ACU students visit Grand Canyon!

On Saturday, October 4th, 25 ACU students (nine of them in Dr. Kezele’s Apologetics class) went to the Grand Canyon for a day of fun, fellowship and learning.  Dr. Kezele arranged the trip for his Apologetics class and since there was plenty of room on the bus, he opened up the trip to any ACU student or ACU faculty member.  Sixteen other ACU students and one recent ACU graduate joined the adventure.  

The all-day trip started at 7:00 a.m. when the bus departed ACU and headed to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  The first stop was at Desert View where Jim Clarke (“resident geologist” for Arizona Origin Science Association) discussed several canyon formation theories.

After lunch and free time at Desert View, it was on to Mather Point.  The students took the three mile rim walk from Mather Point to Bright Angel Lodge.  Along the way, the students saw points of geologic interest and learned more about the flood model theories that support the canyon’s formation.  Elk and a California Condor were spotted by many in the group.  A few students talked with a park ranger and asked him polite but pointed questions about the park’s “millions of years” theory.

After the hike, many students stopped for ice cream at the Bright Angel Lodge Patio!  Students had time to relax, shop, and further enjoy canyon views.  

According to the surveys the students completed, this trip should be offered again next semester and/or next year and should include some hiking below the rim.  The trip organizers have listened and plans are already in the works to re-format the trip to include a hike down to the first rest house, 1½ miles down the Bright Angel Trail.  On the trail, students will be able to see pictographs, fossils (including tracks), and put “hands on” the contact point between the Coconino Sandstone and the Hermit Shale layers!  

While some students had been to the Grand Canyon in the past, for several students, it was their first time to visit Grand Canyon.  Here’s what some of the students had to say about the trip:

“The best part about the trip was hiking around the rim.  I learned a lot about rock formations!” 

“Getting to see real evidence of the Flood.”