The Cave Dwellers search for sn.....err, the Two Dollar trail?

It’s about the journey, not the destination (Boys Explorers Club motto). Our intent to search for snow in the Chuckanuts was a non-starter after last week’s instant snow melt, so with this motto in mind, we switched to a Two Dollar trail hike to Fragrance Lake. In an attempt to preserve the spirit of timeless wandering underlying the search for snow idea, mentors Tim and Brian asked the Explorers what they were interested in doing: lots of games was the strong response. 

So off we went. Almost immediately, we found a side trail; I could swear I heard a disembodied voice whisper, “This way for timeless wandering”. So off we went. A few hundred yards later, in a small opening, we came upon a pile (gaggle? bunch?, pride?) of rocks and an adjacent “crater”. To the Cave Dwellers, this formation was tailor made for a “pine cone war”, so they divided into two groups and began pelting each other. Before long, however, one of the boys got caught up in the heat of battle and picked up a rock instead of a pine cone. In an instance of very good aim and extremely bad luck, his throw found in unintended target - another Explorers head! 

The good news is that the injury, as of Sunday evening, involved a cut that had to be glued together, lots of pain and some bleeding, but nothing more. He should be fine soon.

That put a stop to that activity, of course, as Mentors Tim and Brian attended to the injury and contacted the injured Explorers’ parents to come pick him up. In an example of taking responsibility for his actions, the boy who threw the rock was contrite and apologized to the injured party. The mentors gathered the Explorers and spoke with the group about taking care of each other and learning from our mistakes. In all, the incident exemplified another motto - 

The Trail is the Teacher On the trail, as in life, the lessons emerge as we walk our individual and collective journeys. Everything that appears and unfolds along the way – whether happy or sad, joyful or difficult – is a teacher. Lessons are often unexpected (and sometimes unwelcome) but we learn to use them as opportunities to learn and grow.

After lunch, we decided to settle in and play games rather than strike up the trail for the lake. It wasn’t how I’d envisioned it, but through a few games of Spider’s Web and Hungry, Hungry Marten, we achieved the timelessness, if only for a while, for which mentors Tim and Brian were hoping.

It's easy to see why the Cave Dwellers were attracted to this spot for their "pine cone war". 

"Happy or sad; joyful or difficult..." the motto proved out on Sunday. We had difficulty with an injury to one of our number and we had quiet reflection in mottled sunshine. 

After we administered to the injured Explorer, we decided to regroup over lunch. 

The Cave Dwellers (formerly Raccoon Kits) have been together for several years now. They have "signature" activities such as pine cone wars and joke telling that indicate group identity and cohesion.

Here we're deciding what games to play.

Hungry Hungry Marten is a current favorite after a rousing series of games at Lookout Mountain a while back. The boys really get into it, sometimes diving at a tree to avoid being "eaten" by the marten.

There is a lake further up the trail...really, there is. This is the place that called out to us, though, and it's where we compressed several emotions - compassion, joy, anxiety, reflection, reconciliation, and more - into a few hours together in the outdoors. 

Our journey was quite short as measured by the steps needed and our intended destination proved elusive, but our experience was rich nonetheless. We worked and played together; we got dirty, made mistakes and were keen to discern the distinction between intent and outcome. Mostly, we took care of each other and connected...to each other, to nature, to our inner maturing selves. With best wishes to a full and fast recovery for our injured brother, we look forward to our next opportunity to hone our positive social behaviors.

Check out the gallery of photos here. We're looking forward to our next gathering - March 11 at Stimpson Family Nature Preserve.

The Cave Dwellers Visit Their Namesake on the Rock Trail

On an overcast Sunday morning, the Cave Dwellers were united atop Chuckanut Mountain with a brilliant view of Bellingham Bay as the backdrop. Despite the lengthy drive up the re-vamped road, the view always makes it worth the trip, not to mention the incredible Rock Trail that was the whole reason for coming here in the first place. With some mentors ailing from illness, the Cave Dwellers got to meet a new mentor, Ethan, who would accompany them on their exploration of their namesake: CAVES! Having a new mentor along for the outing was a great opportunity for the Cave Dwellers to demonstrate what it means to be a member of the Boys Explorers Club. We had a lot in store for the day and before we hit the trail we discussed the game plan of searching for caves, playing games, and taking some time to revisit carving. Despite the cloud cover atop Chuckanut Mountain, looking down to the San Juans we could see sunlight breaking through ushering in the prospect of good things to come.

Best view ever for opening circle!

Admiring the sandstone cliffs

Cruising down the trail in search of caves

Once we hit the trail the massive sandstone cliff faces and steep stairs forced us to slow down and appreciate the beauty of the landscape. Water droplets pitter pattering down the mossy rock faces generated a subtle auditory backdrop that was overcome by the laughing and hollering of Explorers as we played games of HIDE!, journeyed alongside the cliffs, and eventually discovered a series of caves. Clamoring inside, boys took turns sheltering inside the deep sandstone caverns and got in touch with their inner Cave Dweller. After the excitement of the caves wore off, our explorations carried over into the surrounding landscape; deep valleys of dense Sword Fern, giant boulders covered in moss and Licorice Fern, and plenty more.

Clamoring into caves

Almost there!

Cave Dwellers in their natural habitat

Next in line for the day was games! Circling up the Cave Dwellers showed off their group decision making skills to Ethan who was thoroughly impressed at the group’s ability to collaborate, compromise, and come to a consensus on how to spend the rest of our day. We decided to jump right into an expansive game of Spider’s Web followed by a quick carving session before pick up. The game of Spider’s Web was a great time to crawl through Sword Fern, work together as a team, and overcome a persistent Spider to win after nearly an hour of intense nature play. Afterwards the group debriefed and this time they impressed Tim with how grateful they were to one another for the great game. Everyone thanked the Spider for how well he played and the Spider couldn’t say enough about how he appreciated the tough, yet fair, competition of the flies who persevered and eventually overcame. Going back a few years, this group would have been quick to get in an argument over the rules or fairness, but today they showed just how much they had grown both as individuals, and also as a group.

Adventuring over boulders

Admiring the expansive valley

Harvesting Licorice Fern

With the end of our outing drawing near, we hustled back up the trail and found a good clearing off trail to re-visit carving. A quick review of safe carving practices, a discussion about different types of wood and their properties, and we spread out for a brief carving session. Despite dealing with a challenging wood in Big Leaf Maple, the boys all demonstrated patience, skill, and a deepened comprehension in the basics of carving as they worked on carving cylindrical, tapered, chopsticks. But before we could get very far it was time for closing circle. Again, Ethan was impressed by the genuine, thoughtful statements of gratitude that each Cave Dweller shared as we passed around the apple slices. Again, demonstrating a depth of character and compassion, the Cave Dwellers left the mentors proud of how much they have grown over the years. This group is truly coming into their own now and it shows in a multitude of ways. With another outing coming up next weekend, we can’t wait to get back out exploring with this incredible group of Explorers! 

Make sure to check out the rest of the photos from our album here!

Sharing our Spider's Web stories and congratulating one another on a good game

Practicing our carving skills

The sun even came out to warm us as we worked on our chop sticks

Cleator Rd closed? No prob. - the Cave Dwellers explore Clayton Beach instead! 5/22/16

We began blindfolded and finished up as the incoming tide threatened to soak our circle of thanks. Sure, we didn't get to go to the Rock Trail, but the Cave Dwellers didn't let that stop their fun. Spider's Web, a serious discussion of vandalism, beach exploration, carving practice and games - check out our packed 5/22/16 Clayton Beach outing!

It's true. We blindfolded your Explorers when we sent them out on a sit spot to begin our Clayton Beach outing last Sunday. When you remove sight, hearing is often heightened. And since we wanted to focus on bird language, we decided blindfolds would help the boys listen for the five voices of birds - song, companion calling, aggression, juvenile begging, and alarm. We followed that quiet moment with a game of Spider's Web.

Before heading off to the beach, we talked about the recently tagged graffiti on the beach rocks. The boys were quick to pick up on positive activism as a healthy way to deal with this sorrowful situation. Know that several of the boys would like to volunteer with a cleanup crew, should one materialize (Turn Problems into Possibilities - Mottos). 

The Cave Dwellers were eager to carve. Mentor Tim demonstrated safe knife use and even showed a few techniques to save time and improve the finished product. Our motto for this is Safety First. Click here to review our safe carving video.

Wiggly creature - click to watch 

The tide was low when we arrived, making for nice beach combing. EMA Jordan led an exploration of sea life such as this Sand Dollar...(I'm pretty sure that's his hand!). Motto - Lose Your Mind and Come to Your Senses.

Blindfolded again! This time one Explorer sits surrounded by rivals intent on stealing his treasure (Sand Dollar) while he has to detect their creeping approach using only his power of hearing. This game rewards stealth and focused listening.

It wouldn't be a Clayton Beach outing without some serious rock scrambling. Our earlier discussion of the graffiti seemed to cushion the shock factor for most of the boys. 

Poof! There goes Spring! The mentors perceive a growing affiliation within the Cave Dwellers, providing a foundation for increasing self-reliance and nature connection through fun, engaging outdoor activities. That is certainly our hope and objective. 

We look forward to seeing you in the Fall (and, perhaps, over the Summer). Click here for the rest of the photos from our outing. 

BEC: The Cave Dwellers listen for bird language at Squires Lake

Spring is sprung; the grass is riz. 

I wonder where the boidies is. 

The boid is on the wing. 

Don’t be absoid; the wing is on the boid.

Afraid I can’t take credit for that piece of fine poetry (although I do hail from Brooklyn, and the poem is apparently sometimes called the Brooklyn (or Bronx) National Anthem…note the accent - “boid” rather than bird). Regardless, it springs to mind (pardon the pun) as I reflect on the Cave Dwellers’ outing on Sunday. It was a fine spring day indeed as we started up the short climb to Squires Lake. 

Relating bird calls heard during our sit spot

The poem also relates because the Cave Dwellers’ skills focus for this season is tracking and, wait for it - bird language! So, after handing out jobs, the mentors launched right into a sit spot with a request that the boys listen for bird chatter. And, despite the fact that I asked them to do that within spitting distance of a small waterfall that dominated the aural scene, several boys returned to our circle relating what they’d heard from the trees and skies. The mentors incorporated their reports into an introduction to the five “voices” of bird language - Song, Companion Calling, Juvenile Begging, Aggression and Alarm. Click here for more information on this fascinating topic. 

A different approach, this idea of having a sit spot early in the outing. Of late, I’ve been planning them for toward the end of the outing so the boys can reflect on what had occurred that day. A decent idea, but time often slips away and we lose this valuable “Core Routine”. So, this time we tried doing it early. It went well.

Tracking Squires Lake wildlife

With our new awareness of our feathered friends fresh in our minds, we set out around the lake toward the beaver pond at the south end. Before long, we found ourselves in game mode. A few games of Hide! to get the stealth meter surging and we were ready for Spider’s Web. Unfortunately, as it turned out, Spider’s Web was not ready for us. Our first attempt was under way about 15 minutes when our spider was alerted to the fact that we were playing on private property, not the park land we assumed we were occupying. A little embarrassing, perhaps, but also an opportunity to model for the boys one of our values as represented by our mottos - “Walk Your Talk”. The motto focuses on acting with integrity, on letting that quiet voice inside be your guide to doing the right thing. So mentor Brian had a brief conversation with the property owner, explained that we were unaware we were on her property, apologized and led a retreat to find a more suitable location. 

Along the way, we stopped to examine the wildlife in the lake. Well, some of it was wild - the garter snake the boys found, however, was quite dead. Not so for the frogs, tadpoles and chattering birds we observed. Squires Lake is a natural wonderland that rewards those who take the time to slow down to take it in. 

The lure of a complete game of Spider’s Web drew us back off-trail (in the park this time) and down a short but steep embankment. What appeared at first glance to be a good Spider’s Web course proved to be anything but after we examined the area more closely and discovered multiple areas of standing water. I guess the drop in the level of the land should’ve tipped up off to the likely presence of water. 

Poor creature - dead!

This was another opportunity to put a time-honored Explorers Club motto into action - “Turn problems into possibilities” - what may look like a problem can transform into a possibility. So the mentors introduced a new game (not sure of the name) that involves a blindfolded explorer who has a “prize” to protect. When other forest creatures (explorers) attempt to creep close enough to steal the prize, the protector listens for signs of their approach and points to the source of the sounds. It is eye-opening to see how well a boy can listen when he can’t see and he has something of (perceived) value to protect. In fact, none of the boys was able to capture the prize. 

Connecting with nature and group-mates

More significant than the outcome of the game to me was the way the Cave Dwellers handled the disappointment of not playing their favorite game. They were resilient; they were flexible; they were understanding and open to trying something new and different. All signs of individual and group maturation. This group has been together for several seasons now; they appear to get along well and can rally as a group to make the most of their situation. You should be proud of your explorer.

We have more photos here. Our next meeting is a service outing at Connelly Creek on Saturday, May 14th, from 10:30-2:30pm. Note the new drop-off/pick-up location described on the group’s site here.

First outing of the season! Check. Steep hike and clouds? Check. Mud and games of Spider's Web? Check, check.

The Cave Dwellers kicked off their Spring Season at Pine and Cedar lake. On a typical overcast spring day basking in the tall oaks and pines all around them, the boys gathered in bountiful energy! After a brief introduction and meeting the new Mentor, Bobby, the Cave Dwellers scurried into the woods. 

We could tell spring was upon us. All our senses were aware of the smells, sights and the feel of the mud below our feet. The beautiful and aptly named salmon berry is just starting to show it's bright pink flowers. Nature has just started the rinse cycle of mother nature's washing machine and before we know it will be ready to dry out in the summer heat. 

This season the boys are studying the art of tracking and bird language. Spider's web is in fact a great way to embody what it is like to be an animal traveling through the landscape in the pursuit for food and ultimately survival, or maybe that's just our excuse to play it all the time! (If you do not know the rules, ask your explorer, it's a favorite) Bobby was chosen as the spider in a challenging spot for the fly's. After finding more mud then the food source it was time for a snack for the mind and the body. 

Tracking how creatures navigate through the landscape has always been part of life. From finding the paths of Buffaloes to getting to the nearest Starbucks, we navigate our landscapes everyday and invariably leave signs and behavioral patterns in our wake! After talking about tracking and how we can use keen observation to follow any creatures navigation through the landscape it was time for an activity. This awesome group is starting to learn the more time it takes for the mentors to speak the less time there is for games. Our activity plan was for our EMA (Explorers Mentor Apprentice) to run with a stick dragging behind up the trail. After giving him a head start and he was out of sight, the rest of the team would then follow that track and find him! Simple and easy? Not so much. The trail was hard packed and didn't show tracks, there were rocks and also many other  tracks. This provided a great learning opportunity. Imagine that stick was your food source, your family is relying on you to track it through many difficult terrains. The mentors and boys are excited to continue to learn this art and teach it!

We concluded our day with an intense game of  Hungry, Hungry Martin. This was a great opportunity to let go of the deeper focus required for tracking and just get lost in play. Our hike down was wonderful, just us on the trail and so many stories to share. On a day learning about tracking I was left thinking about how trails, man made or those left by our animal friends, always lead us exactly where we need to go. To a lake, to a peak, to a shower or to someone who we want to tell everything about our wonderful day to. 

Keep on Exploring! Happy trails. 

Make sure to check out the rest of the photos from our day here!

Raccoon Kits explore East Clayton Beach Area

What a wonderful day to unwind and learn the pace of the forest! Two-thirds of the Raccoon Kits gathered for a lazy Sunday afternoon. We welcomed new members and mentors to the group, played games, and got to know this special piece of land.

We gathered together near the parking lot and welcomed Drake to the group. We also re-established our relationship with mentor Greg as he was excited to share a small patch of woods with everyone. So, we quickly reviewed the jobs, taught the rules of Hide! , and then went on our way.

Around the corner we went and just up the hill; ‘twas right there that Greg ushered us in the woods! We congregated in a small clearing and setup base camp for a little bit of lunch. Boys rekindled friendships with each other while mentors bantered about the different Vespidae and Bombini likely to be found in the area.

With fuel in our bellies, it was time to play Spider’s Web. This game, famous in Explorers Club lore, is a fantastic game that combines the strategy and teamwork of Capture the flag along with the sneakiness and camouflage skills of Hide! The Spider, who can move anywhere he likes, is trying to capture all the flies. A fly is captured when the spider spots him and calls out “Back to the web!” That fly is then stuck in the web (a tree or bush designated by a bandana) until he is freed by a comrade.

While the spider is trying to capture the flies on the web, they are sneaking, often crawling, towards the “food source” (bandana). If the flies can capture the food source and bring it back to the web they win. Whereas a single round can be over in five minutes, we have had games last hours! The Raccoon Kits played for a while, staying engaged for an hour and a quarter during the second game while Dave maintained as a ferocious spider.

This game, which is a favorite of explorers and mentors alike, forces all of us to practice moving slowly and quietly in the forest. While increasing our stealth makes for progressively more challenging games of Spider’s Web, it also has the benefit of helping us move unnoticed in the forest allowing us to see more on our travels. This game activates our senses in an effort to pick up disturbances in the landscape and also to learn about blending in with them. Stretching and strengthening our senses like this deepens our everyday awareness and can bring us a richer life.

Just like that, our outing was half over and Greg spotted a Hummingbird nest! Before taking it down, he checked to see if it were an active nest or one from a previous year. As hummingbirds don’t reuse their nests, so it made for a terrific learning opportunity to study how the nest was constructed. We imagined the tiny eggs and the small birds that may have grown up in that nest. We considered the real spiders’ webs used to bind together the silky, mossy nest. What a treat!

Our last adventure of the day was to explore the caves further up the hill. We climbed around, spelunked through, and built shelters around the openings. In actuality these caves are gaps between various glacial erratics, huge out-of-place boulders scattered on the hillside. The setting provided us a nice shelter and way to wind into a deep nature connection practice commonly called a Sit Spot.

Boys had a special place in which they sat in silence for 12 minutes. Who’d believe that eight year olds can stay still and quiet for so long? We do! And that is exactly what one of our main purposes is in this program. To help boys slow down their nervous systems so that they can spend ten minutes, half an hour, an afternoon, an overnight, a day, and one day, hopefully, even three days alone outdoors by themselves. The familiarity they build through these sit spots may one day empower them to have multi-day connections with the natural world that will help ground them. Or, perhaps, a short sit spot gives them time to stare at ants and the edges of sword fern fronds :)

We ended the day with a closing meeting and a Circle of Thanks, practicing our motto, Attitude of Gratitude. This blog post will end the same way. Thank you Explorers for being so present and engaged through the whole day. Thank you for your willingness to play and for being so kind to each other. Parents thank you for your support of these boys. It’s an honor that you send these Raccoon Kits out with us for afternoons as lovely as last Sunday. And Greg, thanks for letting me copy some of your descriptions of Spider’s Web!

We’ll see you at the next outing, where we’ll do service at Connelly Creek from 12-4pm on May 3rd. Please see more pictures from this outing on the photo gallery. Enjoy Spring!