We didn’t accomplish everything we planned to do on Saturday. The beautiful waterfall tucked into the lower reaches of Lookout Mountain? Not happening. That epic game of Spider’s Web that is always in the back of our minds? A victim of other priorities. Sounds like the outing was a bit of a bust, no?
Au contrare! An outing design element employed by Boys Explorers Club mentors is known as the 50/50 rule. We plan for the entire day, but anticipate that 50% of that plan will be sacrificed to such factors as the weather and, more important, the inspiration of the group. We don’t want to turn a blind eye to the interests and motivations of the boys so we can check a box on our plan. The plan was: carving; Spider’s Web; Hungry Hungry Marten; waterfall. We carved and played many very fun rounds of Hungry Hungry Marten and came away fairly well pleased with ourselves.
We achieved another important objective on Saturday as well. The Cave Dwellers have lots of experience with Boys Explorers Club culture. It’s time for them to take on more responsibility and to enjoy the associated freedoms. So we made a change; the mentors selected the Tribal Elder, who then assigned jobs and led a discussion of our plan for the day (see above). These tasks are usually handled by a mentor.
So, we layered up and off we went into the rain, looking for sticks that could be carved into digging sticks. We soon reached our “base camp” with materials on hand; while mentor Tim erected a tarp shelter, mentor Brian organized what turned out to be several fun games of Hungry Hungry Marten.
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| Steady rain for the first few hours of our day didn't dampen the Cave Dwellers' spirits. Here we get a look at our opening meeting, largely led by our Tribal Elder. |
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| Searching for sticks appropriate for crafting digging sticks, which can be your best friend when nature calls. |
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| What makes for a great Hungry, Hungry Marten location? A mix of natural cover and the fast access of the trail provided several strategic options for the "squirrels" trying to get to the tree protected by the Marten without being "eaten". In this case, the tree in the center of the photo, guarded by the Explorer in red, was excellent. |
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| Thanks to mentor Tim's tarp shelter, we were able to duck out of the rain for some serious carving. |
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| Great technique! Note how he has good balance, his legs are spread wide to avoid accidental slip cuts, and he's focused on his cut. Awesome work. |
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| The term "dry" is relative sometimes. |
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| Not sure what's happening here, to be honest. |
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| Oh, and several Explorers (and mentor Tim) had fun with a game called Ninja. |
Our trail blazing Tribal Leader suffered a few bumps as he adjusted the mantel of leadership looking for the best fit. As our motto points out: We’re All Teachers And all learners! It’s not “ARE you smart?” but “HOW are you smart?” Everyone has much to share, and we're all "smart" in a variety of ways. We draw upon Multiple Intelligence Theory in all our wanderings. Mistakes are teachers too! He’s to be congratulated for embracing the challenge and setting the bar forhis peers.
Note: The mentors were prepared for some soul-searching discussion of last week’s election results. We were prepared to frame our discussion in the spirit of another of our mottos - Build Bridges Not Walls Which are we building in how we speak and act toward others? We endeavor to create a culture of kindness and respect. "Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping them up." –J. Jackson However, the election wasn’t front of mind for the boys (as best we could ascertain) so we didn’t press it.
Photos here. This outing completed our fall season. Remember, though, that we're now operating on a full school year schedule. So, please mark your calendars for Sunday, February 12, 2017 for our winter outing. Not sure of the location and other details yet. Watch for a note with winter and spring schedule and local information and check the Cave Dweller web page for updates.
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