My assignment as a Communications Intern was to shadow Garreth Logan ’19 for one morning as he conducted his summer science research project. Simple. What could go wrong?

When Garreth told me he was researching near Sebago Lake, I imagined walking the shoreline, looking under rocks, or even going on a boating excursion. My flip-flops and shorts seemed appropriate for the day ahead, so I donned them and went on my way.

But when I arrived at our meeting place, one look of disapproval from Garreth told me that I had made a wardrobe mistake. I looked down with regret at my flip-flops. Garreth informed me that we were headed for a more marsh-like area. It was almost a miracle that he had packed extra boots. Garreth loaned me his extra pair.

Better equipped, I sloshed through the wet moss that kept us afloat. Sometimes, my feet stuck to the squishy bog and were held down with immense power. When I broke my foot out of confinement, the sound made by the force of the suction releasing me rang out with every step.

I experienced a lot more than I had originally bargained for. Not only did we discover three different Green Frogs, but we also came across one of the biggest snakes I had ever seen face to face, a Northern Water Snake.

As I sloshed through marsh and swatted away mosquitos on the trek back, I had an absolute blast sitting down (or in this case standing ankle deep) with Garreth Logan and finding out more about him and his research.

In another article, I’ll share with you the profile of Garreth Logan that I wrote after shadowing him.

Dylan Fry ’19 used the Connections Program this summer to work as a Communications Intern for the College.