The Black-Tailed Deer met at the busy trailhead on North
Galbraith Mountain looking well prepared for the rain that awaited them
mid-day. Doing their best to stay out of the way of the trail runners and
mountain bikers the boys found a quiet spot off the trail and settled in for an
opening meeting.
Adam prompted the group asking them what they remembered
about shelter building from our outing with the Gray Wolves at Stewart Mountain.
The Explorers recalled quite a bit of the process, which was refreshing for the
mentors to hear. Adam let the group know that our goal for the outing was to
find a location off the trail where we could build a shelter to leave to let
weather the winter storms until we returned in late February to check up on it.
After passing out jobs and revisiting the role of the Leader of the Day (LOD), we were off. Looking around the forest
signs of the recent storm were everywhere and although dangerous in the moment,
had provided our group with the resources needed to build a shelter. We could
not have been but ten minutes down the trail when the boys called to play a
round of Hide and take a snack break.
Looking across the woods the boys spotted some freshly made
bike jumps. The mentors could see that the group wanted to run them, but it was
an important time to talk about being respectful trails users and staying off
the jumps. Adam let the group know that if we were to run the jumps, especially
when they were muddy we could cause divots, which would throw off the bikers when
using them. The boys marveled at the jumps’ construction and the amount of dirt
that had been moved to create them.
Following alongside the trail the group came to a clearing,
which had been recently logged. This came as a shock to some of the group and
one Explorer expressed that he wished that no one would log the forest. This
led to a great discussion regarding our give and take relationship with the
land. In the end the boys recognized that given our current methods of
constructing houses we did need to log some areas of the forest. The mentors
also let the boys know that the way this forest had been logged was not
sustainable and damaging to a majority of our native species and waterways.
Hiking along further we came across a young opossum that had
been hit and killed by a logging truck. The tragic end to the opossum’s life
provided us the opportunity to take a close look at its fascinating feet and
teeth. Entering the forest on the other side of the clearing we circled up to
focus on our task for the day.
The mentors let group know that the skill of shelter
building could saves their lives if an emergency situation were to arise and
invoke the needed to spend a night out in the forest. The group thought back to
the young mountain bikers they witnessed flying off the jumps earlier and said that
one day they might be engaging in similar activities without the supervision of
their parents. The mentors went on to explain that the risk of injury is very
high with these activities and it is important to act preventatively, but
always be prepared for the worst.
After sharing a personal story and some lore about Earth
shelters, the mentors handed the reigns over to the Leader of the Day and the boys worked through a decision deciding to
spend an hour building the shelter and then use the rest of their day to
playing Spider’s Web and Eagle’s Eye.
The group went out in search of location to build the
shelter and with some mentor direction the boys found the ideal spot that was:
close to building materials, had a abundance of leaves to gather, and would be
safe from environmental hazards like falling trees and pooling water. Gathering
around a fallen Big Leaf Maple the mentors worked individually with the
Explorers to cut sections of the tree using a pack saw. The Explorers really
took to the challenge and used the tool with respect and care.
Once the Y poles were in place, our ridgepole was set, and
the ribs were put on the sides of the shelter the boys started collecting
leaves. This was the perfect task because it had been pouring rain and the work
provided us the opportunity to generate some heat under our jackets. After a
solid hour of work the group had created an impressive Earth Shelter with two
feet of debris on top. The boys climbed inside and low and behold it kept the
rain out and was quiet warm. Nice job
Black-Tailed Deer!
Circling up back at our packs we debriefed the experience
commending the group for picking an excellent location to build their shelter,
which turned out to be the driest spot in the forest during the downpour.
Looking around the circle a few Explorers were getting cold and it was an
opportunity to revisit how our clothing layering system worked and pass out
some extras gear to those who needed it.
Checking in with the LOD,
the mentors let him know that it was important to revisit our plan to see if it
still made sense given the weather. A leader, the mentors explained is
constantly assessing the situation and adjusting the goals of an outing to fit
the needs of the group. Checking in with his peers the LOD discovered that some group members were too cold to play a slow
moving game like Spider’s Web and decided to go with playing Eagle’s Eye and eating some food under
the shelter of a large Western Red Cedar.
We ended our day with a few fun rounds of the game and
powerful circle of thanks. Parents please make sure to tell your Black-Tailed
Deer thanks on behalf of the mentors for their engagement and focus on our outing
and for their part in contributing to strong first half to their third year in Explorers
Club.
Before we headed out we reminded the group that we were
tracking their behavior to assess when they would be ready to use knives. The way the BTD used the pack saw during the
outing showed us that they were ready, but their use of sticks and minding
their blood circles while building the shelter gave us pause. Our aim is for
the group to begin to use knives by the last few outings of Spring 2018.
Parents please watch the Knife
Skills and Safety video with your Explorer(s) and ask them to explain our
motto, The Difference Between a Tool and a
Weapon is You and how to maintain a proper Blood Circle. Thanks for your support, trust, and encouragement for
the work we do!
For pictures from our shelter-building outing please visit
this photo album from
the day.
