At some point or another, nearly everyone has heard talk of the fabled “once-in-a-lifetime opportunities” and the ever-elusive “life-changing experience.” At the age of 16, I was naive enough to believe mine was a long way off…but that was before I was accepted into Girls on Ice 2006.

Girls on Ice is a camp where 10 girls go backpacking on Mt. Baker for 10 days with female glaciologists and mountain guides. I was immediately attracted to it because my two sisters and I were raised by our mom in a community that is predominantly prehistoric in its opinions of gender roles. Another aspect of this program I was interested in was the scientific focus of the trip. We would be studying, climbing, and just having the opportunity to experience glaciers. This trip seemed made to fit my interests of the time, and I couldn’t sign up fast enough.

By far the hardest part of the whole experience was placing your trust in the hands of eleven complete strangers, whom you would be isolated with for 10 days. The five-mile hike, the 50-pound packs, and the physical stress that comes from being at nearly 6000 feet in elevation seemed easy in comparison. The fact that we had to trust each other, unconditionally, from the start, was oddly relaxing, it was both an equalizer and a safety net. In addition, by putting myself in a group of people dedicated to their interests while isolated from modern distractions, my own interests and goals became clearer. I realized that I want to study environmental sciences, particularly volcanoes and glaciers.

This was not the only benefit I gained from this camp. Each night we had the most phenomenal discussions, comparing art, science, and religion; and my favorite, nature vs. wilderness. They would have been amazing even if it weren’t for the perspectives the other girls brought from their homes all over the U.S., and even from Spain. I still remember most of the arguments we made, and they have continued to help me throughout my schooling, and in my job as a wilderness trail crew member for the USDA Forest Service in my hometown.

Girls on Ice 2006 had a profound effect on me, because I am more relaxed, more dedicated, more thoughtful, more outgoing, and stronger than I was before the camp began. Looking back, I don’t think I would recognize myself when I came back. Who would have thought that the most defining experience of my life would have occurred before I was even a senior in high school? Definitely not that 16-year-old girl from a small town in rural Washington.

In all my life, there has been one quote that has truly caused me to rethink the direction of my life. I first heard it during Girls on Ice 2006. Months later, it was still with me and I used it in my CWP (Contemporary World Problems) report because I found it powerful. “We did not inherit the land from our fathers. We are borrowing it from our children.” This small quote changed my life.