Stewardship Exploration with the Red-Tailed Eyas

The long string of high pressure summery and sunny days had come to an end this Sunday, and, as we gathered on the lawn by the auditorium, the familiar Pacific NW raingear was donned.  Explorers were ready for the familiar greys above and the spatterings of rain that we all know and love so well.  Let it be known that we are all natural animals and the changes in pressure and environment are changes in ourselves.  This outing, from the get-go was low pressure!  Explorers sauntered in, gathered and sat, lackadaisically played a game of Hide or two, and causally poked around the area with little interest in straying far.

As is often the case, the opening meeting emerged out of a genuinely curious investigation of horsetail.  Some Explorers shared that horsetail was once quite large.  In fact, it is believed that these vascular spore plants were once over 100’ tall and created ancient forests.  We took a look at a comparable tree in order to truly admire the magnitude of such a plant.  A bearded guy who was not Dave kept guiding the group with some fantastic mentoring insights.  Some knew him, but others did not.  We introduced ourselves and learned that this mentor was in fact Drew Butler, one of the founders of Boys Explorers Club.  Drew came to guest mentor for an outing, and we were all very lucky to have him along.

We circled up and distributed jobs amongst the group.  We then decided to start off the day with a little snack in the amphitheater.  The first order of business, before lunches were out, was to look for life.  What lives on that hunk of concrete?  Tiny mosses, spiders, mites, and a swallow’s nest composed the quick list.  Good to know that life is abundant, and almost everywhere we walk, we are walking in or on something’s home.  As lunches came out, we talked about service, plants, and the definition of a weed.

It turned out that for service on this day, we had adapt to our situation.  The plantings had not arrived for the State Parks, so this outing became a service exploration.  We got to look into what it means to serve as you explore, and to keep our eyes out for ways to serve wherever we are.  As for a weed, we had many varying definitions.  We took the time to work our way through each, and to clarify some possible confusion by thinking it through.  This Explorer is partial to the definition of a young explorer in the group, “a weed is a matter of opinion.”

As we finished up snack, Drew pulled out his carvings to share with the group.  It turns out he is a highly skilled carver, and many of the pieces were sources of inspiration to all.  He also showed the next steps, including using Chuckanut sandstone, horsetail (yes, our wonderful equisetum can actually be used as a fine sandpaper), and a burnishing rock (to finish the piece off.)  Explorers will reach these steps soon enough.

As we all finished and packed up, a navigational challenge was before us.  Can Explorers find the way to where we pulled ivy the last time.  After some debate and some problem solving, they did wonderfully.  On the way up, we met a “weed” called dandelion, and started to learn a little more about this ubiquitous superfood and medicine.  We examined some look-alikes, and started to consider the way the plant world shows variation.  We discovered a few invasives along the way: mostly ivy and holly, and began our service exploring.

Explorers performed a few “service explosions” where they scrambled to collect as much ivy as they could within a time limit.  We also metOregon grape and considered the differences between this plant and ivy.  It was becoming evident that knowledge is a form of service.  If we know, then we can act well and efficiently.

We found our old pulling site and admired its health.  We also recognized that there was more to do further down the slope.  Explorers took to it and it was an ivy pulling fest!  See the pics for details.  We worked in pairs, solo, teams, and as a whole group.  It flowed as needs arose and curiosity guided.  After a good push and a decent haul, we decided to take a break, get some water, and continue the service exploration.

Explorers and the day were still low pressure, so our hike down the trail was at a mellow pace.  This turned into a tour of service, where we admired trail work done by other Explorers Club groups identified other potential service opportunities, and admired a bridge built by an Explorers Club group.  We also noted the health of this patch of forest and realized that many people performing service over time results in healthy land that does not need much maintenance.

Near the end of the day, we settled down to eat and whittle.  We had a closing meeting where we appreciated the day, service, and Mothers!  On the way back, Drew challenged the group with a quick camouflage gauntlet, which kept our eyes sharp while we navigated the trail.  Much thanks to all the Explorers for your wonderful service, your abundant curiosity, and your spirit of exploration.  Much thanks to all parents for you enduring support.

Don’t forget to check out pics from the outing on our photo gallery.

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