Full of 1st’s by Aaron Gordon

This 1st expedition was full of 1st’s for me. It was my first time in Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park, my first time at EVR, my first time shooting a rifle, and if you did not realize yet, my first SOAR expedition. Our trip began with an early wake up and a 3-hour drive down to Atlanta with Suzanne, our field staff. Once on the plane and in the air, some of the group watched the mini TVs that were on the plane. After landing, we made our way over to baggage claim and met up with Wes, our other field staff. I had never met Wes before and right after meeting him, I could tell that he was going to be a great field staff.

My first time shooting a gun was both an exciting and nerve-wracking experience for me. Despite being anxious, I went up to the line and shot all five .22 caliber rounds inside the level 6 bulls eye. The same happened with the 2nd round. As a reward for shooting well, Jeremy (head of EVR base) gave us a maximum of 6 shots with his gun, called a Masin- Aghet, which was a Soviet sniper rifle. I earned a total of 6 shots. Once the other shooters had gotten their shots in, and I saw the power behind the gun, I nervously walked up to the line for my chance to shoot. After I had situated myself on the shooting line and had the Masin- Aghet in my hands, I nervously looked up at Wes and jokingly said, “I seriously cannot believe that I’m about to shoot this thing.” Jeremy put in the bullet and I loaded the rifle. After getting the command to shoot, I aimed and fired my first shot. The powerful blast from the gun caused my body to jump up in the air, feet flailing and rolling me onto my side. After realizing what had just happened, everyone laughed at my reaction to the shot. After knowing what may happen after shooting the rifle, I took the next 5 shots carefully, and shot them all in proximity to each other. In all, it was a great day at the rifle range.

Being my first time in Wyoming, I had no idea what to expect with regards to the weather, land features, and also the wildlife. Our first night in Yellowstone National Park, there was elk and wolves calling out all night. It was cool to listen to, and it gave me a lasting memory of my first night in Yellowstone. Of course, you can’t go to Yellowstone National Park without exploring the geyser field and visiting Old Faithful. We walked through the entire geyser area and saw the Grand Prismatic. After a long day of exploration around Yellowstone, we made our way over to the most famous geyser in the park- Old Faithful. We waited, and waited, for the geyser to go off, passing the time by playing intense games of “Ninja” and striking up conversation to whoever was around at the time. Finally after much anticipation, Old Faithful began to erupt. Excitedly, everyone began taking pictures and staring in awe at how cool it was to see the geyser erupt. It was another great memory to keep from our first expedition.

If you ever visit Yellowstone National Park, you cannot go without a visit to Grand Teton National Park. The first time I saw the Teton Mountains, I was struck by how amazing and beautiful they appeared. They seem rise out of nowhere and it’s almost like everywhere you go on Jackson Lake is seems like a painting, and not reality. For me, the view itself made our 5- day canoe trip around Jackson Lake the most lasting memory of the expedition. We also became closer as a group, and grew as individuals as a result of those 5 days out on the water.

Looking back on the expedition, I can see how much the group grew as a team. We began as a group who had never met before, to knowing a lot about each other and we have all become close with one another. Along with that, I have never done a SOAR program before, and I can honestly say that I am having the time of my life here. In just 2 weeks, I have gone to places and done things that only a very small percentage of people get to do in their lifetime. And I have done it all with a great group who I am privileged to spend the next few months with.