Unfortunately, I am a child. I graduated from high school an entire month ago. I was a Senior, with all the absolute power and respect that the rank endows, and now, I am an intern. If I were on a totem pole, I’d be in the dirt. Luckily, there is no real totem pole. Instead, there is an office full of wonderful and supportive people, specifically my mentor, Joe. Despite my inexperience and academic infancy, the Henry’s Fork Foundation welcomed me, and I’ve learned plenty. Of the things I have learned so far, one sticks out. Surprisingly enough, sunscreen has a purpose.

As a truly young and innocent intern, I felt the need to get torched by the sun. On June 19th, Co-intern Kate and I floated from Last Chance to Riverside Campground and collected data from temp loggers along the way. After sitting in the sun for eight hours in shorts and a tank top with minimal sunscreen and a UV of 10, I was a vermilion red. My decision to bring zero food and little water didn’t help either.

After hobbling into the truck at Riverside, I drove with Kate to the HFF membership meeting. Let me tell you, I was the talk of the town. It’s hard to miss a human-shaped tomato. At least 5 different people told me I was gonna get skin cancer. I tried to defend myself: “No, I DID wear sunscreen,” “I’ve never gotten this burned before,”  “I’m gonna be so tan,” and “It was Kate’s fault!” but it was all in vain. Reality set in. That night, I did not sleep. My body was on fire.

Allow me to paint a picture. Imagine a witch’s stew. It’s colorful and supernatural and very bubbly and altogether unpleasant to see, smell, touch, or think about. That was my skin the next morning. On Henry’s Fork Day, the 20th, I stepped in front of my mirror to find many, many blisters on my shoulders, hands, knees, shins, and feet. It’s a bit less fun when it’s not a pot of mystical soup. 

Surprisingly, after slapping on some band-aids, I lived long enough to drive to the office and make it to Henry’s Fork Day in Last Chance. For the next 12 hours, as I limped around the tent, I explained that I was not turning into a newt; my condition was from sunburns. I’m glad I went. Henry’s Fork Day was very, very cool.

After several weeks of healing, I am back on the water, and I can proudly say I have thwarted my new nemesis. Joe got me a Simms sun hoodie, I bought 100 SPF sunscreen, and now I reapply that stuff like it’s nobody’s business. What was once the benevolent bringer of light is now an evil fireball intent on destroying my beautiful, youthful skin, and I am opposed to that objective.

The sun is not the only difficulty I’ve faced. Spiders, barbed wire, fishing hooks, and Audrey’s driving are a few other hazards of the job, but because of my battle with the sun, I am confident I can learn and overcome. At the Foundation, I have started on a path. I am a newly minted “adult,” and there are plenty of unknown perils ahead. As I’ve taken my first steps and faced struggles, I’ve developed a little more confidence in my ability to grow. I just hope that the next time Kate tells me to put on sunscreen, I listen.

“Fear no more the heat o’ the sun” – William Shakespeare