Expedition Yellowstone returns to Big Sky school tradition 

By Jeremy Harder GUEST COLUMNIST 

Expedition Yellowstone is a four- to five-day adventure into the world’s first National Park. Since Ophir Middle School students began attending back in the late 1990s, they have broken into “clans,” or small collaborative groups, and explored the magic of Yellowstone National Park by diving deep into geology, ecology and human history.  

While staying in cabins in the Lamar Valley or dorms in Mammoth Hot Springs, fourth and eighth grade students practice essential life skills like preparing meals, cleaning sleeping quarters and building resilience by hiking five to eight hours daily while surveying the park.   

The trip has recently evolved since COVID. Before then, fourth grade students accompanied by me, Mr. Coppola and numerous outstanding Big Sky volunteers, would venture into the park for what most locals call “EY.” As the school district realigns its mission and staff placements, beginning this year, the trip will be moved from fourth grade to a culminating middle school adventure in eighth grade, led by Dr. Eisele.  

This year, Ophir was fortunate to still send both a fourth and eighth grade class in March. These reflective stories are written by students from the eighth grade class of 2024—now enjoying summer break. 

A final campfire: The importance of Expedition Yellowstone 

By Charlotte Merryman and Andrew Reed 

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to spend a week in the wild?  

Earlier this March, eighth grade students from Ophir Middle School answered this question with a four-day ruck into Yellowstone. This outing, known as Expedition Yellowstone, was an educational journey to the national park meant to strengthen the students’ bonds to nature. But what is the importance of these bonds? And how did EY improve them? 

These questions can best be answered by reviewing the campfire ceremony, an end-of-camp celebration. Under the flickering orange light, the students were stunned by stories of all different kinds. But by far the most emotional part of this ceremony was when students were asked to share something they would remember forever, either a memory or experience. 

“The views,” Ella, a student, remembered about her favorite part of the experience. “I loved the Lamar Valley, and my favorite part was the last wolf cage.” 

Many students shared Ella’s renewed emotional ties to nature. Apart from the wolf cage, the eighth grade class proclaimed varying answers for their favorite experience, from a field of animal bones to Rose creek, where the kids observed the ecology of Yellowstone. Each of these places dazzled the students with tales of the bizarre, the inspiring, and the unexpected. They learned about the emotional tale of a lone female wolf, who helped revive Yellowstone’s wolf population, and the reason for a boneyard. But no matter the story or landscape, EY also strengthened students’ bonds to each other. 

Another student, Frankie, said the most memorable part of EY was “being able to bond with classmates that I haven’t bonded with in a very long time.” 

Alone in the wild, without phones for communication, the kids learned to trust each other and themselves. Divided into clans, students bonded with people they wouldn’t normally hang out with. Together, clans were taught how to trust others, either on the trail or in the kitchen.  

The clans, consisting of six or seven people, had to prepare two meals over the four days. With every meal, clans laughed, chatted and cooked. Cooking wasn’t the only thing students did with meals. Each clan had to rinse, scrub and polish up after a meal. 

When asked about the cooking experience, Angus replied, “The best part was being able to bond with my clan.” 

Even though the students couldn’t toast s’mores on the campfire, they still made use of the light to tell stories. The five clans told Native American-style legends about their clans’ mascots. With the mascots varying from falcons and beavers to mountain lions and lynx, each tale was unique. From a marmot searching for a home to how the mountain lion got its name, the pupils managed to amaze the chaperones with their creativity. 

When asked about her favorite legend, Dr. Eisele said, “I truly enjoyed them all, it’s hard to pick a favorite. I think my favorites were the Falcons for its spirituality, and the Marmots for its humor.” 

While provided with minimal props, the eighth grade class still made their legends come to life in front of the fake fire. 

Kenan, a member of the Majestic Mountain Lion clan, explained that making the legends “was challenging, but in the end, it all fit together, and my group was better than expected.” 

The students weren’t the only ones sharing stories around the fire. Trudy, one of the lead rangers of EY, shared a story about how the night and carnivorous animals were created. Michael, another ranger, started off the evening by sharing how Yellowstone National Park was created from a fireside idea. 

With all the fun and exploration involved in EY, it’s no wonder the campers came back full of possibilities for the future. 

Expedition Yellowstone: A journey of personal discovery  

By Ella Smith and Frankie Seelye  

The eighth grade class of 2024’s experience on Expedition Yellowstone was a long time coming after our school year’s worth of hard work and dedication became irrelevant in fourth grade due to a COVID outbreak. When we heard the news of a trip redo, we were exhilarated.  

Every student marked March 8 on our calendars, and it felt so very far away. By the time the trip came, we had been training and working hard, by bowling to raise money for this trip, going on two all-day training rucks, and coming together in five clans. Everyone was ready and well-prepared for the adventure ahead. 

On March 8, we hopped on the bus and were excited for the next four days. With 35 students, five chaperones, three coolers and 45 bags packed up on the bus, we were on our way. We stopped at a lunch spot along the Yellowstone River, about an hour and a half away from the Yellowstone Conservation Corps. Upon arrival, we were greeted by three rangers, Ranger Trudy, Ranger Michael and Ranger Izzy. After a short tour of the YCC, we geared up for a practice snowshoe hike. During the hike we got used to circling up, doing lessons outdoors, and coming together as a class to learn. Following the snowshoe hike, we gathered in the mess hall for our first dinner—each clan was in charge of making two meals for the trip. We later experienced our first class in the classroom, where we played the first of many games of Clan Feud. 

Over the next couple of days, we experienced two all-day rucks, one at Mammoth Hot Springs, and our second in the Lamar Valley. Over these day trips our class went through geography lessons, along with biology lessons. During lessons, whether they be on hikes or in the classroom, we learned how to come together to answer questions, and problem solve during different scenarios. On the final night, we spent time around a beautiful campfire. We shared clan legends about how our clan mascots came to be what we know the animal as today. We sang songs, and we went around telling everyone our favorite parts of the trip. Over these four days we laughed and shared moments with people we may not have bonded with in a while. We shared stories and moments together as a class. During the hikes, we all grew as people. We all bonded during the activities and became better friends. 

As the class of 2028 we can all say that our class shares a bond like no other. The word incredible doesn’t even begin to describe this trip, it truly is a once in a lifetime experience.  This trip has given us the memories and experiences of our lifetimes and we could not express how this trip has helped us grow into better people.  

We can say that the 8th grade 2024 trip to EY was a journey of personal discovery, where each and every one of us grew into better people over only four days on this unimaginable trip.