Beginning-of-the-Year Trip: Zion National Park
The school took a day trip to nearby Bryce Canyon National Park while camping in Zion National Park. This is Anacapa’s 7th time to Zion: 1984, 1989, 1992, 1995, 2002, 2007 and 2013!
September 15-19, 2013
Chaperones: Gordon and Suzie Sichi, Bryan Anderson, Paula Campanelli, Levi Maaia, Hugo Macario, Megan Nesland, and Grayson Baggiolini (Class of 2012)
Sunday, September 15
Destination: Zion National Park
Students arrived on campus at 5:00 AM, roll was taken, and the two Santa Barbara Airbuses loaded with personal items, camping gear, food, and ice chests. We departed promptly at 6:00 AM for the approximately 10-hour ride from California, through Nevada, to Utah’s Zion National Park. We arrived at approximately 5:00 PM Mountain Time. After an orientation meeting with the Campground Host and Gordon Sichi outlining safety rules and expectations, the Upper School set up their camp in Group Camp #1 of Watchman Campground, and the Lower School settled into Group Camp #5. Activities for Sunday evening included camp set-up, dinner preparations, and a 9:00 PM Roll Call to go over the activities planned for Monday, including the much-anticipated hike up the Zion Narrows.
Monday, September 16
Zion Narrows
Students were awakened at daybreak at 7:00 AM to make breakfast and prepare lunches for the day hike. At 9:00, National Parks Service Ranger Briana Plog gave us an excellent presentation at the nearby Amphitheater on the geology, animal life, and plant life of Zion National Park. She answered all of our questions, including an explanation of the geological forces that created Bryce Canyon National Park, our destination for Tuesday. She also had an assortment of horns, antlers, and skins of animals indigenous to Zion for students to touch. After our morning presentation, students were grouped into their individual classes with their Teacher Advisor(s) for the excursion to the Zion Narrows: Hugo/12th, Gordon/11th, Megan/10th, Levi and Paula/9th, Bryan/8th, and Suzie and Grayson/7th.
“During the presentation by Briana Plog, I learned interesting facts about the animals at Zion National Park. Before this trip, I never knew that mountain goats’ feet were like suction cups or that some frogs can change color.” – Athena B., Grade 7
After taking a Zion Shuttle to the end of the road at the Temple of Sinawava (Coyote), each class walked a mile and a half along the Riverside Walk to the start of the Narrows hike. Students rock-hopped and waded through pools up the river with its towering canyon walls for 2.5 miles to our destination point—a beautiful side canyon. The side canyon (Orderville Canyon) had very narrow canyon walls and multiple waterfalls to climb up. Students helped each other up the first fall, Veiled Falls, and then pushed ahead over other waterfalls and ran up the canyon, joyfully exploring such a unique natural wonderland. The hike back down the Virgin River went very well with all of the classes back in camp by 5:30 PM. Dinners were prepared, followed by a 9:00 PM Roll Call and meeting to go over Tuesday’s bus ride to Bryce Canyon National Park and the planned activities. Also included in each night’s evening activities were viewings of the night sky with Levi Maaia’s high-powered telescope with its exceptional views of Saturn and the moon’s craters and lunar landscape.
“I had a great experience making new friends and hiking up the Narrows. These were so special because I sparked some really good relationships with a lot of cools kids. Hiking up the Narrows was also very special because the nature and beauty of the Narrows really came to life. These experiences did change me because I saw a new perspective of life beyond technology.” -Morgan L., Grade 9
Tuesday, September 17
Bryce Canyon National Park
After a 7:00 AM wake-up call, we made breakfast, packed up lunches, and then left the campground at approximately 9:00 AM. On the way to Bryce, students on each bus watched an informative DVD on Bryce Canyon. We entered the park at 11:30 and drove another 15 miles to the end of the road at Rainbow Point at an elevation of 9,100’, where we ate our lunches at a nice picnic area with the wind whipping through the high-altitude pine forest. After lunch, students took in the nearby scenic viewpoint high above the Bryce Canyon landscape, and then we drove back to Bryce Canyon to take individual class hikes. Classes hiked down into the Canyon along the Sunrise Point Trail as far as the Queen’s Garden, where a rock formation with a silhouette reminiscent of Queen Victoria is easily discernible. After taking our all-school photo, we headed back to the top of the trail. The drive back to Zion went smoothly, and we were back in camp by 6:00 PM. After dinner, we met again at 9:00 PM for Roll Call and went over the details of the three different hike options for our last day on Wednesday.
Wednesday, September 18
Observation Point, Watchman Trail, Emerald Pools
After having breakfast and packing up lunches, students chose which hike they wanted to take. Twenty-two students and four teachers (Megan Nesland, Bryan Anderson, Hugo Macario, and Gordon Sichi) took the more strenuous Observation Point hike up the Eastern Rim–four miles up and four miles down with 2,000 feet of elevation each way. The hike was done safely and successfully with the “prize” being the most amazing views of Zion Canyon. The students were very proud of their accomplishments. The 26 other students went with three teachers (Paula Campanelli, Suzie Sichi, and Levi Maaia) and Anacapa alum Grayson Baggiolini up the Watchman Trail for some excellent views. After returning to camp, Levi and Grayson left with 10 students to hike the Emerald Pools Trail while Suzie stayed in camp with Paula to lead watercolor painting activities
of the Zion landscapes and other students relaxed and enjoyed the free afternoon. After everyone returned to camp, dinners were cooked, and at 8:30, the school met to go over the procedures for packing up and leaving on Thursday morning. We then played Simon Says and sang songs led by students Sam, Emilia, and Lara. At the end of all Anacapa trips, the culminating activity is our traditional Appreciations Ceremony, in which students and teachers each share something they appreciated most about the trip. After the ceremony, we had a huge S’mores feast with students eating as many S’mores as they wanted! For our international students, it was their first time ever to enjoy this traditional American campfire specialty.
“Zion was the perfect example of a natural environment that takes time and attention to preserve.” -Nike C., Grade 10
Thursday, September 19
St. George Mormon Temple and Back to SB
Students were awakened again at daybreak at 7:00 AM to make breakfast and lunches and to pack up the camps for our return to Santa Barbara. Everything went very smoothly with excellent teamwork. We left on time at 10:00 AM and drove an hour and a half to St. George, Utah. With this year’s Synthesis Unit on the topic of religion, it was suggested by 11th grader Sam that we try to take the opportunity of being in Utah to learn about the Mormon faith. Reservations were made to visit the oldest existing Mormon Temple in the United States (1877). Although we were not allowed to enter the Temple, we were given tours of the nearby Visitor Center and saw a 20-minute film on the life of the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith. After the tour, we traveled to the nearby and older Mormon Tabernacle (1863), where we were allowed inside and given a tour of this historic church by two local women. In addition to learning about the construction of the Tabernacle, we were also told about the historic settlement of St. George during the Civil War era to grow grapes and cotton. The ladies allowed Sam to play the beautiful organ. We left promptly at 1:45 PM for Santa Barbara with a “fast food” stop in Barstow, CA. We arrived back early in Santa Barbara at 9:30 PM. The juniors unloaded the buses, and the seniors organized a human chain to move all of the gear onto the campus courtyard. The extra food left over from the Food Groups was taken that night to Casa Esperanza Homeless Shelter.
Students and teachers worked very well together to make the 2013 Zion Trip a big success. Way to go, Anacapa!