By Marisa Borreggine, Harvard University
There’s little that can prepare you for life at Camp 17. The days here are tinted with transition, as we adjust to the weather, the chores, the nonstop outdoor activities, and living with each other. Surviving and thriving in this unfamiliar environment is a fine art, so I asked both seasoned and new JIRPers, "What is your best piece of advice for thriving at Camp 17?"
Annika Ord, current camp manager / field staff – “Don’t let the weather get you down. Without these conditions, we wouldn’t have these glaciers or these mountains. You have to appreciate the constant storm that is Camp 17, take it in stride, and still have the best time. There’s something about being out in a storm that makes you feel so alive, and it makes the sunny days total gems.”
Carly Onnink, UNC Chapel Hill ’20 – “Have a 15 degree rated sleeping bag liner, that way you can sleep in less clothes and then you will stay warm and your clothes won’t get nasty.”
Andrew Opila – “If it’s not raining, sleep outside.”
Eric Zhu, UNC Chapel Hill ’20 – “Keep one pair of dry, relatively clean long underwear to wear as your camp clothes, that way you can be dry when you get off the glacier.”
Bertie Miller, Williams College ’18 – “Gotta have a funky shirt.”
Grace Juneau, Skidmore College ’20 – “If you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes.”
Alex Cox, Princeton University ’20 – “Bring food that comforts you. For me, it was Cadbury dairy milk and tea.”
Abby Case, University of Aberdeen ’22 – “Pain is temporary.”
Alex Burkhart, Field Staff – “Dry your socks.”
Marisa Borreggine, Harvard University – “Any time I’m feeling down, or tired, or sore, or hungry, I remind myself to look around and appreciate the people living this experience with me. JIRP is about the Juneau Icefield, but it’s the people that make it all worth it.”