Raccoon Kits ponder a name change

The last time you found yourself stranded in the woods, searching for whatever you could find to help you survive the night in the cold and rain…and you found a shoelace in your pocket, I bet you didn’t think to cut it up and leave “bread crumbs” to mark your trail! Or how about using it to hang your food where a bear couldn’t get it….or, get this, as a shoelace, should one of yours fail!

Each of these ideas and several more were generated out of a survival activity we did on our Fragrance Lake outing. The Raccoon Kits were divided into three groups: each group was given a shoelace and asked how they might put it to good use in a survival situation. Other ideas: secure the frame of an earth shelter; build a snare to catch dinner; create a bow drillkit to make a fire, and more. Very resourceful!

Resourcefulness is a key characteristic when in survival mode. Keeping a cool head is one of the most difficult things to do in that situation; the Raccoon Kits showed the capacity to think on their feet. I, for one, was surprised and pleased at their responses.

The reason we  were able to put the boys into small groups for this activity was that we had an embarrassment of riches when it comes to group leaders. Wyatt is a student in Environmental Ed. at Western and joined us as a volunteer mentor as part of his course work. Jordan and Adrian are part of the Vespula Veterans, one of the oldest Boys Explorers Club groups. They were along as Explorers Club Mentor Apprentices (EMAs). Tim and I scrambled to make the best use of all that help!

Our opening circle was highlighted by an examination of a deer carcass discovered by the ever watchful mentor Tim. Each explorer was offered the chance to bring home a bone. Then on to the outing. Of course, the best way for Wyatt to learn about our program was to participate, so we immediately hooked him into games of Cougar Stalks Deer and Hide! as we hiked along the Interurban trail and onto the Fragrance Lake trail. A quick study, he was soon to be spotted diving into the ferns at the sound of “HIDE!” 

After a short climb, we located two elements that would be important for our outing. First, a good spot to practice building shelters. The land at this bend in the trail features a large “nurse-boulder”, if you will, a muddy pit that one of the shelter teams put to good use making mud packs to secure their shelter, a ditch to explore, and lots of downed branches to use in shelter frames. Second, we came across the two Raccoon Kits who, after arriving a little late, managed to get in front of us on the trail, only to be U-turned after a hiker indicated to the rest of us that she had seen a few boys and a dad looking for a group of eager explorers. (Do you get the sense there was lots of positive energy on the Fragrance Lake trail on Sunday?)

Our work revealed that these boys have learned the process of shelter building, but that the sense of urgency and focus that are required in an actual survival scenario can be in somewhat short supply when we’re practicing. This is common for young boys and may also have something to do with the size of the groups. Six explorers and an EMA can sometimes get in each other’s way and can make for duplicated and confusing task organization. In a few weeks, we’re going to continue this effort and plan to work with smaller groups. We’re also going to bring water to pour onto the completed shelters as a test of their worthiness. Should be interesting.

Our work completed, we played a quick game of Hungry, Hungry Martin, then circled up to give thanks in our closing meeting. I can’t think of a better way to illustrate to a volunteer the values we hold dear in Wild Whatcom and Boys Explorers Club than to invite him to join us in this treasured tradition. We slow down after all that energetic play and work to share apples and voice out loud something for which we are truly grateful. Just as your sons are resourceful about using a shoelace in the wilderness, they’re often thoughtful and insightful about the gifts they’ve been given. 

Before “packs on” for our hike out, we continued our discussion about a new name for our group. You might have heard me say that kits are babies. Last spring, I suggested to the group that they’re no longer one of the younger groups so they might want a new name, perhaps one that captures an experience they had as a group. They’re interested in a name that has something to do with caves because they found a cool cave at North Galbraith in the spring. I’ll present a few final options to them when we get together for our last outing of the fall, on November 14. 

Click here for more photos from our Fragrance Lake outing.

The Raccoon Kits build an Earth Shelter at N. Lake Whatcom

Picture this: You drive out to Deming and up into the mountains to the Ridley Creek trailhead, all the while nervously watching the sky for signs of a break in the storm. As you assemble and hoist your packs into place, there’s a promising brightness in the southern sky and your group decides the weather will cooperate. You gamely strike out onto the trail, across the creek and into the mountains for a long-awaited backcountry adventure. 

After several hours of exploration you return, soaked and tired, to the creek, which is now raging and cresting its banks. 3-4 inches of rain in 5 hours will do that to a creek. You quickly determine that you're unable to recross the creek to get to your faithful bus servant, Stubbs, for the ride home.  You're stranded in the Cascades and it’ll be dark in a few hours. Your adventure is now a matter of survival (Refer to the survival “Rule of 3’s – 3 minutes without oxygen, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food)! Your heart rate amps up and your breathing gets shallow as panic begins to set in.

Fortunately, this is a story not of what did happen but of what could have been. The older Explorers Club group that was scheduled to hike the Ridley Creek trail that stormy August Saturday will have to wait until October for that hike. And, to be honest, I don’t know that the creek swelled as depicted in the scenario, but it made for an interesting introduction to our skills focus for the fall – shelter building. 

A well-constructed shelter will repel rain and provide a warm place to sleep, and is a difficult task, especially in inclement weather when you're in a panic. Over the course of the fall, our goal is to get to the point where the Raccoon Kits are able to build a shelter in which they could sleep.  

We began on a beautiful Sunday morning by recounting our summer adventures and welcoming a new Explorer to our group. Then up Stewart Mountain in search of a place to work on building shelters. After a few games of Hide!, we discovered a shelter that had been constructed by a different Explorers Club group and critiqued their work as a way of putting our minds in a place to launch into the task at hand. We then talked about what makes for a good shelter location (free of “widowmakers”; access to resources such as “Y” sticks, ridge poles, leaves and more; clear of water runoff) and searched for the spot for our shelter. Note that we spent 20-30 minutes doing this, time that would've put us behind the 8 ball in our Ridley Creek scenario. 

Location decided, we set about gathering materials and building. The discipline and focus that are so critical in an actual survival situation were in somewhat short supply at first, but the Raccoon Kits rallied to complete the shelter frame (our goal for this first outing). Their self-critique exposed a few issues that we’ll work to rectify on a future outing. They likely would not have spent a warm, cozy night while waiting for Ridley Creek to subside, but given the reality of their situation, they did well. 

Our work completed, we turned our attention to the serious business of play. A stimulating and fair game of Spider’s Web begins with agreement on the course layout and rules (yes, they tend to vary from group to group and even outing to outing for a given group). Our tribal elder (has the job of facilitating our group decisions) received lots of “help” as he led a lively discussion to resolve these issues. Agreement reached, the “flies” proceeded to crawl around the hillside, failing to breach the spider’s defenses, but managing to avoid capture. Final outcome- draw. 

While we were busy with that, mentor Tim worked to strengthen our shelter, setting the stage for our challenge for our next exploration outing – a shelter that can withstand the weight of one or more Raccoon Kits. 

A time check dictated we move quickly to our next activity, a Sit Spot. Work and play behind us, the mentors wanted to provide the space for connection and reflection, and some of the boys actually took advantage! Learn more about Sit Spots here. 

We end every outing be giving thanks and sharing apples, as gratefulness is a core principle (see Mottoeshere) at Wild Whatcom. On this day, our circle of thanks exhausted our time; the Raccoon Kits’ penchant for telling jokes would have to be sacrificed, as would our discussion of a possible name change for the group (kits are babies and we are no longer among the younger Explorers Club groups). We’ll have to be sure to reserve time for these important tasks when we next meet (Saturday, October 3; 10:00 - 2:00 at Connelly Creek)! 

Look here for the complete gallery of photos from our exploration, as well as a photo history of the Raccoon Kits. I suspect you'll see why a name change is in order for the group as they grow and connect.

Raccoon Kits Adventure In Sehome Arboretum

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.

Raccoon Kits Take Shelter at Galby Lane

Wow, what a wonderful day! After the blustery and bleak week we had, the weather really cleared up for the Raccoon Kits third outing of the season. The stormy weather leading up to this outing did much more than rattle windows and fill up road side ditches; the storms provided us with ample debris for shelter building. Navigating through cars and mountain bikers, the parents managed to get their boys dropped off safely and escape the crowded parking lot. After all the boys arrived it was time to get away from the chaos and gravel, hit the trail, and escape into peacefulness of the woods.

We made our way down the trail as the boys charged forward intent on exploring the beautiful forest that surrounded us. It was clear the gang was back together and all the boys almost left the mentors in the dust as the plowed ahead. Nothing a little crow call can’t fix. With a couple caws the boys looked behind them and quickly came back to the location the mentors had picked out for the opening meeting.

It was great to see everyone back in circle together. There was an infectious excitability in this group that was a clear sign these boys are growing ever more comfortable with one another. Some of the boys wanted to jump right into games, but it was important to revisit what we had already learned about shelter building. After a quick chat to set intentions for the day, each boy found a space to build their very own mini-shelter, implementing the debris hut techniques they had learned from their first outing of the season. Sufficient Y-Sticks, back bones, ribs, and debris are much easier to find when you are building a shelter sized for a mouse rather than an explorer, much quicker to build too. The boys had a blast working on their own mini-shelters, putting personal touches on, and keeping up chatty conversations with their neighbors. Despite all the socialization that was taking place, each boy showed an impressive focus and drive to build their mini-shelter considering their squirrelly energy during opening circle. Alas it was time for each boy to share their shelters with the rest of the group. We took a quick tour of the neighborhood and explorer after explorer talked about their mini-shelter, some techniques they used, and how it would be applicable to our upcoming full scale shelter building contest.

After wrapping up our last mini- shelter, one boy hollered: “HIDE!” and in a flurry of leaves and branches the boys were tucked away, camouflaged by sticks and sword ferns. A few more rounds of H-I-D-E and it was clear these boys wanted to play before getting to work on shelters. We organized some high energy games of Hungry, Hungry Martin where the boys tapped into their inner squirrel, sneaking and scurrying their way past the hungry martin to the safety of their tree. A couple of rounds later and it was finally time for our shelter building competition.

The boys were split up into two groups, briefed on the judging criteria (structure, resources, location) and set off to the races. Shelters were slow to take form as the first step, finding a good location, took some time. The boys were observant of drainages, widow makers, canopy cover, resource availability, and many other factors when deciding on their location. Soon they were scouring the landscape for Y-Sticks and backbones to begin the foundations of their earth shelters. This was much more difficult than the boys were expecting, and took some trial and error to figure out what sticks would work and what wouldn’t. But soon enough both groups had their interlocking Y-Sticks supporting a backbone and were busy breaking sticks to size for the ribs. After they got their ribs on it was time for the debris. One group picked their location next to a large mossy area and began layering the moss onto their shelter, but about a quarter of the way through they ran out of sufficient moss. The other group went straight for the leaves. Luckily they had picked a location near, but not under, a Big Leaf Maple that supplied gracious plenty debris for the earth shelter. As time ticked away, the boys picked up the pace running around scooping up as much debris as they could. But before either group could finish the clock ran out and it was time for judging.

The first group to get reviewed had an excellent location, fairly sound structure, and a little less than a foot of debris covering their shelter. This was an impressive feat given the time constraints, but still not quite a quality debris shelter. The second group’s shelter was a bit larger and thus not nearly as complete. That being said they created a decent structure and had laid down a nice bed of leaves inside to help insulate them from the ground. However, they still had a ways to go on covering their structure with debris, and could have used some more ribs on their shelter.

In the end, both groups were unable to finish with a passing grade by the judges(aka the mentors). That being said, these boys showed tremendous teamwork and perseverance given the short time frame they had to work with. They have taken the next step in the Art of Shelter and have begun honing their skills be it searching for sufficient resources, picking out a shelter location, or certain construction techniques and intricacies that can only be learned through experience. The boys learned today that it is ok to fail because in failure there is growth and opportunity: growth from the experience and opportunity to improve for the future. In the end no one won the competition, but we all won the day. We had a tremendously fun day of play and shelter building that went by far too quickly for explorers and mentors alike.

Raccoon Kits Learn the Art of Shelter

Fall is here at last! The Raccoon Kits kicked off their Fall Season on a foggy Saturday afternoon at Lake Padden. As the boys were being dropped off one by one near the dog park, it was clear that these boys couldn’t wait to get the gang back together. When about half of the boys had arrived, the mentors tried to get a game of Otter Steals Fish going to pass the time until all the boys had been dropped off. Much to the mentor’s surprise, the Raccoon Kits were much more intent on standing around in a small group and catching up with one another like a group of old college buddies while trying to figure out which of their fellow group members had yet to arrive. But, before everyone could get there, one of the boys arriving took note of a green playground ball sitting nearby and had an overwhelming urge to kick it as hard as he could. Before you could blink an eye, we had a runaway soccer game on our hands. It turned out that the ball actually belonged to a mom of a boy who had done a summer camp with Explorers Club, and she was coming over to say hello before the outing began. We learned two valuable lessons in that moment: the concentric ripples of Boys Explorers Club are felt throughout our community, and eight year old boys are drawn to playground balls like moths to a porch light.  

Alas, the rest of the boys showed up and it was time for our first fall exploration. We began by trekking up into the horse trails of Lake Padden revisiting our “crow call” to get the boys to come together, and introduced a new “chickadee call” that the boys used to alert the rest of the group of walkers, joggers, bikers, and others we shared the trail with. Once we were up into the woods one of the mentors hollered out “HIDE!” and without skipping a beat the boys were bounding off looking for a nurse log to crouch behind or a nice patch of sword fern to nestle into. A few rounds of Hide later and we approached our initial opening meeting location only to have to leave right away because one of the boys discovered the log he was playing on was already the home of a hornet, wasp, or other stinging/biting insect.

We worked up off the trail to a nice level area under a beautiful cedar tree and had our first opening meeting. It took the boys a little while to remember how to listen respectfully when someone is talking to them, but soon we had our “jobs” handed out and were eager to begin learning The Art of Shelter. First off the boys were tasked with finding a natural shelter that would protect them from the elements. As the boys scampered off to tuck into tree trunks and cozy up with conifers one explorer noticed a hornet land on the ground and crawl into a little hole. Right as the explorer notified a mentor of his discovery, another explorer fixated on finding shelter stepped right on the whole and, like magic, one hornet turned into thirty. The mentors got the boys to their packs and down to the trail just in the nick of time. Luckily, the hornets must have been drowsy from the chilly morning because, except for one sting on one explorer, the rest of the group made it out unscathed.

Relocating again, and mustering up the courage to go off trail despite the possibility of encountering more hornets, the boys scaled up a steep hillside to inspect some very promising sites to start building a shelter. The first sight was an impressive downed tree caught up in the branches of a massive Big Leaf Maple, but the boys quickly took note of the hazardous widow maker above the shelter site so we continued our search. We soon found a much smaller downed tree that was situated perfectly for a debris shelter. The boys fine tuned their shelter building skills by helping one of the mentors construct a miniature debris hut. Then, it was time for the real deal.  Some boys collected sturdy sticks for the ribs of the shelter, while others scouted out more shelter building resources. After a couple hours of work, the boys had constructed the skeleton of the structure. Now it was time for the debris, and where things got really dirty. But before the boys could finish getting sufficient debris on the shelter, it was time for closing circle. The boys now have a much greater appreciation for the time and dedication it takes to not only make a sound structure, but how much debris it really takes to sufficiently insulate it as well. Before closing circle, each boy took a turn crawling into the debris hut and appreciating all the hard work they had done.

In closing circle we reviewed what we had learned about building debris huts, and discussed some of the challenges we faced building the shelter, as well as on the rest of our outing. All the boys gave thanks and appreciation for what they enjoyed during their day and even got a chance to show gratitude towards others for things the other boys did that made the day a success. With closing circle over, it was time to scamper back down the hill, sliding down a dirt embankment just for good measure, and meet a parking lot full of loving parents. We may have thought our hazardous outing was over, but while boys were reunited with their parents a couple of dogs had a disagreement and in an instant there was a snarling, snapping, whirlwind of teeth and fur. Fortunately none of the boys were in the area, but it was startling none the less to some of the boys, parents, and mentors alike. Although our outing had a few harrowing moments, there were ever more moments of playfulness, joy, teamwork and comradery; all together a most excellent outing indeed.