Rocky shore and forested trails; the Barred Owls traverse Larrabee to Clayton, 5/13/17

Imagine, if you will, being awakened in your houseboat (play along…don’t let the fact that you don’t have a houseboat deter you from losing yourself in this entrancing story!) by this sound. As you no doubt figured out if you clicked through to hear the sound, it comes from the fish known as the midshipman (from markings on its body that resemble buttons on a naval uniform). The fish lives along the Pacific coast of North America, ranging from Alaska to Mexico, and regularly awakens houseboat residents during mating season. 

Our day started cool and showery...great weather for
exploring along a rocky shoreline.

According to Wikipedia, “The fish produces the sound using the muscles of its modified swim bladder.^[10] It receives the sound in its saccule, a sensory organ in the inner ear. During the breeding season, hormones induce the microscopic anatomy of the female's saccules to change in such a way that she can better sense the harmonics of the male's calls.” Think about this example of the wonders of the natural world. The female experiences hormonal changes that tune it to the male’s call. Amazing.

Note the treeline at the water...and the handsome Explorer!

I was telling the Barred Owls about this fish (some midshipmen, but not the Salish Sea populations, are also bioluminescent, by the by) as we started down the beach from the Larrabee boat launch on Saturday. I had just learned about the midshipmen, which fertilize eggs along rocky shores and protect the eggs by laying between rocks. So, I was pleasantly surprised when several Explorers called to me to point out a midshipman laying between a few rocks. A great example of the power of attention; the boys were tuned in to the possibility of seeing this fish and ….. there it was!

Here's the male midshipman guarding the eggs - cool!

This was just one example of the wonders of our rocky shores as experienced by the Barred Owls last Saturday. There were crabs, of course, and gulls, and kelp and on and on. The Explorers were totally immersed; not in the bay, but in exploring along the beach. 

Amazing life in this rough, rocky habitat.

Up close and personal.

Halfway through our hike, we switched from rocky shore to forested trails (stop to think about that for a second…we are so fortunate to live in such a diverse, spectacular, stimulating environment). Progress was quicker without the distractions of the intertidal zone, and we were soon in more familiar territory near Clayton Beach. We took advantage of our remaining time and this place we love so much to explore, relax and play. 

It was an outstanding wrap-up for the Barred Owls year. The power of the places we traversed brought out the explorer in each of us as we reveled in the company of friends in the outdoors. 

If you haven’t already, check out Wild Whatcom’s summer offerings. We just opened an additional Anderson Watson Lakes backpack trip for grades 5-9! August 14-16.

In the meantime, check out the rest of the photos from Saturday’s outing. And enjoy your summer. We’re looking forward to seeing you in the fall.

The Barred Owls "ambush" Lookout Mountain

Remember playing hide and seek with your friends? Did you have a place where you liked to lay in wait to surprise a sibling, friend or parent? Or a seemingly secluded place to create and enjoy a fantasy world? 

You’re connecting to your inner child when you think, wistfully, back to those carefree days. When I was a kid, I would visit my Aunt Marge and Uncle Frank in upstate New York during the summer with a few siblings. We’d explore the “swimming hole” down at  the local stream for hours on end.

Another great example of child passion - we held our opening
meeting in and around a tree!

Now, as Coyote mentors, we realize that what was happening was the expression of our child passions; of imagining, spying, climbing, joking, and many more. We watch for, and try to tap into, opportunities to capture those moments. Well, Sunday presented mentor Jedidiah and I with just such an opportunity. 

As we gathered at Lookout Mountain, we saw that another Boys Explorers Club (BEC) group was also exploring the Reserve that day. We talked with mentors Tim and Joey about possibly collaborating on a game or project, but they had a full plan for their day, so we headed off in search of a place to explore and carve (our skill for the spring). 

We would usually head up to the big waterfall and then down the hill to the creek bed, but the parks people have fenced off the hillside to restore it (a good idea!), so we chose to explore a different trail. We were quickly rewarded when we came upon a lovely place further downstream. 

This spot has it all - waterfall (see it on the right side of the picture), an open, flat space that was perfect for carving (see photo below), logs across the creek for crossing or lounging, and enough room to spread out for a Sit Spot.

We explored a while, then settled in for carving practice. The boys are choosing projects and getting a sense of what it’ll take to convert a block of wood to a useful tool. 

Ideas for carving projects ranged from chop sticks to......

Atl-Atls

It was soon time for a sit spot and some lunch. We then gathered the boys and asked if they were interested in trying to find the other group and “ambushing” them. That triggered a child passion as their faces lit up at the prospect of sneaking up on their peers. 

Boy in nature....need I say more?

We soon heard voices and immediately entered stealth mode (such as it was). The excitement was palpable as boys scattered into the ferns and berry bushes, sure of a surprise approach. Alas, it was not to be. We were quickly detected. All was not lost, however, as we learned a few important lessons:

• The adrenaline will flow…breathe! 
• Communication is key. Have a plan….walking into the enemy camp and saying ”Hi”, as one of our number did, doesn’t cut it…
• Set a place and time to meet should events warrant. 

Perhaps next time will produce more surprise, but we succeeded in tapping into a child passion on Sunday, our true measure. 

Connecting with the land with your whole being and preserving a natural setting is a constant balancing act...literally and figuratively.

We next meet on Saturday, April 22nd, from 10:30am-2:30pm for our spring service outing at Connelly Creek. In the meantime, check out the photo gallery for Sunday’s outing.

The Barred Owls rock their Arroyo "night" outing; 3/4/17

Let’s start at the end. When the Barred Owls walked off the trail at N. Chuckanut, they had just hiked for a half hour (about 3/4 mi.) in the dark without using a headlamp. I was prepared to give the OK for artificial light about half way through, but no need. They stretched their edge (motto) on this night: your Explorers were up to the challenge!

Throughout the outing, the mentors found opportunities to talk with the boys about using all their senses, anticipating the need to listen for the creek when the trail was less visible, or to focus on the feel of the ground through their boots to detect off-trail wandering. Our task was made easier by light from a 1st quarter moon, courtesy of a clearing sky thanks to a break in the rain/snow. 

Before hiking out, we spent time creekside carving (please check out our knife safely video) and sharing tea. As night began to make its presence known, we made sure our headlamps were accessible and we were each dressed warmly enough. As our “Be prepared” motto states, “A prepared explorer is a happy – and safe – explorer.” This is especially important come nightfall, of course. Because we didn’t have any issues with preparedness, we were able to relax and immerse ourselves in this spectacular natural spot. Props to the Barred Owls for being well prepared!

Prior to descending the hill to the creek, we engaged in a spirited game of Spider’s Web in a location that is very demanding for the flies. A mini-Grand Canyon that carries a stream toward Chuckanut Creek provides a commanding vantage point for the spider and little cover for the encroaching flies. The flies shared information; we tried different routes (including charging full speed straight for the “food source”); we got very muddy. Alas, none of it worked. The game ended in a stalemate. 

Life is like that some times. Try as you might, you can’t bend fate to your will. Significant for the mentor’s goals for the Barred Owls, however, was the fact that they chose to play Spider’s Web. They also chose to explore Chuckanut Creek below the N. Chuckanut parking lot after our opening meeting (see first photo below). These decisions were a result of collaboration and compromise (motto) by the Explorers, capably led by their Tribal Elder. Expect more liberty and responsibility as your Explorers grow and change.

Initially, our afternoon was relaxed, as is evident in this shot. The deliberate pace set the tone for a reflective outing.

We stumbled on a partially constructed shelter and quickly deemed it a "backpackrack". 

Mentor Jedidiah checks in with a well prepared Explorer.

The route to our carving/sharing tea spot involved crossing Chuckanut Creek on a log bridge. Here, Explorers Mentor Apprentice (EMA) Logan helps us climb down to creekside.

The boys chose a carving project to work on through the Spring. Most took to the task with characteristic energy and focus.

Safe carving involves ensuring that when your knife slips, which it will, it doesn't cut you. The Explorers on either side of Mentor Jedidiah are using proper spread-legged technique.

Ready to hike back in the dark!

Quick turnaround! As a few of the boys pointed out to me on Saturday, our next outing is this Sunday, March 12 (daylight savings starts this day) at Lookout Mountain Forest Preserve. So, check the rest of the photos quickly, then have a look at the schedule for details on Sunday's outing. See you at the trailhead.

The Barred Owls vanquish N. Lake Samish 1/22/17

At a slight risk of hyperventilation, several of the Barred Owls and mentors spent more than a little time blowing on our nascent fire in a cold drizzle at N. Lake Samish on Sunday. Despite our efforts, there was, for some time, no spark. It didn’t look good for a warming blaze.

Not surprising, given the completely moisture-laden forest surrounding us. In fact, a cold drizzle was the prevailing weather on that hill. As a growing sense of discouragement enveloped us, mentor Joey led an effort to locate and harvest fat wood to get us to kindling temperature. Found in tree stumps, fat wood has a high concentration of resin which makes it very flammable. 

Even with the fat wood, it took us three tries to get the fire started. And once we finally got it going, we struggled to keep it alive. Call it modest; call it grudging — we called it welcome warmth! I guess it doesn’t have to roar into a raging bonfire to nourish us. 

In fact, the fire served as a metaphor for the day. Our numbers were small, the sky gray and the hill tall and steep. By the time we reached our “base camp” we were primed for a day that was marked more by wandering than focused energy. A good example: our skill for the winter/spring is carving. The Explorers have done some carving, but it’s time to take it up a notch with specific projects. Other explorers have worked on making chopsticks, butter knives and the like. On this day, we decided to whittle the wet outer layer off sticks to improve their chance of burning — a noble endeavor given our struggles with the fire, but not the effort I envisioned. 

The day was not without its highlights, to be sure. Top of the list — a waterfall that beckoned us off the trail on our ascent. This stream was as full as I’d seen it, delivering the backdrop for a fun, impromptu climbing challenge. I overheard one of the boys say, to no one in particular, “I love climbing!”

Less obvious were the softer tone and opportunities for deeper associations between Explorers that the slower pace enabled. In measured interaction and quiet conversation lie the chance to connect and reflect. As the Explorers Club motto points out, It’s All Part of It. 

This is the waterfall that drew us off the trail on the way up. More rocks than stream, actually, which made for a fun, challenging climb.

Seems easier than it was on that sloping rock - slippery!

Harvesting fat wood for our reluctant fire.

Here's a great example of the deeper connection that is possible when we slow down - a lesson in using a pack saw to get at the fat wood.

While warm, and certainly welcome, that's not much of a fire for the effort that went into creating it. Thanks to mentor Joey for his persistence and knowledge of the use of fat wood as an accelerant.

Here we scatter as we begin one of our Hungry Hungry Marten games.

There's peace to be found in the forest, if we just slow down and let it envelop us.

No reason for this picture other than to bring a smile to your face!

We managed to raise the energy level for a few games of Hungry Hungry Marten before gathering our packs and heading back down the hill. On the way up, I had asked one of the boys why we bother trudging up a mountain only to come back down again a few hours later. He replied, with profound simplicity, “Because it’s fun.” 

A wise lad. The restorative effect of stepping into nature’s nourishing landscape and letting go of the business of our daily endeavors cannot be overstated. Even, or perhaps especially, on days that are just kind of normal, it does a soul good.

We’re going to mix it up a bit on our next outing (March 4, Arroyo Park), when we start later and continue until after sundown. We’ll send details as we get closer; in the meantime, check out the rest of the photos from Sunday’s outing here.