What a great day to be outside! Under sunny skies and a warm southerly wind, Raccoon Kits met with Mentors atop the famous Sehome Arboretum to learn the
Foundations of Service in Explorers Club. We welcomed Nick, who volunteered his afternoon with us, and together we tromped into the forest open to anything that arrived for us.
Five minutes into our hike we were faced with a challenge-- which way should we go? Seemed like a great chance for Alden to take charge as the Tribal Elder and help the group facilitate a decision about going towards the road or taking “the trail to nowhere.” Why Alden? He was in the front of the group at the time!
Christian led the group as front scout and Avi settled into the back scout position. Sandwiched by responsible Explorers, we walked downward toward the deer sleeping areas. Because we had a hard time finding a big enough flat space to hold opening meeting, eventually we doubled back and came BACK towards the road to a place conducive for our meeting needs.
Boys were quick to volunteer themselves to have jobs for the day: Chase B and Elliot were the Knowledge Keepers, Mason and Chase N were our Earth Keepers, Gunnar was the Hunter Gatherer, Finnegan served as Medicine Man, and Rowan held the important paperwork as the TTTPP. Levi was being funny in his refusal to volunteer so he was dubbed the Court Jester for the day. He took the position seriously and made us all laugh on a couple of occasions! Please ask your Explorer about his job and what he did for the group.
Upon finding ourselves back at the cave, we saw that there was service to be done. Bigleaf Maples abounded with a lot of ivy growing up their sides. Raccoon Kits were quick to identify that ivy can crawl up trees, adding extra weight and even growing over the trees’ leaves. In order to help the trees grow, we had to kill the ivy.
This is an interesting concept to teach. What is an invasive species? What is a weed? What plants are “good” or “bad”? In Explorers Club, we have a hard time distinguishing good from bad. The example we shared was about Himalayan Blackberries. Considered an invasive species or a weed, boys were also quick to share they enjoyed eating the berries! With the good/bad line somewhat cloudy, we brought up another perspective to shine some light on the situation: Balance.
Mentors shared about balance in an ecosystem. Plants that we consider “invasive” may simply be out of balance. Though they grow fine in the Pacific Northwest, we also champion the original or native species. So, though our service, we work to restore the balance of the ecosystem so that the natives can flourish without being overwhelmed by the invasives. Balance is the aim, not destruction or killing of “bad” things. As such, the Irish Ivy, commonly mistaken as English Ivy, lost its hold on our Sehome deciduous population as Explorers learned how to remove it.
When we finished up our work, Nick shared with us a great autumn pastime: catching falling leaves! Boys took tumbles and dove for falling leaves and “helicopter seed pods” as the wind loosened their hold on the trees.
Then the most special thing happened. Matt shared his sit spot with us. We journeyed toward that sacred ground and Matt showed the Raccoon Kits where he has spent nearly four years studying the natural world. We all saw and climbed into the dry and cozy debris shelter where Matt has spent the night outside. Then we sat captivated, eating our snacks, as he shared a story about the raccoon family that came to visit him in the very spot we were sitting! Thank you Matt for getting to know this land and bringing the Raccoon Kits to share the space. It is a special opportunity that will inspire us all to respect the power of our sit spot.
We raced back uphill to have our closing meeting. With an
Attitude of Gratitude, we gave thanks and shared apples together. Then we sleuthed our way back through the forest and through the final sandstone cave to meet our parents who welcomed us with open arms.
Explorers thank you for such respectful attitudes and strong service ethics you formed today. It was inspiring to see you working to restore balance to the Sehome Arboretum. Also, the way you explored, played, and listened at Matt’s sit spot was truly inspiring for us Mentors.
Parents, thank you for encouraging these Explorers in their nature connection journey. Your support of the Explorers Club is important and we appreciate it very much.
Please look at more pictures from this outing in the
photo gallery. And make sure to have the boys bring enough warm clothes and rain gear (and maybe even a Thermos with warm drink or soup!) for the
next outing at Whatcom Falls Park on November 2nd. Have a great month!
Wow, what a great outing. The stars seemed to align and bless us with a beautifully sunny day for the Raccoon Kits final outing of the 2014 Fall Season. After all the boys arrived, we kicked things off with a nice hike up the ridge into the Sehome Arboretum. With the earth skill focus for the fall season being shelter building, it was important for these boys to get one last shot at building a top notch debris hut. While traveling along the trail the boys made sure to keep an eye out for any promising shelter locations. This involved quite a bit of group decision making to ensure we found the perfect spot. On multiple occasions we had to circle up and figure out which way our explorations were going to take us. The difference between the beginning of the season and this outing 
was like night and day. Both mentors were thoroughly impressed at the Raccoon Kits ability to form a circle, take turns sharing where they wanted to go and why, taking a quick vote, and making sure everyone was satisfied with the decision that was made. There were even a few compromises that were bargained out amongst the boys, but it was all executed in an efficient and timely fashion (a far cry from our first outing this season!).
Soon enough we found ourselves meandering along a small game trail that led us right up to an amazing outcropping of large sandstone boulders jutting out of the hillside. The boulders had nice flat surfaces sloping downward and must have appeared an awful lot like slides to the boys because in a matter of seconds they had their packs off and were clamoring atop the boulders only to slide down and do it all over again. The boulders seemed like as good as any spot to set up base camp and begin scouting a nice location to construct a shelter. After a lengthy series of HIDE games and some perusing the vicinity, the boys came across the ideal shelter location. Putting all they’ve learned from previous outings to use, they found a flat area, tucked up under a young cedar tree and well away from any deciduous trees that might drop a limb or two on a blustery day. We fanned out looking for Y-Sticks and a solid Backbone to begin the framework of our shelter. Working together the boys discovered that many hands make light work. Before they knew it we had our Y-Sticks interlocked supporting the Backbone and a good amount of ribs to finish of the framework. But as the boys were out gathering materials, a familiar sound began permeating from the forest just down the trail. Yep, it was another group of explorers!
After greeting the other group and saying hello to a buddy here or there, we all decided it would be fun to play one big game of Spiders Web with both groups together. The boys quickly realized that Spiders Web with so many people can get tricky. There are quite a few intricacies to the rules that are easily overlooked with so many new faces around and friends to make laugh. Despite a couple disputes here or there, it was overall a successful game and much was learned. We debriefed some of the challenges we encountered while playing, and talked about playing with honor and finding motivation to challenge yourself to keep trying even if someone else may be stretching the rules to gain an advantage.
Alas, it was time for the other group to move on, and for the Raccoon Kits to put some finishing touches on their shelter. Luckily a couple fresh Douglas Fir bows fallen nearby in the days leading up to this outing and their soft needled branches offered plentiful materials for insulation. Each boy got a chance to get into the shelter and imagine what it would be like to sleep in it over night. But as our outing was drawing to an end, there was some important business to take care of.
With our last outing of the season almost over, it was important to take some time to reflect on all that had happened and begin anticipating our next season together. Each boy took a turn sharing their favorite part of the season, something that was especially challenging for them this season, and what they’re looking forward to most next season. Some fond memories resurfaced and the boys learned that they may get to begin learning the Art of Carving next spring. More stories were shared, apples were eaten, and it was time to head back down to the parking lot. A posse of parents awaited us, ready to shuttle the boys off, but instead all the boys decided they weren’t done playing and had to get some more dirt time in playing on the mulch mounds. It was great to see these boys so eager to play with one another even after being together for four hours straight. This season showed much promise for these Raccoon Kits. There was so much growth individually, and as a group, that we are all eagerly anticipating our next season together and all the adventures that await us in the future.