The Larrabee Traverse with the Red-Tailed Eyas

The fog rolled in over the Salish Sea as a Red-Tailed Eyas gathered for the infamous Larrabee Traverse exploration. It was only thirty minutes away from the high low tide, the sea at nearly four feet, and only a narrow isthmus of land connecting the boat launch area to the Larrabee State Park beach. Right off the bat, this exploration was about focus, working together, rising to the challenges, and working with the landscape. As we circled up, we recognized this, and made a snap decision to get to Larrabee State Park beach right away to have a longer opening meeting there. So Explorers jumped onto logs, trotted across the stone beach, navigated the thin isthmus of land, hopped from rock to rock, and rounded the corner. We chose a good spot to circle up, and we all prepared for what lay ahead.

This outing is not for the faint of heart. Especially when the tide is perpetually coming in. We had a projected high tide at 5:30 PM, which was fairly close to our closing time, and which meant a consistently elevated tide throughout the entire outing. We considered what this meant for the landscape and what kind of obstacles we might face. Safety was a big part of this opening meeting, and so we made sure to recognize how each one of our jobs had an aspect of safety. We would inevitably be doing some rock climbing, some log and rock balancing acts, and we would constantly be in a situation where we would need to stay close together. Everyone on this journey played an essential role.

And then we were off. It wasn't long until we came across the first major obstacle. The water had pushed up against the sandstone and the only way to continue along the coastline was to negotiate a small rock climb and scramble right next to the ocean water. We assessed the situation, set up spotters, established a good route, and went one by one. Each person stretched his edge in his own way, and it was apparent that this outing was that once about unifying the group and about personal growth. Amazing to see how each Explorer problem solved in a slightly different way. We all became very thankful for a dry day when depending on these wonderful sandstone formations.

More obstacles presented themselves throughout the day. There were approximately five major elements that demanded the group attention as we proceeded through them one by one. At one point we even found the need to set up a backpack train. So often, these situations where right over waist or chest deep ocean water.

But the day was not entirely obstacles. There was plenty of discovery and exploration to be had. Sunstars, seastars, hooded nudibranchs, a seal carcass, sea snails, anemones, otter scat, shorebirds, sandstone caves, giant coastal trees, and more peppered our adventure. We did manage to fit in a few games of Hide along the way. We stopped for lunch and Matt told a story that illustrated the necessity of sticking together. At times we took a moment to just enjoy the amazing landscape nearly in our backyards.

The last challenge of the day came as the tide was quickly closed in. We had a final scramble up a waterfall! The Red Tailed Eyas lined up and made their final push toward higher ground. Success!  We ended up on a beautiful Rocky outcropping at the end of a trail that led directly to the Clayton Beach parking lot. We gave a big cheer to recognize everyone's individual accomplishments and our accomplishment as a group. Then we trudged on. The timing could not have been more perfect. We had just enough time to have a final circle meeting at the base of the stairs by the Clayton Beach parking lot. We shared apples, gave thanks, and shared one challenge that we rose to.  A great final offering. Excellent work, Red Tailed Eyas. It is an honor to explore with you. Thank you so much parents for all your enduring support.

Don't forget to check out pics from the outing in our photo gallery.