20 seniors experienced living out of a pack for eight days in Zion National Park

Twenty of teacher MarkDiMaggio’s GEO 2014 students departed Paso High Friday, May 23 at 6:25 am, blurry eyed and ready for a full week of backpacking ahead of them.This is DiMaggio’s 20th time taking his senior-only class to Zion National Park in Utah. The class paired off in groups of five, seven, and eight led by chaperones: Geof Land and his wife Nancy; Engineering teacher Alisa Bredensteiner, and Jon Paul and Gaylene Ewing. The groups were in the backcountry for six days and gawked at massive rock formations, narrow slot canyons, and glittering waterfalls.

Delaney Cline, a student in the class said her favorite part was bonding with her group. [blockquote author=”Delaney Cline” pull=”normal”]“There’s something about being with six other people 24/7 that bonds you, breaks down your walls,and makes you realize that all you really need is a good friend and life will move on perfectly. It was the best way to end senior year, and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to spend it with.”[/blockquote]