes experienced the natures of Arizona and Utah firsthand. After postponing the annual trip for a few years due to COVID, Physics teacher Jon Lewis was finally able to organize this trip again for his AP Physics C class and later extended the invite to other senior science classes.
The trip certainly required a lot of physical activity as the group hiked through two National Parks, toured Antelope Canyon, and rafted the Colorado River all in three days. However, according to senior Katie Witherell, the scenic sites and good company made it all worth it.
“I am extremely glad that I participated in this trip,” Witherell said. “Without it, I don’t think I would have had the opportunity to see these parks. It was also super fun to meet new people who I don’t have classes with and get closer with the kids I already knew.”
After landing in Utah the day before, the group participated in a short hike in Bryce Canyon National Park on May 21. According to senior Heather Jensen, they got up close views of the hoodoos, which are distinctive rock formations found throughout the park.
“All of the parks were beautiful,” Witherell said. “The most scenic day, in my opinion, was the first day due to all of the red rock and the scenic overlook hundreds of feet up from the bottom of Bryce Canyon.”
The next day, they made their way to Page, Arizona where they took a guided photo tour of Antelope Canyon and went river rafting down the Colorado River. Jensen says Antelope Canyon had gorgeous views, and their tour guide helped them get the perfect pictures.
“While on the river, there were walls of rock on each side of us, and we were trying to find shapes in the cracks,” Jensen said. “We got to jump in the ice cold water and look at Native American carvings before heading back, which was so cool.”
On May 23, the third and final day of adventure, everyone divided into trail groups and hiked different sections of Zion National Park in Utah. According to Jensen, some challenged themselves by hiking Scout’s Lookout, while others hiked less intense trails.
“No matter the difficulty of the trail, they were all gorgeous hikes,” Witherell said. “All of us hiked through the three waterfalls and did a riverbed walk, which had amazing views.”
Not only did this trip consist of site seeing, but the students were also able to learn more about science while hiking through the National Parks, especially Earth Science. According to Witherell, although these conversations weren’t the main focus of the trip, they were free to listen and ask questions about anything we were interested in.
“I am in both AP Physics and Honors Earth Science this year, so while we didn’t exactly talk much about mechanics, we did learn a good amount of Earth Science,” Witherell said. “We discussed the processes responsible for the formation of canyons, the parks’ ecologies, and even went into depth about the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon.
This trip allows the seniors to have one last bonding experience before they graduate. During this trip, they are given the opportunity to walk through some of the most beautiful nature spots, all while establishing a stronger connection with their peers.
“On the trip, we had some down time spent relaxing in the houses and hanging out with each other,” Jensen said. “There were game nights, movie rooms, and hot tubs. At night we were even able to look out at the immense arrays of stars in the sky, seeing the milky way rise. Overall, it was a super fun experience with incredible memories made.”
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