The first hour went pretty smoothly. These girls were tough and Evan was impressed.
Ash and Reena were real standouts, as he’d expect from their cross-country background, but most of the others were pushing right along with them.
Krista started teaching them wildlife: black squirrels, Steller’s jays, a turkey vulture who inspected them from high above a small clearing, as well as how to tell the tree species apart. They were eating that up too.
He intentionally lagged behind so that the girls didn’t feel pressured. If it had been his ODA out on a run or a fire team of actual rookies in testing, he’d be hounding their heels, pushing them to keep up. He wanted these girls to enjoy the experience. By moving a little slower, he gave them permission to move at a more sedate pace than the one
