Usually, 16 days in Utah means that the Mormons are having a convention. But for NIU students, it means outdoor excitement.

NIU’s Outing Centre is having its end-of-the-semester trip to Utah, featuring more than two weeks of backpacking, climbing and mountain biking through scenic national parks. A couple of spots still are available. The group, currently 14 people, will leave May 15 and return on May 31.

Heading up the trip is James Stelter, student coordinator for the Outing Centre.

“It’s a great way to end the year,” he said.

Stelter said at a cost of $300, the trip is a good deal.

“We’ve seen this same trip advertised in National Geographic going for $2,000 for just one week,” Stelter said.

The Outing Centre understands that not everyone is a snake-handling, outdoor type with survival skills equivalent to MacGuyver’s. And though the informational meeting has passed, Stelter and others will help prepare newcomers for the trip with a one-on-one crash course.

The center will provide backpacks, tents, cook kits and sleeping bags and also will instruct students who will be mountain climbing, all of which is included in the fee.

“The rocks that we climb are aimed at the beginning rock climber,” Stelter said. “We like to get them up to a level to where they feel safe when they come out with us.”

The group will drive to Utah in an NIU van, then will backpack the Canyonlands for three days and camp out under the stars.

“The Canyonlands are so alive,” Stelter said. “People think it’s emptiness and desert, but it is really the opposite – it’s really breathtaking.”

Moab, Utah, is the next location on the to-do list, followed by three days of mountain climbing in Maple Canyon.

Next, the group will run the gauntlet of three places in three days to end the trip. It will stop at Bryce Canyon, head over to Zion National Park and end at Glen Canyon. The group also might rent bikes and go mountain biking during that time. Then, the weary travelers will return to NIU with indelible memories and new friends.

“It’s one of our most popular trips,” Stelter said. “They get to see a part of America that most never will.”