The Cave Dwellers old growth immersion 5/20/18

We never did see the top of the Douglas Fir…or of several other old growth trees. It’s not that they’re so tall the tops aren’t visible; rather, the canopy blocks your view of the treetops, and of the sky, for that matter, to a large extent. 

We were able to take some measurements that will give you a sense of the size of that particular tree, though. We had a 25’ tape measure which made it MOST of the way around the fir’s base. So we added an Explorer’s 5+ foot wingspan and were able to touch. We estimated the tree’s girth at 29.5’! For you football fans, that’s 6” short of a first down! Know someone who’s 6’ tall? Lay 5 of that person end to end and you can wrap her/him/them around the tree (please don’t try this at home…).

Circumference - 29.5', divided by 3.14 (pi) = 9.4' diameter

I tried to engage the math fans in the group to estimate the tree’s height but I was competing against something more elemental, something visceral. They mostly wanted to climb onto fallen logs (some of which were much taller, on their sides, than the tallest among us, 6’ tall mentor Adam). A few of these Explorers have been known to modify popular children’s songs with math-related lyrics, their interest is so strong, but the one Explorer I could entice to measure the tree was clearly drawn to his peer’s log climbing while stretched around the fir.

We didn't measure the diameter on this behemoth, but....

The preferred route...to wherever

Ain't that great! Upon "de-bussing", he, and they, were immediately “beamed” to that place where nature connection is unavoidable. The mentors had planned a few structured activities, such as the tree measurement, but we quickly realized the action was waiting for us in this precious, preserved old-growth place. So we encouraged the climbing, log walking, and general unstructured immersion. 

That's the kind of attention for which we're striving!

Adam and I observed an interesting phenomenon related to two structured activities we offered the Explorers: an ecology quiz and an ecological scavenger hunt. The boys did well on the quiz, which required recall of science material from school. They were somewhat less authentic in their approach to the scavenger hunt, however. We asked them to search, in pairs, for examples of a single organism, a photosynthetic autotroph, evidence of plant disease or insect damage, and more (5 items from a list of about 25). They mostly were stationary and again used recall rather than walking around to observe. My challenge with subsequent groups at this unique place is to better bridge the intellectual and experiential!

Well, that outing marks the end of the Cave Dwellers’ 2017-18 year. The boys have coalesced into a high-functioning cohort as we hope all groups will. Next year, we stretch their edges further with higher level skills and more physically demanding outings. Have a great summer…see you in the fall.

Photo gallery.

CD snow fun day! 2/24/18; Deming Eagle Park

The big trees, heavy with wet snow, waited patiently for our curious minds. When you’ve been standing there 500 years, give or take, what’s another hour? Notes a fact sheet from the Pacific Northwest Research Station, “No other forest has an entire group of tree species that equals the Pacific Northwest forest for their size and long lives.”

So much to look forward to as we motored along 542 in Merkel, one of Wild Whatcom’s trusty buses. We planned to try three ways to estimate the height of a tree; to study decomposition (see The Unseen World of the Fallen Tree, enclosed with Outing Report email); to examine the interrelationships among plants, mammals, birds, fungi, and more in the old growth ecosystem. Our day was to strike at the heart of Wild Whatcom’s purpose, “Connect and protect”.

“The best laid plans of mice and men…” 

As the sound of snow splashing up against Merkel’s underside grew more frequent, mentors Tim and Brian pulled the bus into a gas station to assess the risk of continuing east and decided, taking our cue from a few Boys Explorers Club mottos: “Safety first” and “Turn problems into possibilities” to double back to the Deming Homestead Eagle Preserve along the Nooksack for an impromptu day of snow play!

Among nature’s charms are its transformative simplicity and elegance. A few inches of fresh snow saw a cohort of Cave Dwellers and a few mentors morph into a scrum of snow fort-building, snowball-launching wild things. Strategies were devised and quickly abandoned; rules agreed and soon ignored; truces negotiated and reinterpreted. 

A break for lunch and then a game of Snootball (Snow-football), a testament to human ingenuity and childhood exuberance. Finally, hot chocolate and mini-marshmallows. 

We didn’t get to explore that special place but we were flexible and the boys enjoyed a dose of nature deficit disorder medicine — free time in the snow along our beloved Nooksack River.

Schedule notes:

• We have a lot going on in March. We return to Connelly Creek for service on Sunday, the 11th. 
• The following Sunday, March 18, will see us back on the bus to head up to Mt. Baker for our rescheduled snow cave outing.
• For our last outing of the year, on Sunday, May 20, I’ve replaced our planned N. Galbraith Mountain outing with a second attempt to get out to the Old Growth patch along 542. I’m confident the trees will wait. It should be spectacular in May!

Photo gallery here.