JILLIAN KERSTETTER
LAYOUT EDITOR

For most college students nowadays, Spring Break poses a significant conundrum. On the one hand, who doesn’t want to get away from the rigors of school and go and enjoy vacation time in a beautiful and relaxing location far from home? On the other hand, who wants to fork out the time, energy and money needed to make a trip like that possible? With gas prices looming at about $4 a gallon and tuition skyrocketing along with them, chances are, Spring Break with no extra costs sounds nice and much more manageable. However, vacation doesn’t need to break the bank or complicate your free time. This semester, a handful of students took their one week of freedom into their own hands and took off on an adventure that any outdoor-lover would envy: an outdoor excursion trip to Utah.

Sponsored by ASI, CSUSM’s Alternative Spring Break program allows students on a budget to have fun and get out with some friends without the stress of high costs and major planning. One of this semester’s Spring Break programs, a Utah excursion, found around 14 CSUSM students hiking and biking their way along scenic canyons and breathtaking desert terrain for seven days and six nights. The students, along with Brian Dawson from the University Village Apartments (UVA) and Hugo Lecomte from Campus Recreation as their guides, journeyed to the famous Utah hotspots Zion Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Arches as well as participated in a mountain bike ride in Moab.

For those of you who haven’t heard of these recreational areas, Bryce and Zion Canyons are two national parks located in southern Utah while Arches National Park is located in eastern Utah. Bryce and Zion Canyons, while certainly not as big or as amazingly vast as their often compared-to counterpart the Grand Canyon, offer nature lovers awe inspiring vistas of jutting rock formations and sweeping cliffs, all set against the majestic backdrop of the Utah desert. Arches National Park, in comparison, offers exactly what its name implies, a look at some of the most unique and brilliant rock arch formations in the world. Altogether, these three parks are some of the most beautiful and naturally thrilling locations in the southwestern United States.

A trip to the canyons of Utah is unforgettable, and for this particular trip, everything, including accommodations (and for those of you who prefer not to sleep on the ground, all accommodations were indoors), only cost each student who participated $200. In the words of one of the campers, Whitney Brown, a senior majoring in Kinesiology, the trip was an “absolute steal and totally worth it.” Brown also commented that “it was one of the most memorable trips [she has] been on. It was a life changing experience and absolutely unforgettable.”

For those already settled into the final few months of this semester, keep in mind that this time, next year, you could be returning refreshed and renewed from an alternative Spring Break sponsored by ASI. Hopefully now you know that it won’t leave you broke, will give you a chance to spend time with some friends, and will leave you refreshed and renewed before returning back to the grind.

Photos courtesy of Whitney Brown