The Black-tailed Deer learn Shelter-Building with the Gray Wolves at Stewart Mountain

The Black-tailed Deer met at the North Lake Whatcom Trailhead ready for a day of shelter building, but were a quickly confused to find elder Explorers being dropped of at the same location. The group learned that the Gray Wolves would be joining them for the first half of their skills outing to teach them how to build shelters. Circling up in a large group the boys introduced themselves and played a large game of All My Friends to break the ice.

Before heading out the mentor’s front loaded that with over twenty-five of us exploring together we needed to be considerate of other park users on the trail and mind our volume level. A mentor let the group know that he knew of a location where Whatcom County Parks had been clearing lots of Big Leaf Maple and Alder in order to expand the Chanterelle Trail. The new Chanterelle trail connects with the Wickersham Truck Trail that ascends Stewart Mountain and offers spectacular views of Lake Whatcom, the Salish Sea, and the Olympic Mountains.

Closing our opening meeting the group headed up the steep trail towards our shelter location. It turned out that the Gray Wolves were speedy hikers and the Black-Tailed Deer did an excellent job of keeping up with them without complaint.

Arriving at the shelter location the group plopped down and ate some lunch. The BTD figured that some calories and a few sips of water would bring the focus that they needed to engage with the shelter-building task. This type of tracking is exciting to see as a mentor because it means that the boys are beginning to listen to their bodies and learning to anticipate their needs.

While the group lunched the Gray Wolves got out their knives and spent some time carving. The BTD really gravitated towards this skill and asked when they would be able to engage in it. The mentors explained that the Gray Wolves had put in the time and effort to learn the preliminary skills associated with carving as well as demonstrated that they were ready to hold this large responsibility.

Circling up one of the mentors explained that finding a shelter building location that is close to building materials, life sustaining resources, and in a safe location was the first critical step in building a survival shelter, and an often overlooked step in the process. After a helpful story about a famous wilderness traveler named Tom Brown learning to build shelters as a child by watching a squirrel construct it’s nest the group was oriented and ready to begin.

Breaking apart into two groups with mixed ages the boys began to search for two Y-sticks that would form the entrance to the shelter and make a platform for the ridgepole upon which the mass of the shelter would rest. The boys found a ridgepole that was one and a half times as long as the Explorer’s and placed it. They then started to position the shelter’s ribs, weaving dead Sword Fern and downed Western Hemlock branches into the gaps.

Building shelters is a great time to talk with the Explorers about our principles of harvesting from the forest. In a true survival situation one might take whatever resources necessary to sustain themselves, but our shelter-building skill outings are focused on learning and practicing this skill, which is why mentors are much more careful about what we allow Explorers to take from the land. If your Explorer(s) are looking to continue practicing this skill logging lands in the fall are great places to start, by utilizing dead and downed materials.

Once the basic structure of the shelters were in place the group got to gathering fallen Big Leaf Maple leaves to pile on top of each one. To build a waterproof shelter there needs to be three feet of debris on all sides of their shelter as well as on the inside. The boys devised a creative way to gather the leaves by tying their jacket sleeves together and using them as baskets. When we reached our stopping point the boys had roughly a foot and a half of leaves on their shelter, but regardless of their progress it was time to put their creations to the test.

Each group had a chance to present their shelter construction and share some of the powers and challenges in building it. After their presentation one brave Explorer climbed into each shelter and a few boys poured some of their water bottles over the top. Although most of the water splashed off the Explorers both got a little wet. Looks like the Gray Wolves and the Black-tailed Deer still need some practice!

After packing up our gear the groups did an excellent job of dispersing their materials and trying to minimize their impact. Way to go Explorers!

Waving goodbye to the group the BTD headed a little further up the Chanterelle trail in search of a viewpoint. A little tired and hungry the group decided to turn around and made a group decision to hoof it down the logging road and stop by the power line clearing for a view along the way, and then ending their day playing a round of Spider’s Web in the lowland Cedar grove by the parking lot.

It turned out that this location was one of the best locations the group had ever come across for a game of Spider’s Web. The Sword Ferns were so tall that the group could crawl on their bellies through the entire length of the course without being seen. Boys and mentors both would pop up from their hiding spot confused about their current location because they had been crawling for so long. This left the hungry spider with the advantage and he quickly stuck them to his web. Our game was fun, exciting, challenging, and ended the day on a high note.

Circling up we shared our thanks and the group reflected on how they had enjoyed sharing their outing and learning from the Gray Wolves. Opportunities for tiered mentoring within our program affords much need connection time between age ranges that often do not get the opportunity. These moments call for leadership, investment, and modeling from the Elder Explorers and encourage the Youngers to aim beyond the target, stretch their edges, and embrace our Explorers Club culture.

Our mentors are thankful for the eventful and rich experience that our day together provided and we appreciate all the support and encouragement we receive from our EC families.

For more pictures from the Black-Tailed Deer Stewart Mountain outing please visit the photo album from the day.