Lila Abruzzi ‘22 and Juliana Li ‘22
Post Date: May 6, 2022

As some of you may know, the eighth grade recently went on a trip to the American Southwest. It was a mind-blowing adventure packed with activities that we wouldn’t have done without this trip. We learned a lot about geology, ancient Native American groups, different cultures, and even some basic life skills like rooming together, keeping our stuff organized, and time management. We took a poll of our classmates to find out what the highlights of the trip were. Here are some of the most popular responses:

Sedona, Slide Rock: The first place we stopped (after a refreshing six-hour flight and two-hour drive), was Sedona. We stopped in a park called Slide Rock, where we changed into our swimsuits and some of us jumped from a small cliff into the river. Others of us played in the shallow areas. The rocks were beautiful and the river was very cold, but pretty as well.

Bus Rides: Between every park or destination, there was a 1-3 hour bus ride. We had fun watching movies (Jungle Cruise, Finding Nemo, and The Goonies), with the DVD player on the bus and talking to each other. We listened to music and looked out the window at beautiful scenic views. We all greatly appreciated the air conditioning on the bus, as Arizona can get quite warm.

Grand Canyon: On the second day we went to the Grand Canyon! We took a shuttle bus to the place where we would be walking. We had the chance to hike into the Grand Canyon which is a rare opportunity. We walked down the steep trails until we reached Ooh-Ahh Point (yes that is its name, quite fitting honestly). The view was amazing to see. It was there we learned that the squirrels at the Grand Canyon can still carry the Black Plague.

We then hiked back up, and if we thought it was steep on the way down, the way up felt even steeper. We made sure to hydrate regularly because not only were we doing strenuous activity, it was very dry and hot. Coming up was definitely not as pleasant as going down. While eating lunch a couple of squirrels ambushed us and in the process, one of our friends made the impulsive and somewhat concerning decision to touch the squirrel. That friend took the advice of their classmates and washed their hands multiple times and promised not to touch any more animals on the trip.

Rafting and Petroglyphs: On the third day we went to the Colorado River to raft. Before we rafted, we got off the bus and peeked over the 500-foot cliff at the Horseshoe Bend. We got onto our stomachs and slowly slid to be able to see it. Later, we rafted through the canyon and through Horseshoe Bend. From the river, the overlook appeared so small that we could barely see it. We did try to scream up and communicate with those above us. Unfortunately, this strategy did not work so well. We had interesting conversations about life as we peacefully rafted down the Colorado River, and some of us chose to straddle on the edge of the boat so we could get splashed when it sped up. Our tour guide had interesting things to say (and even pointed out when a rock had the spitting image of Abraham Lincoln). We stopped and some of us (who were either brave or a bit foolish, it is hard to decide) decided to swim in the 47-degree water of the Colorado River.

Others of us went to see the thousand-year-old petroglyphs instead. We got to see ancient carvings of animals, lightning bolts, and humans. These carvings were made by Native American tribes that lived in the Grand Canyon thousands of years ago and it is still a sacred site to many Native American groups. Some guesses we made about the carvings were that they were used to tell stories, count years, give directions, give warnings, or as a child’s activity. We had fun discussing these ideas as well as the “TRENT” that was carved into the wall (apparently some dude named Trent ignored this sacred historical sight and carved his name. He was later caught because his name was on the wall). Overall, the rafting trip was a highlight for the majority of students we interviewed.

Cowboy Cookout: The cowboy cookout was in Utah and there we met our substitute bus driver (and cowboy you will always have a friend in) Cowboy John! He introduced us to his herd of Texas longhorns. We met Ferdinand the playfully charging steer, Digger the digger, and Daisy the sweetheart. Another highlight was when one student got to ride one of the Longhorns. We had dinner there and then a talent show. We sang Disney songs together and Ms. Burns rocked the song “Two Birds” by Regina Spektor. We then looked at the stars and later ate s’mores. Cowboy John told us a ghost story about a cursed Aztec treasure. Ask an eighth grader to find out more.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes: The first place we went to on the fourth day was the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. These sand dunes are made of sand that blows off of the sandstone rocks in Kanab, Utah. You can buy boards and wax them and go “sledding” (or stand up and surf if you are brave) down these huge dunes. It was exhilarating to go down those dunes but it was quite tough to get up! We had a lot of fun and several students said that this state park was their favorite part of the trip.

Slot Canyon: Funny story about how we ended up at the Peekaboo Slot Canyon. After the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, the plan was to go to the Bryce Canyon. On the way to Bryce Canyon, we took a little detour to the Belly of the Dragon which is a tunnel that looks like the belly of a dragon. The bus ended up getting stuck and we stayed there for 4 and a half hours. We had run out of hope and our supplies were running low. Now, do you remember the cowboy friend we were talking about earlier? Well… Cowboy John came to our rescue in his school bus. He came when we needed him most. We rode with him to an ice cream shop, where we each proceeded to get big cones of ice cream. Then we went to the Slot Canyon which we wouldn’t have gone to if we hadn’t gotten stuck. We then went to Peekaboo Slot Canyon and the rocks looked like waves. It was so skinny and tall, which made us realize how big the canyon really was. We learned that the wave shape is because of eddies (whirlpools). When the canyon was filled with water, eddies would form and carve out the soft rock to make indents. Slot Canyon actually gets flooded annually, which continues the erosion of the rock.

We had a lot of fun doing all of the things we mentioned and there were more things we did that we didn’t write about in this article. All of the eighth graders have hilarious stories they can tell and they each remember their own personal highlights of the trips. We got to learn so much about the nature around us, the culture around us, our classmates, our chaperones, and ourselves. We would like to thank the chaperones for being so supportive and helpful. They were always there for us when we needed them and helped make this the best experience possible. We would also like to thank BDS for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit these beautiful national parks.