By Anisa Singh, Isabelle van Thiel, Orrin Spiess, Violet Marshall.

The day began like any other, but everyone knew it was going to be different. Our dry bags were filled with clothes, toiletries and anything else we would need to keep ourselves occupied for the next three days. Instead of our usual trips to the Friday Harbor Labs or one of the island’s assorted beaches, we piled our stuff into the van and headed to Roche Harbor. Located on the north side of the island, Roche Harbor was the starting place for our biggest adventure yet. 

After a rushed morning, we were all ready to get on the water and out of the heat on the dock. Getting into the kayaks and learning how to paddle properly from our wonderful guides, we then took off; it would be a 10 miles trip in total, lasting about 3 hours. The first stop would be on Gossip Island, a small rocky outcropping about 8 miles away from our starting point. We were tired, wet, and salty, however the rest after about 2 hours of work as well as the boost of energy from Thai chicken wraps led us on to finish the second leg of the journey after about 45 more minutes of paddling.

At last, we arrived at our home for the next two days: Staurt Island. We were pulled onto the beach, some of us began unpacking all the kayaks while others chatted, snacked, or went to test out the pit toilet (which smelled as you would expect it to). Soon, we had figured out our rooming pairs and began the arduous process of unpacking and setting up our tents. Some were experts and got them up in 2 seconds flat while others might have taken a bit longer…

After exploring the island a bit, we sat down to dinner and made some amazing snores for dessert. We then prepared for tomorrow, both physically and mentally.

Friday, July 4th, 2025. By: Tori, Wyatt, Annika, and Ella.

Today our cohort woke up at 8am awaiting the Friday Harbor fourth of July parade. Our breakfast consisted of the regular cereal, sandwiches, fruit, and boiled eggs, which were quickly eaten! Before our cohort went out to find our seats for the parade, Caroline held a Map Talk, where our group got the opportunity to understand our surroundings and their history. After the “Map Talk”, our cohort took our seats on the side of Spring Street where we waited for the parade to begin (which took almost an hour). The parade was full of joy, with the vibrant culture of Friday Harbor on full display. From being pelted by candy to cheering on the UW marching band, the parade was a great way to start off our fourth of July.

– Picture of 4th of July parade (taken by Annika)

Following the parade, we put the chairs back to their original spot and then returned to the dorms for a meeting with Caroline. After she addressed the chores for later, she kindly gave us each a 20 dollar bill to buy lunch and released us for 2 hours of free time. The majority of the group went to the pig war picnic where there were many fun activities, and food options. Most people first looked at the various food options which included pulled pork sandwiches, mac n cheese, sushi, pizza, and tacos. After getting food there were several activities such as a cake walk where some people actually won a cake! At 2:30 everyone returned back to the dorm room to pack for the kayaking trip. 

– Picture of the Pig War Picnic at the fairgrounds (taken by Annika)

After lunch, fairgrounds, and exploring town, we took a group vote to go to the beach with Riley. Everyone reapplied sunscreen, some brought games or volleyballs, and a few brave souls grabbed swimwear. We were off. One 20-minute walk past ongoing festivities later, we were greeted with ocean air and stunning views across the archipelago at Jackson’s Beach. Despite the chilled wind, beach volleyball was played, forts were reinforced, swimming was swam, beachcombing combed; it is safe to say much relaxing was done, and fun was had. We, windswept, cold, and many damp, walked back to Spring Street and enjoyed a classic Fourth of July dinner of hamburgers, corn on the cob, and watermelon.

– Picture of Jackson Beach (taken by Annika)

After dinner, everyone walked down to the end of the docks to hang out and enjoy the fireworks. We spread out along a section of the docks and waited listening to music for the fireworks to begin. Once the fireworks started, it was hard to look away from them, and fireworks from other islands could be seen in the distance. When the fireworks were over a couple hours later, our cohort returned to Spring Street for some well needed shut-eye before the next day’s trip. However, some people decided to stay up later than everyone else and have ice cream and chat.

– Picture of fireworks (taken by Annika)

Blog by Orrin Spiess, Anisa Singh, Isabelle van Thiel, and Violet Marshall

After months of anticipation, we finally all arrived here on San Juan Island, one way or another. Some of us drove directly to campus, others flew in from across the nation to be picked up at the airport or along the way by our wonderful directors, Caroline Grauman-Boss and Tom Grauman. The commute to our dorms took us across the Puget Sound on a scenic ferry ride and a short walk through the charming town of Friday Harbor. We got to know our roommates and peers for the coming month over a pizza dinner and some recreational time walking around town.

After a somewhat tumultuous but restful night of sleep, we woke up to a blinding sunrise at 5:30am and our first day of life at camp. After everyone ate breakfast and reaquainted themselves with each other, we made our way to the common area for an informative orientation with Ms. Caroline. Having much more knowledge inside our heads, we got into our groups and began exploring the harbor with a scavenger hunt in hand. Winning with 420 points, Team Sunny Calirado ended up crushing all of us; although one team was late while allegedly helping an old man across the the street.

Entering mid-day, we packed our lunch and were off to at South Beach for a sandy and hot lunch of PB and J’s–though to be fair, the view was amazing. Later, we made our way to meet up with Dr. Olivia Graham, Postdoctoral Research Associate at Cornell University. She introduced us to the importance of eelgrass through a hands-on data collection and presentation experience. We then spent around 2 hours out on the 4th of July Beach collecting data on eelgrass populations: seedings, flowering, and alike! We also met her gorgeous dog, Michi, and Vidita surviving an attack from a fox (Adam chased it away). Having had a great time, our quest was sadly terminated as we left to go back to the dorms. Some time spent toiling away in the kitchen, we were able to enjoy exactly 21 baked pototoes with a glorious, amazing, beautiful, spectacular, jaw-dropping, mouth-watering, and scrumptious bean sauce with cheese.

Soon after our feast, we headed to the annual Illg lecture by Dr. Leslie Babonis, an assistant professor at Cornell who got her Ph. D at the University of Florida. We learned why particular sea anemone cells don’t sting and the future possibilities regarding RNA, CRISPR, and how modifying genes can change whole organisms’ biology and/or morphology. Following a quick walk back to the dorms, we arrived at the dorms to be met with some free time to eat some ice cream; soon, we were in bed and dreaming of the next day.