“And that is how coyote took fire from the Firekeepers and why we can find it in the trees,” Dave said as he ended the story. Parents, you can ask your Explorers how the rest of it went.
We'd like to thank Jordan for joining us as a volunteer for the day. Your presence was a nice guiding force for the boys.
The goal for the Red Tailed Eyas’ last outing of the spring season was to learn how to create and protect fire and to prepare the materials to harness it. So we avoided the gauntlet of dog poop and mountain bikers and found a protected nook on a ridge near the main trail. We dropped packs and Steve showed us the whole fire process. Whereas Explorers saw Steve light his first fire in November at Lake Whatcom, this time they paid more attention to the multiple steps.
But we can’t have fire without the right wood. And we can’t have the right wood unless we identify and harvest the best wood and have the tools to process it into a useful form. Fortunately, Mentors brought some milled alder and a saw. Explorers learned how to “baton” wood into good sizes. Please ask your Explorer if he had the chance to practice this skill.
While half of the group tried carving spindles out of red alder (rather difficult to do) the other half fell in love with a herd of tent caterpillars. Explorers in the Caterpillar Patrol collected a bunch of their wriggly friends and created living spaces for them. At one point boys sent them down the creek on leaves and other natural rafts.
Some boys needed a break from carving so they took to the forest of stinging nettle to make cordage. We harvested a couple of nettle stalks (and got zapped a couple of times!) and then boys began the process of making their own rope. The Caterpillar Patrol had finished their work with the tent caterpillars and had begun to set up the props for Spider’s Web. All boys wrapped up their projects and we gathered on the ridge to determine the boundaries of the game.
Suddenly we heard a snap, crash, and tumbling. We looked west to see a branch coming down the side of a huge Cottonwood Tree. Stunned and quiet, the group was nervous about going anywhere. Finally we decided that it might be a cool opportunity to check out the damage.
We were extra cautious as we approached the area and our awareness skills, especially our deer ears, became alert and ready for use. We spend years practicing awareness in our games and activities and when it was time to utilize the skill, the Red Tailed Eyas met the challenge. Well done, guys!
A huge old arm of a cottonwood branch had indeed come down. Wow. We saw how big and heavy it was and decided to change the boundaries of the game. On the way back to the ridge, we found lots of cottonwood seed and some boys wisely picked up the cotton to keep for future “nesting” material in their fire kits. We also came across a dead and partially-eaten bird that we decided was probably a sapsucker or small woodpecker. Using our naturalist knowledge and some practical application, we determined who the killer might have been. Ask your Explorer if he remembers.
Spider’s Web was a great chance for everyone because the spider was very quick and the flies followed the rules. Sam, the spider, nearly won the game on a couple of occasions but the flies managed to escape and move the flag, impeding his victory. The game was drawing to a close when we heard, “Ewww, gross. Wow. Hey guys, you gotta see this!”
Explorers rushed down the hill to find Dave hovered over a dead and decomposing raccoon. Some boys were immediately repulsed and climbed back to their backpacks. Others took to wanting to study the carcass and eventually the top half of the skull came loose. We admired this animal and started the forensics process that we completed with the bird. We asked questions like: How did this animal die; what are possible predators; when might this have happened; and so on.
Of course we were late and we fit in a rapid circle of thanks as we held closing meeting. We hiked out having started the basics of fire and a great, early-summer day of exploring under our belts.
Thank you for a great season Red Tailed Eyas. It is always fun to be with you guys because you work so well as a group. Your leadership, following, and group process skills are incredible to watch. Thank you parents for supporting these boys and the program. We look forward to seeing you all at the Summer Solstice Gathering on June 14th from 5-7pm at Tenant Lake/ Hovander Park, at summer camps, and around town this summer.
Please see more pictures from this outing on the photo gallery. Have a great summer -- See you in the fall!
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