The Raccoon Kits have a new name - They are now the Cave Dwelling, Hairy-Legged Vampire Bats! Say that 5 times fast! The mentors will no doubt refer to them as the Cave Dwellers for short. Last Spring, the boys decided they weren’t kits (babies) any longer, having been an Explorers Club group for 2 fall and 2 spring seasons. They had recently found a cool cave on Galbraith Mountain. You can imagine how it developed from there.
After deciding this in our opening meeting, we proceeded the “back way” from the N. Chuckanut trailhead parking lot in search of salmon inChuckanut Creek. We’re the Explorers Club - why take the established trail when you can explore your way to your destination, right? Well, the trail soon splintered into bushwhacking, following the creek in search of a place to cross so we could pick up that established trail. Funny thing, our beloved November storms have worked their magic; our “bridge” (log across the creek) was under fast moving water so we couldn’t even contemplate crossing there. We searched further, picking through thick underbrush that included WAY too much Devil’s Club, but the only other crossing we considered we decided was unsafe. So, after an hour or so of our “shortcut”, we were faced with a somewhat gut-wrenching decision. Do we press on, further stretching our edge to conquer this unexpectedly challenging route? Or is it wiser to retrace our steps to the trail we know will lead us to our goal, the salmon struggling upstream? Tim and I didn’t plan this into our outing outline, but we welcome any opportunity to work with the explorers to deal with the unexpected. In this case, we employed the STOP
(Stop, Think, develop Options, make a Plan) model for handling difficult situations in the wild. Strung along a hillside while peering through the underbrush, we quickly discussed our two options and decided to turn back. The Cave Dwelling, Hairy-Legged Vampire Bats were disappointed, but showed they’re earning the name change as they reacted with good spirit to our decision.
Our planned skills work for the outing was our final shelter building exercise for the fall, but the explorers had done their work for the day with all that bushwhacking so the mentors scratched that element of the plan and presented a second decision as we had lunch - proceed straightaway to a game of Spider’s Web or check out the salmon and then play the game. This time, we were sitting comfortably along a creek not far from the trailhead, so Tim and I simply asked our Tribal Elder for the day to lead the decision process toward consensus. Most of the Cave Dwellers wanted to hike to the salmon run first, but we had a dissenting opinion. Following our flow of asking for input, discussing pros and cons, putting it to a vote and resolving differences to reach consensus, the Tribal Elder managed the process with little input from the mentors, another sign of maturation that supports relinquishing the group’s original name.
Our new course set, we hiked the “regular” trail to Arroyo Park where we were excited to see several salmon struggling against the swift-moving creek on their way to spawn. A few Cave Dwellers wanted to catch a fish but were thwarted as their prey’s focus on that next jump drew him/her away from the muddy shore. I wouldn’t have put money on all the boys coming away without getting soaked in the stream, but that is just how it turned out.
A mental check of our plan (current version!) prompted us to move back up the trail in search of a proper Spider’s Web course. We found our spot and set up the playing field as rain began to fall. Contrary to the weather forecast, we had sidestepped rain to this point. Hundreds of dripping ferns and numerous fallen trees provided so much cover for stealthy flies that the spider had lots of trouble identifying them, but that didn’t stop him from calling us all out repeatedly. Several of us got close, but none close enough as the rain intensified.
The outing had an odd emotional flow to it. We were excited to finally select a name that spoke to our shared
experience and the explorers’ growing capabilities; our bushwhacking was first thrilling then disappointing; watching the salmon was humbling as they followed their instincts with all their energy; the game of Spider’s Web was a bit unsatisfying as we got “this close” to the prize only to be turned away. You could say it was a little slice of life, I guess. Through it all, though, the Cave Dwellers embraced change and faced both the good and bad with maturity beyond their years.
experience and the explorers’ growing capabilities; our bushwhacking was first thrilling then disappointing; watching the salmon was humbling as they followed their instincts with all their energy; the game of Spider’s Web was a bit unsatisfying as we got “this close” to the prize only to be turned away. You could say it was a little slice of life, I guess. Through it all, though, the Cave Dwellers embraced change and faced both the good and bad with maturity beyond their years.
Our Fall schedule concluded with this outing. The mentors are looking forward to more fun and growth come Spring! Check here for the rest of the photos from our day.
Join us for the Co-op's Community Shopping Day - Saturday, November 21. Shop for Thanksgiving – or just grocery shop at either Coop and 2% of total sales that day will be donated to Wild Whatcom.
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