The Cave Dwellers Traverse Up Whatcom Creek

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!).

Looking downstream above Whatcom Creek

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!

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.

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.

Gathering around to try and catch the crayfish

Success!

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!

BEC: Cave Dwellers traverse Padden and Connelly creeks 9/17/16

Each spring and fall, the Boys Explorers Club groups meet at the Connelly Creek service site to work to restore a section of Happy Valley Park that was used as a garbage dump for a time and that was (and, to an extent, still is) overrun by invasive, non-native plants. This abuse of the land degrades the creek that runs alongside the park, so we've been working for several years to remove Himalayan Blackberry and beat back the Reed Canary Grass that has crowded out the healthy flora along the creek. It's good work, as is obvious when you look at before and after pictures. There's more to be done, but we're making steady progress (motto: slow is fast and fast is slow).

This comes to mind because for our outing last Saturday we traversed Padden Creek from Bellingham Bay to the Connelly Creek service site (Connelly Creek feeds into Padden Creek). We mimicked the salmon that formerly traveled up the creek in greater numbers than do today, and that we hope will find their way back again in greater numbers in the not-to-distant future. Along the way, we spent time examining and discussing the daylighting project completed last year by the City of Bellingham to replace the section of the creek that had been diverted into a tunnel many years ago with an open air stream bed that will be a big part of restoring the salmon run. We thought about how our work and the city's project are complementary projects, and indeed how all things are connected (motto). When the salmon figure out they have their stream back, they'll swim up to the newly restored section of Connelly Creek! How great is that? 

We began at the beginning by checking out the estuary where Padden Creek empties into Bellingham Bay. Estuaries are critical ecosystems in which life thrives as in no other habitat. The brackish water where fresh and salt water meet and mix teems with life. For salmon, it is the place where they spend time adjusting to and from salt water, a process called smoltification.

Just like that, fall made an appearance for our outing. As we gathered, the wind gusted and it rained heavily. We were wet throughout the morning, but caught a break when the afternoon proved drier if not sunny.

Padden Creek runs through Fairhaven Park, where we took a break from our focus on its importance for the salmon to explore a little.

Oh yeah. We also played games in the park. Luckily, the rain eased enough for us to shed a layer or two.

The park shelter provided a dry spot for lunch. Several boys were unable to join us for this outing, but finding a lunch buddy was still a piece of cake...or a cheese stick, I guess.

The floor in the shelter was just slick enough for an impromptu game of drag the mentor....

New to me was the labyrinth not far from the shelter. The boys examined the star at its center and followed its maze-like pattern. A hidden gem in Fairhaven Park! 

While examining the city's daylighting project, we realized that just behind the creek was the Bellingham Co-housing community, so we talked a bit about responsible resource use and the role of an approach such as co-housing, or car sharing and the like might play in decreasing a person's impact on the land.






We finished our hike at the Connelly Creek service site where the boys were relieved to hear we weren't going to haul bark and dig out blackberry roots! Here's hoping they also were impressed by the complementary projects designed to improve the salmon run.

We took more pictures, of course. Enjoy! We next meet on Saturday, October 15th, from 10:00 'til 3:00. We'll be exploring the Rock Trail, which you'll get to via Cleator Road. This will be a significant outing for the Cave Dwellers, as a highlight of the hike is the caves in the side of the rocks to be examined. If memory serves, six explorers in a cave is the record. Outing details here.

Raccoon Kits follow the Salmon Home!

In preparation for their first chance to serve at the official Boys Explorers Club service Site, the Raccoon Kits had to learn the context for and history of Connelly Creek. We would have preferred to swim like salmon, but spring waters are too fast and it’s still a bit too cold outside for that kind of adventure. Plus we might still be swimming if we had tried that approach :)

Only eight Kits made it to the outing with a broken foot preventing one Explorer from joining the outing. We look forward to when the whole group comes together again. The good news, however, was that Brian served as a mentor for the day. He stepped in as a lead mentor and did a great job of encouraging and wrangling the boys as we traversed Padden and Connelly Creeks. Thanks for the great work, Brian!

Starting at the ocean, our goal was to follow Padden Creek until it split with Connelly Creek. To do so we met at Marine Park and then crossed the railroad tracks. Ask your explorer how many cars he counted in the coal train that went by as we watched. Our windy path led us to the Great Blue Heron rookery next to the water treatment facility. Atop of skinny alders sat no less than fifteen herons in various stages of courtship, mating, and nest sitting!

We bridged the hill behind the facility and had a great lunch break. Explorers counted cars of another distant train and then we gathered our belongings to find the waterways. Following the interurban trail we walked up creek and played hundreds of games of Hide. OK, maybe not that many, but we sure had many chances to camouflage ourselves in various ecosystems.

This was a long outing and the Raccoon Kits ventured forth with no complaints. At one point they pretended to be old men and used walking sticks as canes. We trekked to the entrance to Fairhaven Park and took a rest by the creek. Its soothing song made for yet another nice rest spot. Like the salmon, we valiantly fought upstream for a while and then found our eddy in which to rest before continuing our journey. We learned about a medicine tree by finding its branches on the ground. Please ask your Explorer if he remembers the color of the sap or the smell. Maybe he can tell you the story about why to avoid getting the sap on your neck!

Hike, break, group cheers, repeat. This traverse was definitely a practice in persistence and pacing. Eventually we crossed Old Fairhaven Parkway and mentors had sighs of relief. Then it was a matter of finding the best way to follow the creek. We had a chance to explore the meanings of “No Trespassing” and “Do not enter.” Explorers spoke their truths and did not want to go places where they might be breaking the rules. They are aware of doing the right thing. As such, we chose routes that helped us avoid being somewhere we weren’t supposed to be.

In a young forest thicket we followed the creek and found the confluence of Padden and Connelly creeks. We were almost home! One last challenge faced us however. We had to cross the creek in order to take a more well-worn path toward the site. One-by-one, safely, and confidentially, boys learned the dynamics of using their bodies (with packs on) to duck and climb over branches. All the while, the creek never stopped flowing!

We journeyed through the rest of the forest and made it to Happy Valley Park with 30 minutes left to relax, hold closing meeting, and explore the service site. Dave’s alter-ego, the Dragon, appeared when boys were not communicating safely, as he quickly and loudly explained that we need to use tools appropriately. Sticks are a tool that we can use to help us ford rivers, not to be projectiles at our cohort mates. Boys will learn these mottoes in the upcoming seasons, but for now, it’s important to teach them: A Tool is an Extension of the Body, and The Difference Between a Tool and a Weapon is You.

Boys recognized there is a lot of blackberry to uproot and they will be more familiar with the land when they return for service in a couple of months. With a connection to the salmon’s migration route, hopefully they will feel the sense of importance of restoring the salmon habitat to make it homier for the fish after their journey up creek!

Please check out more pictures in thephoto gallery. We’ll see you all next outing at Clayton Beach parking area for an exploration on April 13th. FYI- last April 13th we cancelled an outing due to snow; let’s hope for warmer weather this year!