Planning can only take you so far, In the end it is the land that dictates what direction our day will take and it is our job to listen and follow this inspiration. So it was on the Red Tailed Eyas outing at Arroyo park. Steve and I had planned a day with the intention of giving the boys time to work on creating their bow drill kits. This plan quickly evaporated as we bushwhacked down toward Chuckanut creek. We passed under the large hand shaped leaves of Devil's Club, avoiding their spiny stalks before we broke out onto a sunny sandbar along the creek. Here the boys dropped their packs and began hopping along the edge of the creek.
Exploring a downstream we discovered where the creek passed through a giant tunnel under chuckanut drive. feeling the call to explore the unknown and the warmth of the sun many of us were excited to explore further down the creek even if it meant getting our feet wet for the day. This led us to our first group decision; walk down the creek and commit to wet feet? Or stay in the upland forest with dry feet? Unlike a decision of whether or not to play a game of spiders web where you can sit out if you don’t want to play this decision held a much higher level of commitment. We formed a circle on the sandbar at the mouth of the tunnel and tried to come to a consensus about what to do. The boys had strong opinions on both sides of the issues; some feeling strongly about exploring downstream, others opposed to having wet feet. The boys were slow in settling down to a point they could really listen to each other and come to a coherent decision. As mentors steve and I held the space for the Red Tailed Eyas to make this decision. Making a decision as a group is challenging, it takes focus and the ability to listen to others. The Red Tailed Eyas had a hard with this and took some guiding from steve and I along the way.
The group came to the decision to go down the creek and explore it as far as we could, committing to wet feet and a sense of adventure. We set off through the tunnel, Explorers laughing with excitement as we waded through the cool water. Emerging from the tunnel onto a beautiful stretch of creek with dappled sunlight overhung by salmon berry and devil's club we were all happy we had gone this way. It is a really amazing perspective to be right in the creek looking up at the banks as we walked by. We found small fish, explored huge clay banks, navigated waste deep sections and marveled that we had found a spot that not one of us had ever explored. For those that had not wanted to get their feet wet initially it was good to see them confront their edge and embrace the wet feet and the mobility we had as a group once we committed to this.
As we moved down the creek we began to realize that we must be getting close to the ocean. Sure enough a couple more bends in the river and we broke out onto the sunny shore of mud bay. The tide was out and as far as we could see a great expanse of mud lay in front of us. The Red Tailed Eyas dropped their packs and made their way out onto the mud flats. Before long we had all lost any attempt to stay clean, crawling, wading, getting stuck, rinsing off, crawling again, walking on all fours, any way to move through the mud. It was a great experience to all be in the same mindset of just wanting to play in the mud and explore the tidal flats.
As our time drew toward an end an Explorer cut his leg on some barnacles so we began moving back to shore to clean the wounds and get packed up to go. Despite the fact that these wounds were only superficial cuts to the first layer of skin and presented no risk if we cleaned and dressed them properly it is important in these moments to act as a group. Part of acting as a group is asking yourself “what can i be doing for the group right now?” Part of asking yourself this question is forgoing some of your personal needs in order to help the group. The Red Tailed Eyas struggled with this as Steve cleaned out Barnacle cuts and I tried to gather everyone on the beach. The boys had little awareness for what the group needed and how they could enable that. This was a valuable learning moment for the group and i believe it served as a good lesson for all the boys whether they realized it or not.
Dirty, tired, but immensely happy we finished our day with a closing meeting in the tall grass of Woodstock farm. The day was really powerful; full of exploration, new places, pure happiness, stretching our edges, and coming together as a group. The challenges of the day presented themselves as group work and thinking about “We” not only “Me”. I am excited for many of these boys to backpack with Wild Whatcom this summer to further hone their group abilities. It was a wonderful day and could not have been a higher not to end a great season on! Parents thank you for all your support throughout the season and Red Tailed Eyas thank you for your enthusiasm and joy throughout the season. Be sure to check out our photo gallery for more photos. 
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