Short-Tailed Weasels Traverse the Sehome Arboretum

The Short-Tailed Weasels arrived at the lower Sehome Arboretum parking lot enthusiastic for their outing and reassured by the sunshine. The group waved goodbye to their parents and circled up under the shade of a few large Douglas Fir for an opening meeting.

The boys welcomed our guest, Lauren Prater. Lauren explained that she was a journalism student at Western Washington University who would be taking photos for an article in the independent student publication called Klipsun. Parents, we’ll be sure to forward the article when it releases in Klipsun’s second spring quarterly issue.

Once we were acquainted we spent some time talking about the outing that lied ahead. The mentors explained that the day was a much different style of outing than any the group had encountered before. We would be traversing from the bottom of the Arboretum to the top. Not only would the group need to pay attention to which way they were

headed, they would also need to keep close track of their belongings and peers. Together we worked on orienting ourselves to the four cardinal directions and passed out jobs for the day. With that we were off and within less than a minute we were joined up in circle again.

The topographic map provided on the south end of the Arboretum gave the boys three trail options, all of which led to the Lookout Tower and parking lot at the top. As is often the case in Explorers Club, coming to a junction in the trail means that it is time for the Tribal Elder to facilitate the group decision-making process.

Our mentors would like to commend the Short-Tailed Weasels on their ability to work together as a group and consider their peers’ feelings and opinions. What many Explorers Club groups come to find out about this traverse is that its abundance of trails makes for frequent route decisions, which often become the source of frustration. This was not the case for our group. Through collaboration and compromise these Explorers were able to pack in a full day and have a lot of fun on the way.

Hiking along the trail the group marveled at the abundance of new foliage and flowers that filled the forest. Together we investigated and learned about Vanilla Leaf, Sliver-Beaked Hazelnut, Oregon Grape, Red-Flowering Currant, and Indian plum just to name a few. Spring is the ideal time to learn about these plants because the identifiable characteristics of each species are prominent.

Coming to yet another junction in the trail we though it best to introduce Lauren to a classic Explorers Club game of Hide! Our mentors observed that over the course of one season these Explorers have grown significantly in their ability to sneak, stalk, and get quiet while playing Hide. Hiding amongst the underbrush not only gets the Explorers comfortable with be being dirty and wet, it also builds their awareness for flora and fauna around them by literately immersing them in it.

Veering slightly off trail the mentors showed the group a large Sandstone ridgeline that revealed a twenty foot cliff roughly 300 feet long. Using a deer trail the boys navigated safely down the cliff and spent a while bouldering at its base. It was a great time to revisit how to spot a partner while climbing and the safe way to look over a cliff’s edge.

Gathering back up at the top of the ridge the boys wanted to stay longer, but the mentors reminded them of the task at hand on our traverse. We made an agreement as a group that we needed to finish at least three-fourths of our traverse before we would sit down to play a game of Spider’s Web. The boys pressed on and Grasped the Nettle as they pushed up the hill. For some their struggle stemmed from the physical challenge of the traverse, and for others it was keeping their focus on the task at hand. The mentors reminded the group that we all had our own powers and challenges and that it was important to support each other.

Climbing the hill to the top of the Arboretum we waved goodbye to Lauren and thanked her for joining us for the day. Taking the trail to the top of the tunnel the boys found some sunny rocks and lunched while reveling in their accomplishment. As boys started to finish a fir cone war broke out and the mentors knew that it was time to refocus our energy. Turning the circle over to the Tribal Elder the boys worked through plan to fit in a game of Spider’s Web, have a Sit Spot, and venture to the top of the tower to soak up the views of Mt. Baker.

Heading over to one of the mentors favorite secluded valleys we set up a game of Spider’s Web, which proved to be quiet challenging for the boys due to the terrain. We played for about forty-five minutes and the flies ended up prevailing over the spider. Grouping back up the boys shared their battle scars with each other. The boy’s arms and legs were covered with Nettle stings and scrapes from downed logs. A few boys were in quite a bit of pain, but they worked through it by embracing their discomfort.

The mentors then sent the boys out on a sit spot, reminding them that it was just as important to spend some silent solo time getting to know the land as it was to play and explore in it. Settling in amongst the waist high Sword Ferns calls of Varied Thrush and Winter Wren rang out across the valley. One boy even mentioned hearing a Downy Woodpecker preforming his excavation against a tree trunk.

Crow Calling the group back in we headed up to the lookout tower and stood for a while starring at the Twin Sisters and Mt. Baker in all their glory. 

After we had our fill we found an open spot in the woods to hold our closing meeting. Sharing apples the boys gave thanks for the abundance of spring, for friends and family, for the ability to explore all day in a landscape right outside our backdoors, for the edible Big Leaf Maple blossoms, for the opportunity to be part of a peer group, and for Nettles and pokey logs which give so much to our forest and build our awareness.

For more pictures from the day, please visit the Short-Tailed Weasel’s 4/17/16 photos album.