Senior JR Engelland hiked the nearly 11,000-foot-high Mount Baker in Washington this summer, thanks to the Ellie Burns Scholarship, which honors an LFHS alumnus who died during a wilderness trip in the Grand Tetons in 2011. Engelland also helped underserved communities in Roscommon County, Michigan, through the First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest work trip.
What is the Ellie Burns Scholarship?
“The scholarship funds any LFHS student’s trip, in the U.S or even abroad, to a nature-oriented program/experience. For me that looked like hiking in Washington, but truly any program you can find with an outdoorsy focus is something they could help make happen.“
What was it like applying to the Ellie Burns scholarship?
“The application is super easy. In an extremely short essay, you just need to outline what the trip would look like, show that it fits the scholarship’s parameters, and describe what it would mean to you. Because it’s so easy to find and apply for an interesting program, and because it’s exclusively for LFHS students, I think way more people could be taking advantage of this than are right now.”
What was the coolest part of hiking Mt. Baker?
“On the summit day, we were geared up and hiking by around 3:30 AM (which makes waking up for early bird classes seem easy), and being so far away from any light pollution + high up, the night sky was insanely clear and beautiful. Hiking up the undisturbed snow on the glacier with the stars above us was surreal, and felt like some distant planet.”
What is your dream mountain climbing trip?
“In the next few years, I’d love to hike Mt. Olympus in the Olympic mountain range. It’s less steep and sounds super interesting. Eventually, it’d be really cool to summit Rainier, but that would take way more training than anything I did for Baker.”
What were the guides like?
“All our guides were super knowledgeable and impressive. Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, one of our three guides, is an insanely accomplished mountaineer with several world records involving Mt. Everest and K2 climbs. Hearing his stories about getting caught in avalanches, helping rescue people, and summiting huge mountains like Everest was so cool.”
You also took a church trip to Michigan. What did you do there?
“(The First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest) work trip is always fun. This year we went to Roscommon County, Michigan, and stayed in cabins overlooking a lake. Each day you go to a new work site and help homeowners fix things they might have otherwise struggled to pay to repair. Reshingling homes, restoring decks, and building ramps might not sound like fun work, but you’re always doing it with friends and is something I’ve really enjoyed year after year.”
Any advice for someone considering going on the First Pres work trip?
“Come! I guarantee you’ll make new friends; everyone who goes is super nice and welcoming.”
