Every year, St. Stephen’s takes its entire eighth grade class on a week-long trip to Big Bend National Park. For many, the trip can seem incredibly daunting; the desert setting, tent camp, long hikes, and time away from home are the opposite of what many of our students are accustomed to. 

   However, the trip is often considered a favorite memory among students on the hill. “I went a few years ago, because the pandemic was ending by then, and I was convinced I would get eaten by a mountain lion. But, I ended up really liking the trip, especially because I got to meet new people and see the views,” reported one current sophomore. While the trip is padded with quality food, supplies, and vans, it is definitely still rugged. There’s something to be said for the bonding that comes from this roughness, a sort of unique tie that students present on the trip share. When interviewed, many highschool students were excited to share the crazy tales from their own trip. The sloppy joe incident, the girl who snuck by Mr. Perry and hiked fourteen miles in crocs, and the wind storm of ‘23 have all become urban legends of sorts.

   This year, the experience was just as fulfilling for the class of ‘29, whom we interviewed in order to get a current and full picture of the Big Bend trip. While we are blessed to go to school on one of the nicest campuses around, the students were still in awe over the sheer nature and wildness of the park. “There was a serene calmness,” one said, and current eighth grader Finley Wilson noted both the scenes and the animals: “my favorite part of Big Bend was all the views on the hikes and also just at the campsite, also wildlife we got to see, including horses, cows, longhorns, and more.” When it came to activities, many students raved over the days where they got to choose their own hiking routes and ended up at towered rocks, ponds, or even caves. Rafting down the Rio Grande was exciting for the students, although it is easy to misjudge the water depth and fall into the green water headfirst (speaking from experience). The famous thirteen mile hike is often students’ biggest fear, but many assured us that it was actually a good experience as long as people kept the right attitude. As Vihaan Subramanian eloquently advised, “Stay positive. The positive aspect of the trip is how I got by and had a lot of fun. Some people I know had a more negative mindset, and were whining about doing things like the 13 mile hike, or the 1 shower policy, but it isn’t that bad as long as you stay positive, and that will cause you to also enjoy the other fun stuff like rafting and the food.” With this kind of mindset, the trip is truly one of the best parts of middle school at St. Stephen’s. “This trip made me able to build stronger bonds with others than I have ever built before,” Vihaan continued, “and it brought me so much closer.”