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.

The Black-Tail Deer Traverse Galby Lane to Lake Padden

The Black-Tailed Deer 2016-17 year kicked off with a traverse from Galby Lane to Lake Padden. Once we had all arrived the group headed into the woods in search of a location big enough to hold an opening meeting that was also dog poop free. Looking around the circle their was some new members of our group. The Explorers introduced themselves to one another and our guest mentor for the day Holly Rodger. Holly explained that she was covering for a new mentor named Jedidiah and that she is the coordinator of our Community Programs and a mentor for the Girls Explorers Club.

Recognizing the groups need to revisit our Explorers Club culture the mentors asked the group to think about the vital questions we ask each other before embarking on any exploration:

• What are the hazards of this location?
• What do you do if you get lost?
• What animals and plants might we encounter?
• How should we treat our fellow group members?
• What can we do to respect the place where in?
• What is our plan for the day?

Once our minds were oriented to our location the mentors explained our plan for the day and framed the skill for the Fall, Navigation. For the next three outings the group would be undergoing a series of traverses. Once the group was familiar with the nature of a traverse we handed out the jobs we would need along the way. Our Explorer Club jobs are not only ones that are required of an expedition team, they also model the interdependency we share as a group and with our natural environment.

Handing the map to our Front Scout we opened it and found our location in the South Lake Padden forest. Pulling out a compass one of the boys learned to hold their hand out flat and take a reading on which direction was North. Pairing their bearing with the map they shifted North on the map to align with North on the compass. The mentors explained that the map was now oriented with the landscape.

Quickly the boys realized there were two different way to get to our pick-up location. Looking at the topography lines and mile marker lines on the map the boys determined that one route was much longer and involved lots of elevation gain and the other was shorter and had a few interesting natural history features along the way.

Our Tribal Elder for the day circled the group up and led them in the group decision-making process. After taking a vote the group was mostly in consensus about which trail they were going to navigate, but a few wanted to take the longer route. After going around the circle and listening to the reason for each decision the group collaborated and compromised, deciding that they might go less distance on the shorter route, but would be able to explore more of the surrounding area.  

Before we headed out one of the boys revealed a feather he had found lying next to him. Examining the feather one of the boys identified it as a Woodpecker. Holly pointed out the white spots near the base and the sharp point at the end of the feather. Holly went on to explain that this point acts similarly to the tree spikes an Arborist uses to scale a tree, allowing in our case the Downy or Hairy Woodpecker to balance as it excavates the cavities in dead trees. What a cool natural history find!

Hiking down the trail the boys searched for Pileated Woodpecker cavities in trees while playing rounds of an Explorer Club favorite game of Hide! South Lake Padden has beautiful ecology; the group passed through stall stands of Western Hemlock, Grand Fir, Western Red Cedar, and Doug Fir. The mentors let the group know that one way we could tell this forest was a little older was by the amount of dead snags that stood throughout the forest. Looking at some of them closer the boys started to notice the stages of decomposition throughout the forest. Calling the group over the boys examined a Douglas Fir stump for fatwood (resin impregnated grains wood inside stumps that are resilient to rot) and learned that it could make excellent fire starter in a survival situation.

Coming to a junction in the trail the boys found a map of our location on small sign attached to trail marker. Orienting the map the boys used the cardinal direction to stay on their chosen traverse route. Arriving at lunch rock the group hydrated and refueled while we played a few rounds of an advanced form of Hide called Eagle’s Eye. They boys had a great time and didn’t want to leave. The mentors reminded them that we were on a traverse and need to keep better awareness of our location to the parent pick up spot.

Heading down the trail we made a few more group navigation decisions and found a giant downed Western Hemlock. Immediately the boys started to climb all over it and the mentor stopped the group reminding them to keep safety in their minds as they scaled the tall root mass. Walking the trunk of the tree over a wetland the boys navigated without touching the ground using a network of downed trees. Simultaneously we heard a Raven croakus call overhead as if marveling at our behavior. If flew right over us allowing the boys to see it large wingspan and fanned tail.

The group grew tired as we began to get closer to the Lake Padden. Stopping to look at a Maple that made an umbrella over the trail mentor Steve explained to the group the difference between Vine Maple and a Big Leaf Maple. He went on to explain that Vine Maples were extremely strong and he had used them before to ascend trail avalanche gullies in North Cascades. Hanging off of the thickest trunk the Vine Maple halfway uprooted and hung over the trail as a perfect clothesline for a oncoming biker.

The group worked for a half and hour to try and pull each section of the Vine Maple off of the trail while holding it up for oncoming trail traffic. They even enlisted the help of a fellow hiking group, but in the end all the group’s applied physics and might, couldn’t move the tree. Tying a Wild Whatcom bandana around the tree the group left the situation as best we could until the mentors were able to return with a pack saw.

Already five minutes late the group circled up and gave some thanks. The boys expressed gratitude for reconnecting with their group members, for the challenge of the traverse, for games and food, for new members and guest mentors, and for watching their mentor struggle with the puzzle of the Vine Maple incident (who in turn expressed his gratitude for humility and learning right along side of the boys).

The Black-Tailed Deer really stepped up this outing, improving their interpersonal communication and ability to speak their truths when needed. Our mentors are thankful for a strong start to our 2016-17 year and for supportive and caring families that make up this group.

For more photos from the day please visit this photo album.