Black-tailed Deer Engage in Healthy Competition and Carving at Lookout Mountain Forest Preserve

The Black-tailed Deer arrived for their first ever exploration at Lookout Mountain Forest Preserve. The group circled up and the mentors nominated a leader of the day; their job is to gather the group’s collective focus and pass out jobs. Once everything was in order the mentors informed the Explorers that they knew of a great spot to harvest some Western Red Cedar for carving material that was roughly a half-hour up the trail. After some deliberation the group’s plan for the day was to harvest the cedar, continue working on their chopsticks projects and knife skills, and play a few rounds of Spider’s Web while seeing what this new location had to offer.

Before heading out one of the mentors passed around an object that looked like a piece of fruit leather and felt like suede. He went on to explain that the object was called tinder fungus. “Fomes fomentarius or Horse Hoof fungus is a polypore that grows on Birch tree snags. The name, Fomes fomentarius means, ‘to use as tinder’. It is extremely flammable, but has a nice slow burn, which makes it excellent for starting fires”.

Elaborating the mentor explained that in 1991 hikers found the preserved remains of a naturally mummified man who lived between 3400 and 3100 BCE in a glacier in the Otzal Alps between Austria and Italy. Ötzi the 5000-year-old “Iceman” was found with a similar polypore fungus in his pocket. He is thought to have carried the mushroom to preserve fire, use as insect repellent, and as bandage. How exciting to think that in harvesting, processing, and practicing the technique of using tinder fungus as fire starter we’re carrying on a tradition that is at least 5,000 years old. Connecting the Explorers to natural history and stories behind Earth skills brings meaning, relevancy, responsibility, and an element of sacredness to learning this knowledge.

With some inspiration we headed on the logging road in search of our destination. It wasn’t too long before we were side tracked due to large piles of Vine Maple and Salmonberry that were cut in order to clear the encroaching brush back from the logging road. Recognizing the opportunity we stopped to harvest what we could carry. Vine Maple, although common in our forests, is not a plant that Explorers Club harvests in large quantity due to the impact it would have on our local ecosystem. Vine Maple wood is great for carving walking sticks, tent pegs, bows for bow drills, and has also has traditional and practical uses within Salish populations to make sturdy bow staves and baskets, axe handles, and frames.

The mentors informed the group that in order for the natural world to thrive the practice of Earth Skills is not just the search for a specific resource that an Explorer might need at a given time, but it is more the endless search for life giving resources that often results in the land providing just what we need.

Acknowledging an opportunity for the Black-tailed Deer to serve their elder Explorers Club community the group-helped harvest enough Vine Maple to make thirty bows for fire by friction kits. The boys were informed that three elder Girls Explorers Club groups were currently working on this fire skill and had planned to harvest Big Leaf Maple bows from logging lands because of their abundance and quick growth rate, even though they were not as ideal as Vine Maple. The connection between finding the ideal resource, being able to give it as a gift, and a low impact way to glean was recognized by the boys and they were excited to help. Way to go Explorers!

Circling up to revisit our plan the leader of the day took votes and the group came to a consensus that each of the Explorers would harvest enough wood to make a few tent pegs and then find the nearest location to carve, lunch, and play a round of Spider’s Web. Turning off-trail fifteen minutes up the logging road the boys found a quiet patch of second growth Cedar and Douglas Fir and got to work carving after we revisited our safety guidelines. The boys showed great focus and responsibility with their projects and ended up making some usable tent pegs.

After some lunch the group was ready to decompress with a round of Spider’s Web. Setting up the game course on a flat bench laden with a thicket of tangled Devil’s Club and Salmonberries between two steep ridgelines the boys started to sneak and crawl towards the food source. It turned out that the location was extremely difficult for the flies to reach the food source and had provided excellent vantage points from which the spider could hunt with ease.

Coming in covered with mud and bark after well over a half-hour we gathered up for a closing circle. The flies had failed to retrieve the food source. Games have the power to teach children in a way that adults often cannot. A major take-a-way from our game was the boy’s persistence and positive outlook in the face of adversity. The mentors asked the boys what it was like to face the daunting task of retrieving the food source in a hard to navigate location coupled with the ever-watchful eyes of the spider. They talked about how although they were discouraged at times or experienced discomfort their desire to problem solve and improve their techniques in order to best the spider outweighed the negatives and changed their outlook. They also mentioned that they were thankful for the challenge that the games and the spiders provided.

This display of maturity and depth of character is some new territory in the Black-tailed Deer and is powerful to witness. The mentors circled back to a concept that they had talked about in the group’s first year of the BEC regarding the route meaning of competition, “to trade courage”. Trading courage means giving your best to those you compete with. It means playing with honor and character, showing one another grace, compassion, kindness while challenging them build skills and problem solve.

Our mentors are thankful for all the support and encouragement that allows us to mentor, work at skills, and play games along your boys in the natural world. It is a pleasure to witness the group grows through experience in wisdom, connection, and as leaders.

For more pictures from our day together please visit the Black-tailed Deer photo album from the day.