Many old faces and a few new ones gathered at the north side of Galbraith mountain for the first outing of the Spring season with The Red Tailed Eyas. The warm weather heated our backs and the feeling was more of a summer outing than the first week of March.We soon had the whole group and quickly headed into the deeply forested lowlands of Galbraith mountain.
We were all excited by the leafing Elderberry, the small Nettle sprouts, and the budding Red Huckleberries. As we hiked through the warm forest we looked for a spot for closing meeting, some of the boys running ahead to scout for a spot. We soon found a suitable location on a small ridge sitting above a steep ravine. The sun hit our faces on this ridge and we took a few minutes to shed some layers and grab snacks as we formed a our first circle of the season. Since we did have two new faces we decided to go around and introduce ourselves along with a little ice breaker. I posed the question; “what kind of dog would you be and where would you poop?” Soon we were all laughing and any dissolving any small inhibitions that had once been there.
From our opening circle spot we kept heading South up the valley. With no trail to follow we simply let ourselves wander. Affording us the time to delve into our curiosity about bones on the ground, tracks in the mud, a cedar that looked different, an old christmas tree, new nettles, logs like teeter totters, Hide!, rotten stumps, Yew trees, and bird calls we did not recognize. This valley was a new area for everyone including Steve and I. It is such an exciting opportunity to explore land that no one in the group knows. The Red Tailed Eyas facilitated a great balance between letting our wandering spirit thrive, but also making good navigation choices. The ecosystems we wandered through were incredibly diverse; dense cedar and douglas fir forests, open alder stands, and steep sunny hillsides covered in sword fern and salmon berry.
After a few hours of navigating up this ravine we arrived at the base of a steep sand stone cliff. Here the group became divided some of the boys continuing upward toward the cliff, and others voicing concern about the route. We gathered the boys in the sun at the base of the sandstone cliff and opened up the decision for them. It may have been faster for one of us to simply make a decision for the group but it is an immensely powerful thing for these boys to come to these decisions through their own conversation. Most of these boys will be backpacking with Boys Explorers Club soon and the skill set of assessing risk for not only yourself, but the group is essential when traveling deep in the backcountry. We soon decided to send steve up to explore and easier route. The rest of us waited in the sun enjoying the heat coming from the rock face behind us. Soon Steve returned bringing new of an easier and safer route around the corner.
We reached the top of the cliff and were welcomed by one of the best views of Bellingham. Mt baker stood out against the blue sky to the East and to the West downtown Bellingham stretched out into the bay and the San Juan Islands beyond. we spread out and across the sandstone and settled into some time working on our earth skills focus for the season; Fire by Friction. Some boys worked on their bow drill kits, others used pieces of my kit, some boys worked on tinder bundles and others tried to start a fire using flint and steel. It was perfect to see the boys own curiosity take them right into the earth skill we had set out for the season. After some really focused time working on different elements of fire by friction we realized it was time to have our closing meeting.
We could not have had our closing circle at a spot more beautiful. All the boys spoke from the heart when giving thanks and sharing apples. We all felt a sense of accomplishment from our day spend wandering up nameless ravines and the good work we had done making a group decision and assessing the risk we were willing to take. We ended the day by setting the intention to all make a bow drill kit by the end of the season. Thank you Red Tailed Eyas for another great outing and thank you parents for your continual support! please check out our
photo gallery to see more pictures from this outing.
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