Deming...er, Fragrance Lake - The Barred Owls go in search of snow. Unfortunately....

The Deming Homestead Eagle Park is described by Whatcom County parks as, “Fields and forests edge the North Fork Nooksack River surrounding the park. Sunny picnic tables invite a leisurely break any time of the year, but the greatest attraction occurs from December through March, as majestic bald eagles congregate here to feast on spawned salmon.” It’s also a great spot to work on tracking and just getting lost in the natural environment.

However, we woke on Saturday to a forecast of hazardous road conditions, so the mentors decided to forego our planned visit to Deming and stay close to town rather than venture out the Mount Baker Highway. Instead, we hopped into Merkle, one of Wild Whatcom’s two trusty buses, and headed to the Lost Lake/Clayton Beach trailhead to begin our hunt for snow in the Chuckanuts. 

There was no sign of snow along the Interurban trail as we started up toward Fragrance Lake, but we were hopeful. In fact, hope turned to confidence when we encountered a former Girls Explorers Club mentor coming down the trail. She informed us that there was indeed snow at higher elevation. Energized by this “intel”, our pace quickened. It’s a steep hill, though, and soon we stopped for a rest, lunch and exploration break. 

We pondered whether this would be a good spot to play Spider’s Web, but decided to press on in search of the elusive snow. About half way to Fragrance Lake there’s a spur to a lookout. We elected to follow this path for the view and in the belief that it might provide an excellent Spider’s Web location. The view was nice but a surfeit of downed trees precluded playing the game. Oh, and still no snow. And it was getting to be time to consider reversing course so as to be at the trailhead at the appointed time. 

So, to review: no eagles, no snow, no game. 

The Fragrance Lake trail has some pretty steep spots. It's a good idea to take a breather every little while. As we say in Explorers Club, "Fast is slow and slow is fast".

Here's our rest/lunch/exploration spot. Well, more than just this "nurse rock", of course, but the boys were quick to climb atop....

...and just as quick to explore these moss-covered boulders.

You can still see hints of what the old growth forests were like, with massive trees, boulders and streams coexisting in a natural symphony. Beautiful.

Mini-grand canyons were meant to be leapt across, wouldn't you say? Check out the video below for a better appreciation of this activity.

Foggy, but still awesome.

Finally, our long awaited game of Spider's Web.

Here's a first...the spider won! Ask your Explorer how that happens.

Interestingly, the boys weren’t deterred by the repeated failures. They called Hide! several times, explored when given the opportunity, and chatted as usual. 

It wasn’t the plan for the day, but what we mostly wound up doing was wandering — getting lost in the moment and the location. This is actually something we strive for in Explorers Club, so we embraced it as we headed down the hill. Without consciously deciding, we fell into the EC motto to Be Here Now, which helped us as we returned to our lunch spot and organized that elusive Spider’s Web game. 

As expressed by the motto It’s All Part of It, we accepted the frustration of our repeated foundering and kept our perspective. Sure, the snow gave us the slip (the only snow play took place in the parking lots at either end of the bus ride) and we saw not one eagle, but we were with friends in the splendid Chuckanut Mountains - so much for which to be thankful. 

You won’t be surprised to learn that there are more photos. 

The Barred Owls meet again on January 22. Here’s the club’s updated page for details. Have a peaceful holiday.

The Barred Owls brush up on their shelter building at N. Galbraith

Two groups of five Explorers, each with the same assignment — build an earth shelter in which you could be warm and dry through the night. 

Our skill for the season is shelter building. As the Barred Owls reminded me, they’ve already worked on this skill (last year). Great then…should be easy, right?

The good news, as with most challenges in life, is that the quality of the final product, while important, is not the only measure of success. Your Explorers scored better on collaboration, creativity and effort, for instance, than they did on construction…or on selecting team members with useful skills…or on selecting an appropriate site for their shelter. Well, perhaps not that easy.

One group decided to capitalize on a rock overhang that provided a dry space, but had to abandon their effort because the “cave” was on the side of a hill, which called for many up and down trips gathering materials. Lessons learned? Calorie conservation is a key consideration in a survival situation, so avoid the extra work involved in climbing up and down a hill if at all possible. They also realized they were eroding the wet hillside, a reasonable tradeoff in a true survival scenario but not it a mock emergency such as ours.

The other group struggled to come together on a shared vision of what the shelter should look like. You can see from the photos that they worked through that, but took valuable time “sweating the small stuff” in the process. After 90 minutes of effort, they still had much work to do, a deal breaker when weather and nightfall bestow a real sense of urgency.

A section of Galbraith Mountain was recently logged for housing development. The view feels odd.

Decomposer in action!

To compensate for a curved ridge pole, this group decided to raise both ends of their shelter, which would make for more room but increase the complexity of ensuring a warm and dry environment.

Another look at the 'skeleton' of their shelter. Note the clean, flat surface. Their time might better have been spent completing the structure.

It's dirty work, but someone has to do it.

While others played Spider's Web, two Explorers decided to work on their carving skill.

Our closing meeting. A good example of the leadership transferred to our Tribal Elder (see below).

The Barred Owls have been together for several years now. They know the culture (see mottos); they’re in or approaching middle school. In a few years, they might be participating in multi-day backpack trips that require personal discipline and awareness of, and attention to, the needs of one’s trip companions and the group as a whole. It’s time for them to assume more responsibility on our outings. So, our Tribal Elder took on the task of distributing our jobs and leading our opening meeting as well as decision making during the outing. We’ve done this all along; we’re increasing the stakes now. Our tribal elder on Sunday accepted the opportunity to stretch his edge (Motto) and did a fine job.

Fortunately, we have another chance to work on their shelter building when we next meet - Saturday, December 10th, 10:00 - 4:00 for an exploration of Deming Homestead Eagle Park. Note the longer schedule. We meet at 10:00 as usual, but to allow for the ride out to Deming, we'll return at 4:00 pm.

Check here for the photo gallery. I guess we were too involved in our work to capture the moment on "film". Sorry about that; we'll be more aware next time.

The Barred Owls traverse Whatcom Creek; 9/18/16

The Barred Owls traversed Whatcom Creek on Sunday, from below Civic field to Bloedel-Donovan park. In doing so, we got up close and personal with 2.2 of the 4 miles that the creek covers from Lake Whatcom to Bellingham Bay. After Saturday's rain and clouds, we were thankful to see lots of sun and temperatures warm enough to temp many of us into the creek, not once, but twice!

Whatcom Creek is emblematic of Bellingham, as the place where the native Lummi fished for hundreds of year before European settlers saw the advantages of settling where the creek empties into the bay. We focused on Whatcom Falls Park, where the stream loses much of its 350' elevation loss. 

David Sobel (an education writer who has contributed to the philosophy of place-based education) said: "If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it." Mentors Joey and Brian (and wonderful Explorers Club Apprentice Logan) set the table for this nature connection by guiding the group through forest and stream; this beautiful place did the hard work. 

The allure of the creek was strong. We hadn't gone very far when the boys decided they needed to get down to the water. 

A little further down the trail found several boys in the cold water.

After our first dip, we found a forested spot for games of Hungry, Hungry Marten and Spider's Web. We also played several rounds of Hide! Looks like this explorer needed a break from the fun.

Cooking up some mischief!

Check out the dappled sunlight. What a glorious day!

It took a few tries, but we found the swimming hole we were looking for!

Why crawl along the long spanning the swimming hole? Because it's there, of course!

They were interested in the dam that regulates the creek's flow. We were interested in the lineup of packs along the rail.

Wild Whatcom isn't alone in feeling that it's about the journey, not the destination (motto). And Sunday's outing was living proof. We packed effort, laughter, excitement and appreciation of the land into a scant 2.2 miles. The Barred Owls are in a good place right now. The boys enjoy each other's company; they approach our outings with energy; they welcome new members openly (as they did on Sunday) and they care for and help each other. Thanks for affording us the opportunity to work with them through Boys Explorers Club.

We took more photos, of course. Our next outing takes place Sunday, October 16th at North Galbraith Mountain. It should be a perfect time to focus in on our skill for the fall - shelter building. We look forward to seeing you then.

Barred Owls make a splash at Squires Lake - 6/4/16

Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!' Robin Williams

It was almost like we had a few different outings last Saturday at Squires Lake. Early on, the group struggled to make decisions. Then a little somewhat fractured time as several boys explored the creek bed draining from the beaver pond while others had lunch or worked at re-engineering the flow of the water. Then, well, let's leave that for a minute....

The decision making was challenging. Should we take the longer, potentially more interesting ridge trail or stick to the more direct but hillier lakeside route? Our multiple decision circles alternately featured collaboration, conflict, impatience and compromise (see Mottos - Collaborate and Compromise). Oh, and there were sticks...more than a few sticks. Our tribal elder earned his stripes this day! 

Compromise won the day as they decided to take the lake route to the beaver pond and the ridge trail on our return. 

Re-engineering

Before long, we dropped into the creek bed as a more interesting route to the beaver pond. The going proved tricky; before long, we stopped to rest, have a bite and explore.

Decision-making takes a lot out of a guy

A scouting party reported that the beaver dam wasn't in place, so we decided to turn our attention to the lake. A short walk later, we arrived at a great swimming spot and the energy level went through the roof! 

SPLASH!

So much wildlife!

The relevant motto here is Connect and Protect. "If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, then let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it." –David Sobel

And love the lake they did! This is pure Mark Twain/Norman Rockwell stuff!

We wrapped by talking a little about our spring season. We found the Rock Trail interesting - love those caves! - but wanted the space to play more games. Our hike to Lizard Lake was rewarded with carving practice and more cave exploration, but it was quite the hike! Our service outing showed once again that hard work is necessary to care for our environment, and last Saturday the lake was just pure fun. We're grateful for the many places to experience nature’s splendor and to practice behaviors that will soon define us as 21st century men.

Click here for the rest of the photos from our outing.

Thanks from your mentors for your support through the spring. Hope to see you in the fall!

Daredevil's Club, Storm Wolves, and Barred Owls Help Clean Up Connelly Creek

Meeting at our new park and ride drop-off location the Daredevil’s Club were finally all present for their last service outing as a group. With plenty of sunshine to accompany us, we walked over to the service site to take inventory of what had been done by previous groups, what was left to do today, and how we would make the most of our time. We also talked about the importance of setting a good precedent for the younger groups, and leading by example and emphasizing safe tool usage, proper technique, and strong work ethic. At first it took the group a little while to get going, but after taking a quick snack break and drinking down some water the Daredevil’s kicked it into gear and got down to business.

As the Daredevil’s Club finished constructing a make-shift fence around a recently discovered bees nest the next group, the Storm Wolves, arrived. After taking some time to walk through the service site with the Daredevil’s Club the Storm Wolves had no hesitation and jumped right into cutting back the blackberries and digging up root balls. It was great to see these two groups get together after both groups found plenty of enjoyment discovering one another’s shelters during previous explorations this season. Each group continued developing the other’s shelter, one at Galbraith and the other at Clayton Beach, and created some pretty impressive structures despite having never met the other group (until now!). As the outing progressed the groups intermingled and found that they actually had quite a bit in common. Watching the Daredevil’s Club working alongside the Storm Wolves, the mentors took note of their maturity and impressive role modeling. Coming from a group that can sometimes get side-tracked with goofiness, these older Explorer’s really stepped up today and were very impressive.

While the Daredevil’s Club and Storm Wolves were making solid progress, everything was kicked up a notch when the Barred Owls showed up. After getting a demonstration on proper tool usage from the Storm Wolves they get right to work. Talk about a bunch of motivated Explorers! Half of the group took on the extensive bramble of Himalayan Blackberry that has been choking out a willow grove for years while the other half grabbed shovels, began digging up blackberry root balls, and clearing out an old drainage ditch. This by no means is easy work and the whole day the mentors never heard a peep of complaining out of any of the Explorers.

With lots of solid work getting done the service site began to transform. The once tall Reed Canary Grass lay flat, stomped down by Explorer’s feet. The ground churned from shovels digging up massive clumps of blackberry root. The willow grove once choked out by blackberry finally stretching out to absorb the sunshine that was previously getting all sucked up by the broad leaves on the climbing vines of blackberry. Despite not having any mulch today, the site has been prepped for the next group to get a thick layer of mulch down. Vast tunnels have been slashed through the massive blackberry bramble allowing the Explorers to divide and conquer the remaining patches the formidable thorny plant. Not only did these boys fill numerous garbage bags full of Himalayan Blackberry, but they did a great job of taking the next step towards really establishing the natural stability of the Connelly Creek service site.

With the Padden Creek Daylighting Project well underway downstream all of our hard work is suddenly taking on a new perspective. Not only are we working towards eradicating invasive species alongside Connelly Creek, creating natural habitat with native species,  and developing a self-sustaining native habitat, but we are creating a piece to the proverbial puzzle. With salmon able to swim up Padden Creek for the first time in in over a century the Explorers are creating an optimum habitat for them to return to Connelly Creek to spawn and continue their prolific and dynamic influence on our region. For now it may seem like hacking at blackberry and shoveling mulch, but the impact these boys are having on their community is one that will last for years to come. One of the Explorers on this outing actually mentioned this and said he dreams of one day being able to pull a salmon out of Connelly Creek with his hands. Now that is a vision we can all appreciate and thanks to all the hard work from the Daredevil’s Club, Storm Wolves, and Barred Owls that dream may one day become a reality. 

Make sure to check out the rest of the photos from our outing here!

Have you ever been given a fire?

Neither had I, but, as the saying goes, there’s a first time for everything. A very nice family was at the Lizard Lake campground when we arrived on Sunday. They had a fire going as they enjoyed some quality time together. We were into our carving session when they were ready to leave: they asked if we would like them to leave the fire burning for our use rather than extinguish it as they would normally do. Of course, ask a group of explorers if they want to inherit a fire and it’s easy to guess their response. So, we were given a fire. Only thing is, we already had a packed agenda for our Lizard Lake exploration, so the fire was a double edged sword: a nice addition and a plan wrecker!

Perhaps the word "incline" was a clue?

We’re nothing if not adaptable in Explorers Club, and the boys had been putting up with more triangular, or directive, leadership than usual as we pushed to get up the hill, so the fire was a welcome serendipitous moment. It also helped us warm up a little on a cool, drizzly Sunday.

We had begun our adventure by boarding Moose, Wild Whatcom’s “other” trusty bus. A half hour after departing Cascades Montessori Middle School, we met to hand out jobs and get a preview of the day’s plan which was, in a word, UP. After an easy stroll on a logging road, we turned in to the Alternate Incline trail and started up. An edge-stretching hour plus later, ten bedraggled explorers and two huffing/puffing mentors welcomed the site of Lizard Lake in a steady drizzle. 

Boys with knives!

While the Barred Owls devoured their well-earned lunch, mentor Brian reviewed the important safety rules for carving. Then, blood circles clearly established, the boys set to work creating chopsticks. Carving is a skill that provides a direct connection to the land. Many of us have torn the paper off a pair of chopsticks at a restaurant; how many have harvested the wood and used our hands to fashion a personal, unique tool?

It was while we were working on this project that our neighbors offered us the unplanned diversion. Several boys switched to tending the fire while a few explored the lake shore (fortunately, no one fell into the lake) and others kept at their carving. After the hard work of climbing that hill, it felt good to give the explorers a choice of activity.

We still had one more thing planned that we were confident the boys would enjoy and there was that long walk back to the bus, so the mentors were mindful of the clock. We called for the fire to be extinguished, the explorations wrapped up and the knives sheathed. Packs on, we headed up again for the short, but challenging approach to the caves. 

Formed when several large boulders tumbled into a jumble of now moss coated invitations to

scramble and tight spaces into which to squeeze, the caves provide an instinctive release for the child

How many are down there?

passions into which the mentors try to tap. To understand what we mean by child passions, think back to the things you enjoyed doing as a child such as listening to stories, catching little critters, pretending, or sneaking. These simple, instinctive activities can spark unbridled joy and connection. Climbing boulders and exploring dark caves were accompanied for the next half hour by exhilarated calling to a friend - “Hey, look at this!” - and trepidatious expression of daring and apprehension.

We weren't much faster going down the hill

All too soon, he struck out for the bus, a few long, slow miles distant. I was mistaken in assuming the hike down the trail would go more quickly and easily than the approach hike. After all, I thought, it is downhill! So, we took a few rest breaks on our journey out. It was during one of those breaks, when several boys decided to continue work on their chopsticks, that one of the boys sustained a very small cut from his carving knife. All things considered, one small slice when 10 explorers carve is an exceptional result!

We arrived at the trailhead at just about 4:00, which would’ve been great had we not still had a half hour bus ride ahead of us. Parents and guardians, many thanks for your understanding. I’m sorry for the delayed return.

As BEC mentors, we try to stress a focus on meeting the boys at the intersection of their interests, their skills, and our plan for guiding them as they grow in their confidence in and connection to the natural world. When we find that sweet spot, we try to “stretch their edge” by moving them from their comfort zone to their learning zone without moving all the way to their panic zone. We definitely challenged them with this hike. Some were able to respond fully; others seemed to feel overstretched. We’ll adjust as we continue to work to level set.

Click here for the full set of pictures from Sunday’s outing. Thanks again for your understanding of our late return. I’ll try to see that doesn’t happen again.

BEC: Spring, 2016; Barred Owls 2/28 - Rock Trail

No shortage of rocks

The Rock Trail trailhead was shrouded in fog on Saturday morning when Steve and Brian met the Branch Hoppers for their outing. So, when Conor and Brian arrived on Sunday morning, we were surprised at the difference a day can make. In fact, we had to shout over the energetic wind during our opening meeting. Fortunately, as we had anticipated, the wind abated to almost calm once we ventured down the trail. 

Lest we get ahead of ourselves... introductions. The group has been together for several seasons, but change happens and we saw that in three new faces as we gathered: Mentor Conor rejoined us after volunteering on our Teddy Bear traverse and Henry and Jaxon filled spots vacated by explorers who resolved their schedule conflicts in favor of other activities. Though new to our cohort, these boys have had experience with Explorers Club through Summer and Winter outings, so their assimilation into the group was very quick indeed!

....or stairs!

Introductions, jobs and a review of the particular hazards of this exciting trail addressed, we struck out onto the trail. The Rock Trail is relatively new, having been completed in 2014, thanks to the efforts of members of the Washington Trails Association. Less than 2 miles long, it more than makes up for its modest length with an array of awesome geology captured in the large chuckanut sandstone formations and boulders the size of jitney buses. The immense energy released when the earth’s plates move, registered at times as earthquakes and creating mountains, valleys and the like, is not lost on the explorers. Of course, the cool caves found in the cliffs tend to dominate their short-term interest! You can learn more about the geology about which we marveled here. And, learn more about the Washington Trails Association here.

The trail itself is steep, as evidenced by the multiple sets of stair steps built into the hillside right at

the beginning of the hike.  The mentors heard more than a few tongue-in-cheek comments about elevators from explorers on the way back up.

Not an optical illusion

After our initial descent, we encountered the sandstone walls for the first time. It feels like you’re walking next to an office building; the rock wall rises that dramatically. And there are even windows! Well, caves, but that’s even better! The day’s record was six explorers in the largest cave (unverified claim - I personally counted 5 at one point, but wasn’t privy to the sixth). The development of the caves occurs on a very different timeline than the geologic refashioning pace we’re accustomed to contemplating. Had you taken a photograph of the face of the rock wall the day your explorer was born and compared it to those in our photo gallery from Sunday’s outing, you’d readily see differences! The caves are growing before our eyes, the result of algae interacting with the course stone. This is a whole different sense of energy; the quiet, persistent action and reaction that goes on around us every day without our notice. Follow this link for more about how the caves form (the same article as the geology link above).

Further down (literally - down), the Rock Trail intersects with the Lost Lake trail. Following that trail around the lake opens up to very different adventures - the lake, a waterfall, pools of mud this time of year, and more. While still on the Rock Trail, though, the group gathered in a circle and our Tribal Elder led us in a process to decide whether to explore ahead or reverse course back up the Rock Trail. The unanimous sentiment was for returning to the caves to explore more and play games. About face!

We had to get creative for our games

The natural space to plays our games is not among the wondrous aspects of the Rock Trail, as we soon discovered. Spider’s Web would be very difficult in the steep terrain. Ditto Hide! without our usual ferns and bushes for cover. The Barred Owls are nothing if not creative, however. We decided to try a few games that don’t require as much expansiveness or as many hiding spots. Eagle Eye was a questionable fit in that it has similar characteristics to Hide! We tried it a few times; it’ll work better on our next outing. We also tried Where’s My Egg, which would work pretty well on the trail itself, but no-one knew all the rules. Again, we’ll do better next time. We managed a short game of Spider’s Web in the trees at the top of the trail. The wind was still blowing, but not as hard as at the start. 

Fear not - we located his head

Sunday was a day marked by new faces, a new group name (Barred Owls - we dropped the “et” denoting young), and a new trail. That’s a lot for one day. It was also significant for the energy that was apparent: wind, geology and explorers all demonstrated notable energy!

Brian and Conor will do our best to manage the changes and match the growing energy and interests of this dynamic group of boys. Click for more photos from our outing.