Short Tailed Weasels explore Clayton Beach

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.

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!

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. 

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!

Short Tailed Weasels Explore Chuckanut

The Short Tailed Weasels arrived at North Chuckanut Trailhead ready for their third outing. As a new group the Short Tailed Weasels have fully accepted the challenges of cohort dynamics and the group decision making process; growing through these experiences into a really collaborative and cohesive group. The Chuckanuts are an exciting place for an outing, rich with exploring opportunities and abundant in wildlife.

Once everyone had arrived we made our way directly down from the parking lot, following a small game trail toward the creek. The boys excitedly bushwhacked and lept down the hillside toward the creek. As we approached the creek we began wondering if we would see any salmon spawning up the creek. This is the time of year they do and also a location they frequent. We saw no fish, but began asking ourselves why; is the creek too low? are they salmon later than usual?

We held our opening circle on an exposed gravel bar in the middle of the creek. The Short Tailed Weasels gathered up, passed out jobs, and began discussing what they wanted to do with their day. Many ideas circulated and the group struggled a few times to hold their focus as we heard from everyone and tried to come to a decision that would fit everyone's needs. With a little gentle guidance the group agreed on hiking further upstream with the intention of finding a good place to play spiders web? 

As we hiked up stream we played hide, explored the creek, through rocks into the water, crawled under bridges, learned about licorice fern, talked, laughed, found off trail hideouts, and immersed ourselves in the wonderful Fall day. 

Eventually we came to a place where a giant log crossed the river and seemed to lead up a steep hillside, the perfect place for spiders web. Climbing up the steep hillside we were greeted at the top by dense sword fern and pronounced topography which would provide great terrain for spiders web. We took a break to eat lunch then dove into explaining the rules of the game to everyone. The boys all focused really well to the somewhat complicated game.

Soon enough we got the game under way. after playing for only about 10 minutes we heard voices coming up the hill and realized it was the Girls Explorers Club! The girls had come here with the same intention of playing spiders web. After talking briefly we all decided to just play one big game in this location. Again we brushed up on the rules and chose a new spider.

The game went excellent; it was the first time playing for both the girls and boys group. For such a big game and it being everyone’s first time there was surprisingly little conflict. Everyone played with honor and respect toward one another. The game lasted a little over an hour before the flies finally managed to bring the food source back to the web. The boys excited chatter of play by play accounts of the game lasted long after the girls had disappeared down hill.  

We had an amazing Fall outing; Excellent Weather, good games, great group, and a perfect location to facilitate all of this. Thank you Explorers for a great outing and thank you parents for your continued support of our program. Please see our photo gallery for more pictures from the outing

Raccoon Kits Show Short-Tailed Weasels How It's Done at Connelly Creek

There was no better way to welcome October than with a great service outing. The Raccoon Kits, Short Tailed Weasels, and even a Girls Explorers Club group, The Fiddleheads, teamed to form a young, yet formidable foe for the Himalayan Blackberry and Reed Canary Grass. The girls got things going by showing up early, getting a walkthrough from Steve, and breaking up to tackle the various tasks at our Connelly Creek service site. First was tending to the new trees and shrubs that were planted during the Spring season, making sure they had a fresh mulch ring and were properly staked out to prevent any unwanted trampling. Second was to get going on spreading mulch and expanding upon all the hard work from last season. Last but not least; the blackberry removal team. Everyone was working hard when a rascally bunch of boys showed up.

Kicking off the service outing for the boys were the Raccoon Kits. Not only was it a surprise that they were going to be the eldest group today, but mixing in girls too?! Despite the lofty expectations set upon this young group to introduce proper tool usage to the Short Tailed Weasels, demonstrate a strong work ethic, and be role models, they took it in stride and flourished. After a slow start due to the necessary introductions to the Short Tailed Weasels of where our service site is, what we’re doing here, and why we are doing it, everyone jumped right into the work. The Raccoon Kits were eager to get to hacking back the blackberries and digging up the massive root balls. As for the Short Tailed Weasels, they kicked off their illustrious service careers with a classic; shoveling mulch.

As the hours ticked away, the girls departed after putting in some tremendous work. Left to their own devices, the Raccoon Kits took this opportunity to attempt to unearth a massive root ball. It took the whole group, but eventually they got it, and in only a few hours erased years of growth by the Himalayan Blackberries. Not even wanting to stop for lunch, the Raccoon Kits showed an outstanding drive and superb work ethic that impressed all the mentors present.

For the Short Tailed Weasels, they also had a strong day of work, however it was broken up by a little more play, jokes, and even experimental cooking. As they dug into the mulch pile they noticed the vast warmth that was imitating from within due to the decomposition process. Just as mother crocodiles incubate eggs in large mounds of debris, some of the explorers decided to test the warmth with a chunk of cheese (which completely melted) and a container of apples (still to be decided on cooking effectiveness). After all was said and done the Short Tailed Weasels had some fun, but finished strong by moving the majority of the mulch that was left by the parks department for us to use. Not a bad start for their first service outing.

As the torch has been passed from group to group, tending, nurturing, and caretaking Connelly Creek has become a Boys Explorers Club Legacy, a legacy that is now fortunate enough to add Girls Explorers Club and the Short Tailed Weasels alongside the veteran Raccoon Kits. Mulch was moved, blackberries battered, roots were wrangled and there was even enough time for some laughs to be shared as well. What a wonderful day and strong beginning to our service work at Connelly Creek.

Make sure to check out the rest of the photos in our Photo Gallery!

Short-Tailed Weasels begin Explorers Club

The Short Tailed Weasels gathered for their first outing, as many Explorers before them, at 100 aker wood. Slowly the group began to grow as more and more explorers and families trickled into the parking lot, and the group began to take form. With bright morning sun dappling the forest floor and high spirits all around it was time to start off our season of exploration.

As we tromped into the forest, the boys excitement was audible along the main path toward the deeper reaches of the park. Shorty we reached a wide clearing beneath a handful of cedar trees, the perfect spot for an opening circle. The Short Tailed Weasels circled up for their first opening meeting and the true start to their season. The first outing is a hard balance of talking about the important information we need to share with the new explorers and recognizing their need to play and explore in the forest. During our opening circle we focused on a few safety aspects of exploring ( sticking together, being aware of hazards, etc), as well as talking about creating a community that supported one another throughout our explorations. Soon enough our patience for sitting was gone and we had to move our bodies and continue hiking through the woods.

Another important aspect of Explorers club is play; through playing we experience our surroundings in a different way that goes beyond simply walking through an area.We introduced the boys to a game called HIDE! if you want to see your boys quickly disappear into whatever bush or stand of ferns is around yell HIDE! and you will see this happen. The boys were excited to play this game and played many rounds of it as we hiked through woods.

Our exploration continued through the afternoon; Matting slugs, cool bugs, new trees, more HIDE!, lunch, laughter, sword ferns, making decisions, seeing birds, and getting to know one another. As our afternoon drew to a close we introduced the Short Tailed Weasels to another routine in Explorers Club, a sit spot. Sit spots are a time to take a minute to observe the forest quietly. We do so much play and exploration as a group that it is nice to take the time to explore it by yourself and quietly as well. The Short Tailed Weasels spread out through the forest and each found a place to sit quietly for the next twenty minutes.

As the boys came back in from their sit spots they forest was again alive with their chatter of what they had seen and heard while out by themselves. It was fun to hear all of their experiences from their time spent by themselves. As our stories drew to a close we transitioned into our closing circle. Closing circle is another Explorers club routine and a time for us all to say one thing we are thankful for or appreciated throughout the day. We had an excellent closing circle with many heartfelt thoughts. With our time all but out we made our way back to the trail and toward the parking lot. 

Short Tailed Weasel families, we are so excited to have you as part of our Explorers Club community and for the opportunity to explore with your sons! thanks you Short Tailed Weasels for an excellent first outing. Make sure to check out our photo gallery for more pictures from our adventures.