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.