The Cave Dwellers kicked off their 2017/18 year of Explorers
Club with a traverse from Civic Field to Bloedel Donovan. Utilizing the
tremendous Interurban Trail system we cruised along beside Whatcom Creek,
following it upstream to Whatcom Falls Park. During the first part of our
outing we paused at a bridge over the creek to discuss which creek we were
following, where the headwaters were and where it ends, and what the
significance of this creek was to the residents of Bellingham. We found a good
location under a stand of spruce trees to hold opening circle and play a few
games of HIDE. Another interesting thing we discovered in the early portion of
our outing was at least four separate rodents that had presumably been run over
by bikes. This seemed like a strange thing and was a good murder mystery for us
to ponder while we walked along the trail (be
warned the Cave Dwellers requested photographic evidence of the crime scenes so
be prepared when you look at the photo album!).
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| Looking downstream above Whatcom Creek |
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| Gathering for opening circle |
Following Whatcom Creek we soon arrived in the ever
magnificent Whatcom Falls Park. It is always astounding how such a beautiful
expanse of forest is able to remain in the middle of a bustling city, but we
are forever grateful for those who had the foresight to save this gem of nature
for future generations. However, due to the proximity to urbanization, we
continuously found ourselves stopping to take care of our jobs as Earth Keepers
by picking up litter as we found it. Although we are careful to avoid any
hazardous trash like broken glass, dog poop bags, etc. we still managed to fill
two grocery bags full of trash and even then had to stop picking up garbage as
we no longer had a way to carry it out. We did however figure out that the
further we got away from roads, trails, and the perimeter of the park, we found
substantially less trash. This was good news for us as it was time to play Spider’s
Web!
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| A lone fly stuck on the web waiting to get waved off |
Finding a nice valley full of Sword Ferns, Vine Maple, Red
Huckleberry, and even a stand of Devil’s Club, we had the perfect arena for our
game. Despite a strong effort from a predatory spider that cruised around the
playing field relentlessly, the flies made a strong push to get the food
source. As the game drew to an end, the flies got the food source back to
within 50 yards of the web before the game clock ran out. This was an
impressive feet for the flies, and a strong showing from the spider who tried
to win instead of settle for a stalemate.
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| Taking a dip in the creek before heading to Bloedel for pick up |
With our game out of the way we pushed along the trail to
find a place to go for a swim. Despite the fall weather, this group was set on
getting in the water. Luckily the sun came out and offered some warmer weather
as we splashed around in the creek. Some of the group who decided not to go
swimming took on the mission of catching a crayfish. After being unsure how to
accomplish this, ingenuity and creativity prevailed as a spindly Snowberry
branch with a bit of pepperoni stick tied on the end proved to be an effective
crayfish catcher.
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| Gathering around to try and catch the crayfish |
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| Success! |
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| Time for a close up before letting the crayfish go back into the creek |
Finally, with our time running short, we gathered for
closing circle sharing thanks and apples. We had to hoof it back along the
trail to make it to Bloedel. Despite being a bit late, parents were happy to
see the Cave Dwellers return with smiles on their faces and plenty of fond
memories from this day. Although we didn’t get to our Earth Skills focus of
learning how to properly gather water and treat it for drinking, we managed to
have a great time. It was great to see the Cave Dwellers get back into the
rhythm of exploring together, playing games, and making the most of the
opportunities presented to them. This was a strong beginning to the year and we
are excited to see what else we have in store for the fall.
Make sure to check out the rest of our photos from the day
here!
