UNCOVERING UTICA'S GEMS - Clinton - Hamilton College

features
the most unique
summer internships
As soon as the last final was turned in, and the frenzy of packing and celebrating
finally ceased this past May, a majority of the student body vacated the Hill to enjoy
three homework-free months of summer. While some of us refused to acknowledge
that our carefree years at Hamilton are slowly coming to an end, others geared up for
a dose of real world responsibilities that come along with a having a summer internship.
Summer internships can be found in many different places and forms. With the election
season in full swing, many students looked for internships involving the campaign or in
business firms on Wall Street. Not all students, however, chose this route. Three students
went beyond these common boundaries and adventured into a different world of
internships.
1) Peter Woodruff
When deciding to apply for an internship for the summer, one of the first things to consider is where you want to be located. Peter Woodruff
’09 decided to look for an internship in the backcountry. After looking at different options through the Student Conservation Association, Peter
finally decided to look on his own and received a job as a ranger at the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Reserve in Alaska.
Since we often only hear of ranger duties through childhood cartoons like Yogi the Bear, it was interesting to hear the range of tasks that Peter
was required to do. While daily tasks required maintaining historic public-use cabins, clearing brush, and chopping and stocking wood, Peter also
got to go on aerial patrols and learned to navigate a powerboat through the sloughs of the Yukon. One trip in particular stuck out to Peter as his
most memorable. This trip gave Peter the opportunity to fly north to the “Gates of the Arctic National Preserve” where over the course of nine
days, he and one other took part in a backpack patrol over 80 miles in the Brookes Range. He says that having never spent more than one week in
the wilderness, this was one of the most glorious experiences he’s ever had.
Woodruff on location at
the Yukon-Charley Rivers
National Reserve, Alaska
22 the continental | autumn 2008