The Short Tailed Weasels’ last outing of the fall season was also their first super wet fall outing with the BEC. The rain came on and off all day as low clouds kept the humidity high. However, the dampness failed to curb the enthusiasm of these boys as we explored the steep forest and grey beaches of Clayton Beach on a drizzly day.
After crossing Chuckanut Drive we scampered into the safety of the woods where our inner vision led us to a magical spot along the creek from where we set up our home base. Because the stream was running exceptionally high, the usually easy creek crossing was now impassable. Undeterred, the boys used excellent teamwork skills to construct a (partially floating) bridge across a section of the creek. By listening to our bodies and following our intuition, we realized that our bridge was built and that we needed some nourishment.
After crossing Chuckanut Drive we scampered into the safety of the woods where our inner vision led us to a magical spot along the creek from where we set up our home base. Because the stream was running exceptionally high, the usually easy creek crossing was now impassable. Undeterred, the boys used excellent teamwork skills to construct a (partially floating) bridge across a section of the creek. By listening to our bodies and following our intuition, we realized that our bridge was built and that we needed some nourishment.
We settled down to warm our cold hands and fill our hungry bellies with a snack and maybe some hot tea or cocoa. Miraculously, only a couple of us managed to soak our feet during the bridge construction, and those of us who did changed our socks are were happy to once again have dry, warm feet. We, the Short Tailed Weasels, are one of the youngest groups, and thus welcome the wisdom that the forest provides to us as we grow in skill as explorers.
We then called upon our Tribal Elder to help us decide how we wanted to use the remaining time on our last outing of the fall season. As a group, we decided that we wanted to descend through the ferns and cedars and have some time to explore the intertidal habitat. We appreciated the sturdiness of the bridge we had just built as we all used it to cross the creek and continue down to the soft beaches and sandstone cliffs of Clayton Beach.
Once at the beach some of us immediately scattered and explored the big sandstone boulders. Others among us took the opportunity to watch the loons and cormorants dive for their lunch as we ate some more of ours. After a few minutes of this, the cold wetness crept into our bodies so we played many rounds of Fire in the Forest on the beach. We all remarked on how difficult it was to run in the sand but it certainly kept us warm!
Once at the beach some of us immediately scattered and explored the big sandstone boulders. Others among us took the opportunity to watch the loons and cormorants dive for their lunch as we ate some more of ours. After a few minutes of this, the cold wetness crept into our bodies so we played many rounds of Fire in the Forest on the beach. We all remarked on how difficult it was to run in the sand but it certainly kept us warm!
After we felt like we couldn’t run another step we spread out along the waterfront and had a very calming sit spot. We felt thankful to be able to observe the beauty of a beach on a wet, rainy day because we normally choose to visit beaches only on “nice” days. Some of us saw a loon struggling to eat a fish that looked a little to big for this particular bird to swallow. Others watched eagles fly high overhead and scan the surface of the water for salmon running along the shoreline.
After our sit spot we all watched Peter make a fire using only materials that he had harvested and crafted during our outing that day. It was incredible to watch him use various materials from this wet forest and somehow manage to get some hemlock boughs to catch fire. As we looked ahead to future seasons as a group, we learned that Fire by Friction is a skills focus that we will someday be able to practice, but only after showing proficiency in the Art of Carving.
After our sit spot we all watched Peter make a fire using only materials that he had harvested and crafted during our outing that day. It was incredible to watch him use various materials from this wet forest and somehow manage to get some hemlock boughs to catch fire. As we looked ahead to future seasons as a group, we learned that Fire by Friction is a skills focus that we will someday be able to practice, but only after showing proficiency in the Art of Carving.
In our closing circle we practiced our Attitude of Gratitude by giving thanks. We also got to share our fondest memories of our first season together. Looking back, we realized that we have had some really fun adventures this season and have grown a lot closer as a group. We look forward to gaining new experiences and skills together next spring!
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