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!

Raccoon Kits Navigating Whatcom Falls Park

Quick quiz! How do you illustrate navigation without moving from place to place? Answer: Not very well. Or at least, not as well as one would like.

Best intentions and all that. We began with several maps and a plan to use them to explore Whatcom Falls Park. Instead, for much of the day we expressed our excitement at being back with the Raccoon Kits in the outdoors by repeated seemingly unstructured but high energy activities such as “pine cone battles”, deer trail exploration, rotted tree stump whacking and, of course, games.

I don’t need to tell you that quiet focus is not usually a strength of boys at this age. A stick becomes a sword quicker than you can remind them of their blood circle; a discovered partially constructed earth shelter cries out for destruction; one boy’s spontaneous diversion is perceived as a golden opportunity to....well, I’m not sure what might follow.

You also know better than I the beauty of this in-the-moment approach to the day: 

• New people (we had two new Raccoon Kits this week) can, and did, find frequent opportunities to interject themselves into the pandemonium. Both did, and were welcomed unreservedly by their new colleagues. Seen up close, what might seem to the casual observer to indicate indifference can be seen to be acceptance. 
• The bounding, sporadic bumping and chasing is a constructive antidote to the required adherence to group norms of a week of school participation. 
• The joke telling (more on this later) and pranks, when executed appropriately as was the case on Sunday, build community and memories.

Of course, the hustle and bustle can sometimes spin out of control, as it threatened to a few times during the outing. Tim and Brian took advantage of a few opportunities to guide the Raccoon Kits toward play that was safe physically and psychologically.  For instance, when the “pine cone battle” threatened to become many against one, we coached the explorers to divide into even teams and create safety rules (e.g., no head shots). Hard feelings that began to escalate into a physical conflict between two explorers was taken aside to be worked out. And without exception, the boys rose to the occasion. 

So, here’s how it went down. The boys were, as I indicated, excited to see each other and while we were greeting arriving members, started throwing pine cones. We transitioned from that activity to a structured name game so we could learn and relearn everyone’s name. A little talk about Explorer’s Club culture to jump start the new boys’ experience and into the park we went to position ourselves to meet a late arriving explorer. Lunch and a few games of Hide! brought us to the scheduled meeting time. As Brian doubled back the short distance to the stone bridge to pick him up, the boys took cover and waited to welcome him as only explorers can. 

At this point. the plan was to map out a course to a few interesting points in the park for our navigation work. What actually happened, however, involved pine cones, so we worked to set it up for fair, safe play. Next up, Spider’s Web. We took some time to explain the game to the newcomers, then spent a while creeping and darting through the flora. 

With the “wiggles” wrung out (well, mostly), we circled up to examine the maps. Working in pairs, the boys determined our location and marked out our route back to meet the parents. A modest start to our focus for the Spring.

Speaking of focus, we struggled with that during our closing meeting. During this meeting, we do some housekeeping like collecting jobs, but the central activity involves giving thanks, a core tenet of Explorer’s Club. The Raccoon Kits took a little while to settle into this undertaking. Again, no malice intended; they simply have trouble sitting still at times. Perhaps next time it’ll help to start with the jokes! One of the defining characteristics of the group is that they love to tell jokes. You want focus? Tell jokes.

Louis and Clark have nothing to worry about with this group. Not yet, at least. We never moved from our “temporary” space. However, we did navigate a few non-territorial issues and some community building which were at least as important and more pertinent to the Raccoon Kits state of mind and body on this glorious March day. Click here for photos from our outing.

Next up - Teddy Bear Traverse on March 28. See you there.

Raccoon Kits- Wet and Empowered in Whatcom Falls Park

Mentors woke up on Saturday feeling invigorated to have an outing in the rain. Explorers may have felt the same… or perhaps mild trepidation about spending the majority of the daylight hours in the wet and cold. However different our days started, it’s clear that we left the day feeling empowered by our commitment to stick it out together.

Once again, Nick volunteered as a mentor for the Raccoon Kits; he even rode his bike to meet all of us. Thanks for your dedication to this group and to the Boys Explorers Club, Nick!

Our day started off slowly, under the dryness of shelter, until everyone got used to the temperature. We also realized that the rain was not planning to stop, so we had no choice but to embrace it.

Suddenly, Nick transformed into a deer and Explorers channeled their inner cougar energy. Boys were quick to track that Nick-deer, eventually catching him. Then Greg, a mentor new to the Raccoon Kits this season, caught the deer-energy and Explorers soon tracked him down too. Lastly, Dave became a deer and led the boys up and down a hill behind the shelter. During these three rounds of “Cougar Stalks Deer,” boys learned two important lessons about the wet and cold.

The best way to understand the rain is to get in it: To let the drops fall on us. To embrace the weather and celebrate it outside with friends. To accept the grey clouds that keep our Pacific Northwest environment so green and full of life.

Lesson number two is that being active is one way of building up personal heat so that we can prolong our time out-of-walls. And more simply put, it’s fun playing stalking and chasing games regardless of the weather… so let’s play outside all year long!

We trekked deeper into forest and up a hill to a place where Explorers learned the basics of another favorite EC game called, “Spider’s Web.” We explained the rules of the game and began to play with Dave as spider and everyone else as flies. But, one-after-one, boys dropped like flies in a different way. This is when lesson three emerged: Cold. Many of us were soaked through. Our fingers were icicles. It was difficult to play because the elements finally demanded our attention and respect.

Some responded by eating a snack and drinking water. Others drank some hot honey water that mentors brought. And a handful of Explorers were interested in just holding the warm mug. One way to respond in cold weather is to refuel our bodies- they need a lot of energy to keep us warm. We took turns wringing out gloves and hats. Nick taught us the “shakeout” game to get blood moving to our extremities.

Then we hit the trail, knowing that actively hiking would warm us up. Greg led us to a good place for a Sit Spot. In staying quiet and not moving, the sit spot is a very important nature connection practice because we get more used to the flow of life around us… and the natural world gets used to our being there. We can listen to the birds’ teachings as they vie for territory or notice cool fungi growing in hidden crevices in symbiotic relationship with the surrounding trees. The sit spot is a practice we’ll revisit many times in our Explorers Club careers!

We finally reached the shelter and wrang out our clothes. We had closing meeting and ate our snacks. A couple of Explorers found that they were colder in the shelter because in de-layering, they released their body heat. Let’s remember to wring out our wet stuff but to find a balance of maintaining our heat too.

Be proud of your efforts, Raccoon Kits—you got the real story of what Explorers Club is about. This outing was a great foundation for nature connection! From the Sit Spot to Spider’s Web, you now join a legacy of Whatcom county boys who practice nature-connection and play fun forest games. And your ability to be out in the cold rainy autumn weather is a testament to your inner-strength. We mentors were inspired by your efforts and truly look forward to future explorations together!

Parents, thanks for your support of these Raccoon Kits and the BEC community. Please have a look at the photo gallery, but recognize that the pictures are mostly blurred because of the dark and wet :). See you next weekend!