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| 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!
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| ....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
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| 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!
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| 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.
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| 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.
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