The Short-tailed Weasels Explore Together at N. Galbraith

Plenty of energy today!

The Short-tailed Weasels had their final outing of the season at N. Galbraith trailhead. It was a small group of STWs today; even with an explorer joining us from another group we were only seven total!  We found out that many of our fellow STWs were not able to join us on this outing because they were at home resting and trying to kick seasonal colds. So, we were low in number but high in spirit as we struck out into the forest on this cold December day with plenty of energy and excitement for what our day held in store.

After a brief opening circle (we had to keep moving to stay warm!), we headed straight into the woods.  After winding our way through chest high sword ferns and towering Douglas fir, western red cedar and big leaf maple trees we came to a neat looking spot to take a break and have a bite to eat.  While we were having our snack, we noticed that someone had built two earth shelters here.  We learned that these people were actually another explorers club groups and we took some time to notice the merits and shortcomings of each shelter.  They were certainly well built and sturdy, but a bit to big for our liking.  They also did not have the required three feet (!) of debris on top in order to keep us warm and dry if we had to spend a night inside.

Comfort testing a debris hut

The STWs then channeled their focused decision making energy from the last outing and decided that they wanted to play spiders web and then travel further up the hill to a spot where they could all practice carving.  These boys have played many games of spiders web together so we let them set up the game all on their own.  The mentors simply joined in the fun when it was time to start!

Flies waiting for the wave

After two games of spiders web that included some great work by the spider and some long distance and patient sneaking on the part of the flies, we packed up our bags and headed up the gravel road into an interesting landscape.

We found ourselves walking through a clear cut section of forest. We were headed into this area to harvest wood that we will use next season for making a bowl (Art of Carving II is our skills focus in the spring).  We knew that, being a clear cut, this area would have plenty of wood that was already cut down so we knew we would not be negatively impacting the forest elsewhere.

Clear cut at N. Galbraith

Some of us wondered why the forest needed to be clear cut like this.  We learned that this forest was being cleared to make room for a new housing development.  We had a discussion about this and felt empathy for the plants and animals that had to lose their homes to make way for our homes.  As animals living on this planet, we absolutely have an impact on our Earth.  It is up to us what kind of an impact we will have and how severe that impact is. Many of us had not considered that our homes were built at least in part from trees and that our neighborhoods were previously forests.  This clear cut helped us visualize and deepen our understanding of the impact that we have on our Earth as humans.

Our small group for the day!

We trudged our way up through the clear cut on a logging road and eventually found snow! This was a welcome surprise and we had a (surprisingly) civil snowball fight. Here we searched the piles of dead trees for suitable piece of wood from which to carve a bowl next spring.  Some of us were quite interested in this project and got to practice using a folding saw.  Others were not (Challenge by Choice) and instead honed their sneaking and searching skills playing round after round of Eagle Eye.

Snowball fight!

Harvesting big-leaf maple for our bowls that we will carve in the spring!

We met in a circle of thanks to close not only our outing at N. Galbraith but also our fall season.  We took some extra time in closing circle to look forward to our spring season.  Our earth focus for this fall was Art of Carving, and while we did get to practice with our knives, we agreed as a group that we could benefit from more focused carving time so next season our earth skills focus will be Art of Carving II.  Thank you Short-tailed Weasels and families for a great fall season and we look forward for our winter outing and then another full season in the spring!

To see the rest of the photos from today, click here.

The Short-tailed Weasels Make Decisions at Lookout Mountain Forest Preserve

Arming ourselves with information before leaving the parking lot

For their third outing of the fall season the Short-tailed Weasels gathered at Lookout Mountain Forest Preserve.  The woods here feel just a bit more remote.  This 370 acre preserve is predominately second growth forest interlaced with a network of trails as well as mountain streams and even some impressive waterfalls.  There are also opportunities to gain elevation and catch views eastward toward the Cascade foothills and Mt. Baker. With many possible areas to explore and things to do at Lookout Mountain, we as mentors wanted to give the Short-tailed Weasels the responsibility to plan where we wanted to explore today. In our opening circle we assigned jobs, including that of the tribal elder, who would be very important later as he helped us to make various decisions throughout the day.

Hitting the trail

We followed the trail up and out of the parking area and took the short spur that would lead us to a waterfall lookout.  From a precipice we had a good view of the waterfall (which many of us remarked was quite impressive for being so close to the trailhead!). Our elevated position also gave us a good view of some stumps that had been logged long before this place was protected.  We noticed that different parts of stumps decay at different rates and learned that this is because much of the wood inside of a standing tree is actually dead. When the tree eventually falls over or is cut down, this dead part more readily decomposes while the living outer ring of wood remains intact longer.

Checking out the waterfall

After having a snack at the waterfall we returned to the intersection with the main trail.  Here was the first opportunity to practice our circular leadership and navigation skills by making a circle and utilizing the tribal elder.  While it was not a short circle (about 30 minutes), it was certainly effective.  The boys did a good job of holding focus and making sure every voice in the group was heard.  In the end, they came to a unanimous decision (all group decisions in BEC require a consensus among ALL members of the group) to head back toward the parking lot and find a patch of woods suitable for a game of spiders web.  The mentors had had a different plan, wanting to go deeper into the woods rather than back toward civilization.  However, it was important to honor the decision of the group so down we went, back toward the parking lot.

A mentor follows the group and its decisions

The mentors were reminded of the intuitive wisdom of boys after only a couple minutes of walking when we came across an awesome piece of forest that we would never have gotten to see if we had chosen to go the other direction.  The place had a spooky feel where trees were short and grew close together leaving absolutely no light for any plants in the understory.

Crowded trees

Exploring our new spot

We put our packs down here and took a few minutes to spread out and explore this interesting area.  In BEC we usually find ourselves in forests with lots of salal, sword fern, devils club and salmon berry.  It was cool to be in a different kind of ecosystem where the ground was soft and bouncy and covered not with live plants but strictly sticks, pine needles, cones and a lot of fungi.  Some of us also took time to practice carving, which is the skills focus for our season this fall.

Fungi!

After another snack and some water we organized a spiders web game in our new spot.  We didn't know how well this game would work here being that there were not many plants on the ground to hide behind but we were excited to find out!  We quickly learned that in the absence of plants, we had to use the topography of the forest floor as cover and had a fun and focused couple of games of spiders web.

Sneaking during Spiders Web!

Then, suddenly, the end of our outing was rapidly approaching.  Knowing we were short on time the mentors organized a sit spot. This was a good chance to have some quiet reflection and bask in the good feelings that come from lingering endorphins that get released from moving our bodies (in this case our spiders web game!).  During the sit spot, the mentors got a chance to reflect on the day. We were especially impressed by the dedication that these boys showed to making sure that everyones voice was heard and honored during the group decision making process.

An explorer enjoying a sit spot

While all days with BEC go by to quickly, this one seemed especially short.  It seems that you can never have enough time in the woods.  We ended our sit spot and held our closing meeting.  Here we handed back the jobs and held a circle of thanks that we close every BEC outing with.  It was a short walk back to the parking lot to meet our rides.

To see the rest of the photos from today, click here!

STW Traverse Sehome Arboretum 9-17-2016

Heavy grey clouds hung in the sky, drizzling over green sword ferns and thickets of snowberry.  The rain ran in rivulets off bright raincoats and backpacks as the Short Tailed Weasels huddled in the lower parking lot of the Sehome Arboretum, contemplating the day’s mission: to reach the Sehome Tower before sundown. Though the clouds were low, spirits were high: it’s raining, it’s pouring, let’s go exploring! Explorers live by this motto.

This is the start of the Short Tailed Weasels’ third season (and their second fall) in Explorers Club, and last spring we explored the Sehome Arboretum under guidance from the mentors. This time, the boys would be responsible for their own navigation. How to get to the tower? There are maps, but they don’t help if you don’t know where you are to begin with. So, during opening circle, we helped the boys orient themselves: which way does the freeway run? Which way is the bay? Using landmarks and sounds, not just sights, the boys got their bearings.

During the opening circle we also introduced our new mentor, Jedediah, who specializes in tracking. He just so happened to spot some “magical” deer scat near the circle, and he helped the boys decide whether it was fresh or old. With our bodies and brains oriented, and some new tracking skills under our belts, we were ready to go.

The Arboretum is a special place: a steep outcropping of Chuckanut sandstone with an expansive network of winding trails, eroded ridges and deep, lush gullies. Although it’s smack dab in the middle of Bellingham, sandwiched in between I-5 and WWU’s campus, it’s easy to feel isolated and sometimes even lost. The whole place feels like an endless wild jungle. The drone of the freeway is washed out by the tree canopy and cliffs, replaced by a cacophony of chattering birds and rustling leaves. Every once in awhile, a crow quork startles the forest sounds. The trails keep winding. We kept traversing upwards towards the tower, exploring cliffs, overcoming challenges, and forging onwards through damp underbrush and grey mist.

Finally, the rain eased to a fine mist. Through the thinning clouds, the boys finally spied the outline of the tower and in one last great explosion of enthusiasm, raced to the very top, whopping in victory. We ate our lunch on the tower, and dropped big leaf maple helicopters down from the top, watching them twirl wildly to the ground below..

The thick roof of the tower reverberated dull thuds of raindrops as we finished lunch and began to talk about the art of carving and carving safety: how to sit when you’re carving so you don’t accidentally cut into yourself; how to test your blood circle with a sheathed knife to make sure no one is sitting too close to you while you carve; and some technique, such as how to shave off thin bits of wood, and how to not dig the knife in so deep that you have to force the cut.

We romped back into the woods to find some dry wood for carving. The boys harvested sticks from the cave tunnel just below the tower, and everyone practices sharpening a stick to demonstrate technique and safety. Ask your explorer about their carving homework!

Those boys who finished carving became the group scouts, searching for a good site to play Spider’s Web (if you haven’t heard of this game, ask your Explorer! It’s an all-time classic). After a few great rounds we had to call it a draw, to leave time for our closing circle of gratitude for another great day of exploring.