Black-Tailed Deer Build a Sturdy Shelter at North Galbraith Mountain Trailhead

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.

Black-Tailed Deer Explore the Rock Trail in the Rain

The Black-Tailed Deer arrived at the Rock Trail exited to reconnect and venture into the most challenging terrain they had explored yet. The boys circled up for the opening meeting where they met their new mentor, Adam Yost, as well as an Explorer who was new to the group. After introductions with a silly name game and some front loading of safety and orienting to the location the group was off. 

Before leaving the mentors explained that it was through their demonstration of responsibility and leadership over the last two years that allowed our mentors to feel comfortable exploring this location.

As we rounded the ridge line of Chuckanut Mountain the boys stopped at a set of over a hundred stairs carved downward straight into the side of the mountain. Traversing down the steps the group marveled at the skinny trail before them that skirted massive Sandstone cliffs. Following the trail they discovered a boulder field laden with Licorice Ferns, Sphagnum Moss, and Stone Crop draping over the boulders like blankets.

The group decided that this was a great place to stop and explore. Dropping their packs they scrambled on the boulders, lunched, and took a close look at a Pacific Tree Frog that hopped onto one of the boys rain jackets. After spending a half-hour in free exploration the mentors circled the group up so the leader of the day could help the group decide how to best use the rest of the time left in the outing.

Nestled under the umbrella-like needles of a Western Hemlock we circled up and the leader of the day took a crack at facilitating the discussion. We quickly realized that there were strong opinions amongst the members of the group. The mentors helped the boys understand that the first step in making a decision was to take all solutions from the group without evaluating them. After going around the circle the L.O.D found that there was three main suggestions on the table: head to the Sandstone caves, try and make it to the lake to explore, or find a place to play a game.

After taking a vote the majority of the group wanted to explore the caves as they felt that the two hours left before we needed to turn around wouldn’t leave enough time to explore the lake once we got there. Feeling that the decision was made the L.O.D. informed the group that we were going to the caves. The mentors interjected at this point that it was important to remember that decisions in Explorer Club are not made by majority, but through consensus and collaboration.

The minority of the group advocated for the lake and dug in their heels, bringing some members of the group to the verge of tears, discouragement, and dismay. The mentors pushed the group to stick with the process and find a place of consensus, and after twenty valuable minutes the group reached a collaborative decision. 

The mentors praised the group for their efforts; for engaging in what it means to be a community and for their perseverance and spirit of peace building. Parents please debrief this experience with your Explorer. We encourage you to ask them what it felt like to be part of that process and how they felt about the solution.

Heading out from the shelter of the Hemlocks we made our way down to the caves. Through the spirit of exploration and playfulness the group lifted the heavy energy of the circle as they crawled and climbed in the caves, seeing how many Explorers could fit in the largest one. It’s easy to see the growing comfort the boys feel in the landscape. Covered in Sandstone dust and soaking wet the group looked right at home.

After our allotted time at the caves the group made our way down the switch-backing trail to the lake with just enough time to get a view. Turning around for the 600 feet elevation gain the wind started to pick up. It was an important time to talk about staying hyper vigilant amidst side conversations as we pushed up the trail. After a summer of drought coupled with the fact that the deciduous trees still had their leaves increased their surface area and their left limbs and roots systems vulnerable to failure.

The boys did an excellent job of grasping the nettle as they mustered their energy up the trail. Circling up at the location where we had our opening meeting the group gave thanks and shared apples. Although challenging at times the group shared unanimous thanks for the rain that makes our landscape so rich and vibrant and the opportunity to venture out in this new location.

Parents please tell your Explorers thanks on behalf of Adam and I for bringing a strong start to our 2017-18 year. Also check in with your Explorer about the group’s proposed name change to the “Rain Deer”. This name change marks the Black-Tailed Deer’s ongoing tradition of embracing the wind and rain while on outings. We told the boys to write down any new name ideas for the group and bring them to the next outing.

For more pictures from the day please visit the Black-Tailed Deer photo album from our Rock Trail outing.

The Black Tailed Deer Spend a Windy Day at Lake Padden

Sunday’s outing with the Black-Tailed Deer was a powerful example that we are subject to our natural environment; that in order to thrive and explore in all of our wonderful and unique seasons we have to adapt and carefully track the land and weather.  March, much like November, is a windy month in Whatcom County due to the constant fluctuation between high and low pressure systems. 

As outdoor leaders we must be hyper vigilant in tracking the forecast, which often changes the night before or morning of our outings. As an organization we choose not to run outings in sustained winds of over 30 mph.

Parents we thank you for being flexible in the wake of shifting outing times on an already challenging day of springing our clocks forward an hour. As shepherds of the Explorers while on outings, it is our staff’s foremost task to care for the physical and emotional safety of the group.

As parents arrived at the Lake Padden parking lot, the Explorers headed out onto the baseball field to play a name game with our new Boys EC Mentor, Bobby Faller. Once the group was acquainted we held an opening circle. The Mentors explained to the group that a powerful storm, forecasted to bring gusts of winds up to 70 mph, was building and would be arriving from the south a few hours after the end of our outing. 

Taking a moment to track back to our first fall season together, the group remembered being out in the pouring rain at Arroyo Park and having to be preventative in order to stay warm and dry. Since every Explorer is a leader on our outings it was everyone’s job to embrace two of our mottos, Be Prepared and Be Here Now. Being Prepared meant being ready at a moments notice to gather our stuff and head for the field; Being Here Now meant that even though we’d play games and have fun we needed to keep an awareness of the strength of the wind and what direction it was coming from at all times.

The mentors empowered the group, explaining that the advantage of being at a location like Lake Padden was that we had the ability to skirt the fringes of the woods and come back to the field and shelters if the wind picked up.

Turing our attention towards the outing we went over our skill for the season, The Art of Harvest: Plants. Passing out jobs for the day the boys were tasked with finding a patch of harvestable Stinging Nettle to make tea at the end of the day. 

After we revisited a little group culture the boys had been sitting for almost twenty minutes and had become quite unfocused and antsy. The mentors challenged the boys to hold their focus for a little bit longer.

Breaking our circle we headed past the Dog Park and arrived at a junction in the trail. Circling up our tribal elder for the day facilitated a quick group decision and we headed up towards off leash dog area. The calm before the storm was pleasant and the sights and smells of spring were abundant. Hiking along we checked out the flowering Salmonberries and Indian Plum and marveled at the young Swamp Cabbage pushing it’s way up through the wetlands. Doug Fir branches blanketed the forest floor, remnants of the previous storm. It was powerful for the group to realize that this event had only happened three days prior to our outing.

The boys called out for a game of Spider’s Web in a valley next to the wetland, but mentors reminded the group that we wanted to find our Nettle patch first in case we had to leave the woods early. Once the boys found out that Nettles grew in moist soil in area with plenty of light they quickly navigated to a small stream nearby. Sure enough we found a healthy patch of nettles and filled our stove pot. Before we harvested the mentors helped the group identify Stinging Nettle’s characteristics: a tooth or serrated leaf edge, a heart shaped leaflet, and a opposite branching structure. The group was allowed to harvest with two caveats, first that we only took 25% of the patch that we found, leaving some for other animals and some to go to seed for future seasons; second that we never harvest or eat something in Explorers club without talking to a mentor. The boys got familiar with the Stinging Nettle’s greatest defense, Formic Acid, ouch!

The boys snacked, rehydrated, and headed back down to play a game of Spider’s Web. As we set up the course we revisited the rules and got our gear ready in case we needed to leave. The group agreed to play with honor and spread out over the course disappearing into the underbrush. For a solid forty-five minutes the boys crawled and sneaked through the Vine Maples and Salmonberry until we felt a gentle breeze blow through the trees, which then gradually started to strengthen.

Giving a crow call the group met at our backpacks and headed for the field. As we left the woods the sky opened up and it started to pour. The group had lunch under one of the picnic shelter and tried to wait out the downpour. We waited to no avail and eventually decided to embrace the rain and play a few field games to warm up. We laughed and ran until the rain relented and the wind started back up. The boys took a fifteen-minute sit spot next to the lake and watched the American Coots and Mallard Ducks take refuge near the grassy wind blinds on the shoreline.

Calling the group back in a few of the boys had been investigating a clay deposit on the edges of the lake and were completely covered from head to toe with mud. Feeling the inspiration the group, mentors included, embraced the weather and went slipping and sliding in the mud. Our Nettle tea had reached a boil and we gathered under the shelter to share apples and have a circle of thanks. The mentors praised the group for Grasping the Nettle and exploring safely on the fringes of the storm. Through their courage, awareness, and ability to push back a little discomfort the Explorers embraced the weather and made a powerful start to their first spring season as a group.

For more photos from the day please visit the Black-Tailed Deer photo album.

BEC: Black Tailed Deer See Salmon at Arroyo Park

Heavy rainfall and high winds are characteristic of the fall season here in Bellingham, and we have certainly seen our fair share of it this autumn. Indeed, the weather can change dramatically from one hour to the next.  Of course, we welcome this much-needed moisture as we recover from an unusually dry summer here in the Pacific Northwest, however, it does bring with it some challenges.

The forecast for the day of our exploration included the possibility of high winds and heavy rainfall.  Therefore, our opening circle was centered on a discussion of what kind of hazards high winds and rains bring to the forest how to survive in this kind of weather.  We reminded ourselves to be on the look out for widow makers.  We also discovered later in the day how to find dry wood in a forest that seems completely soaked.  We decided that if it got too windy in Arroyo Park, we would head to Fairhaven Park and play games in the open field.

After our opening circle we made our way down to the foot bridge that crosses Chuckanut Creek where we met Hunter who was showing up a little later than the rest of us. We were grateful that Hunter got to join us for the rest of the exploration; it is always more fun to explore with ALL of the Black Tailed Deer!  Here we got to explore the creek for a while. We discovered how slippery some rocks and logs can be and some of us ended up getting a little more wet than we intended.  This allowed for important lessons about clothing and reiterated how cold wet, cotton fabrics can make you.  We discovered the advantages if synthetic materials that dry quickly and wool that still keeps you warm even when it is soaked!

Steve pointed out an American Dipper and we got to see how it ‘dances’ as it hops and flies from creek boulder to creek boulder.  We even got to see it take a bath! We knew that this was the season for chum salmon and we kept an eye out for these important fish for the rest of the day.

We meandered along the trail that follows Chuckanut creek upstream and played a few fun games of hide along the way.  We got to an amazing fallen old growth cedar tree that had become a bridge across the creek. As we crossed the log, the new vantage point enabled us to see into the stream more clearly (think of an eagle that searches for fish high above the water’s surface) and we got to see some chum salmon coming up the creek! As a group, we watched them make their way through the swift current to find a good place to spawn.  Watching these salmon undertake such a difficult task at the very end of their lives was quite exciting and inspiring!

We then made our way back toward N. Chuckanut trailhead to meet our parents at the cars.  Along the way we got to stop at Cougar Rock, described by one of our own Black Tailed Deer as, “a nature made playground,” and it certainly was.  We scampered up and down the large rock that we learned was put there thousands of years ago by a glacier.

Luckily, the forecasted wind never came and we were able to spend the whole day in this magical gorge.  Seeing the salmon was a great surprise and we got to spend lots of time following our natural urge to play in these woods that we are so lucky to call our backyard.