Red-Tailed Eyas traverse from Pine and Cedar to Arroyo

Our first outing of the Fall season fell on a September day that felt much like a summer outing; clear blue skies and mild temperatures. The idea for this outing was born from numerous hikes I have been on in the Chuckanuts and a desire to connect two of the major trail systems that climb the North side of Chuckanut Mountain. The landscape between Pine and Cedar Lakes trail and Arroyo park is full of deeply furrowed ravines and steep ridgelines. Knowing the Red Tailed Eyas to be a capable and strong group, both physically and in their group cohesion it seemed the perfect first outing for these guys.

We began climbing the Pine and Cedar lakes trail in search of a good location for an opening meeting. At the opening meeting we handed out jobs, talked about our Summers, and took a look at the topographic map of the Chuckanuts. We spent a good chunk of time looking at the map and identifying the easiest route across the slope and deciding at what point we would leave the established trail to start our bushwhack. A handful of the boys took initiative with reading the map and selecting the ideal route for the group.

As we left the trail we circled up one more time to make sure that we were all clear on the plan and felt up to the adventure of traversing this much ground without the aid of a trail. All the boys felt confident and expressed their interest in continuing the traverse.

The first part of the traverse proved to be easy travel along an obvious flat bench that traversed the hillside. Sword ferns as tall as our chests, towering hemlock and douglas fir trees provided the perfect ecosystem to travel through. As we traversed further along the hillside the terrain steepened and we spent more and more time closely examining the map to find the best route. At this point in the traverse we talked about Acceptable risk (or risk we can mitigate) versus risk we were not willing to accept as a group. It was a fruitful discussion for those involved and provided clarity on what kind of terrain we were will to travel through. We all decided that the hillside we wanted to climb fell into the category of acceptable risk that we could handle safely as a group.  

After a steep climb up a hillside we found a nice flat spot to take a break and eat some lunch.  Looking at the map we could see that from here we had to descend into the main drainage that separated the two trail systems. The topographic lines on the map indicated both a steep descent into creek and a steep climb back up the other side. The Red Tailed Eyas looked down into the creek and planned out and excellent route that would lead us through this section. One by one we all scrambled down the hill toward the creek and began the trek up the other side.

At the top of the hill we all grouped up and congratulated each other on our effort. From here we trekked the short distance out to the hemlock trail. As soon as we hit the trail all the boys celebrated  our completed traverse and expressed their enthusiasm and sense of accomplishment.

Unlike many of our outings with more of an emphasis on wandering and and following our inspiration on where to go and how to spend our time there, this outing was a much more directed traverse. Both types of exploration are important and teach us different lessons about the places we go. I was really impressed by the boys that were committed to learning how to read the map and plan a route across unknown terrain. Beyond the lessons of reading maps and navigating terrain I think the group learned a lot about approaching challenging situations and the value of working together as a group in these situations.  

Red Tailed Eyas at Clayton Beach

The Chuckanut mountains are one of my favorite places in bellingham; ocean to the West and fading away into the cascades to the East. These outing are always fun, but particularly when the are in a location that is so expansive and inspiring. The Red Tailed Eyas began to arrive and gather in the dappled sunlight that had found the grass and warmed us up for the time being. We had a quick opening meeting and headed into the forest.

 I really wanted to do some blindfold games with the boys and so we started with a drum stalk. Traditionally a drumstalk is done by one person standing a ways off in the woods and everyone else making their way blindfolded toward the sound of the drum. With no drum i substituted a crow call instead. It took a while to get everyone together and blindfolded, but soon enough the boys formed a line blindfolded and began to follow the sound of my crow call. At first there was a lot of joking and yelling, but the explorers quickly realized that it was impossible to hear while being this loud. After a few minutes of chaos everyone quieted down. We are all such visual people and rely so much on this one sense. To see all the boys settle into trusting their sense of touch and hearing was really cool. As they drew closer I saw them do an amazing job navigation fallen trees, branches, rocks, and other obstacles throughout the forest. We had a short debrief about the drum stalk. What was challenging? What was easier than you expected? What would you try differently. After about fifteen minutes of discussion all the boys asked if we could do it again.

 We finished our second drum stalk and made our way to our packs to load up. We chose to head toward the beach, but instead of heading back out to the main trail the Explorers decided we should follow deer trails down there. Excited to explore with the aid of our eyes we all headed off along small game trails. At the top of a small hill we stopped to regroup and take a water break. When we started moving again groups of explorers all began to move in three different directions. It took along time to do so, but finally we all managed to stand in a circle. I know it is a lot for these boys sometimes but a circle is our best tool for making these decisions. As the Explorers talked about which direction to head I could see the frustration of many of the boys growing as our time ticked by and people focus on the discussion waned. It is a fine line between holding these boys to making decisions as a group and not letting them get too frustrated by the decision making process. Just when i thought i would have to step in to guide the conversation the boys all agreed on a direction and we were off.  

 Following deer trails is a really fun way to move through the forest, Seeing how the animals choose to move, ending up places you never would otherwise, finding deer carcoses, taking breaks in unexpected meadows, but the pressure this kind of travel puts on moving as a group and constantly making decision to access What direction to travel or which small trail to take can sometimes be a lot for these boys.

 We made it down to the warm sunshine of clayton beach, such a welcome relief from the cold dark forest we had been moving through for the last couple hours. Sandstone cliffs, running down the beach, watching waves, looking at the islands, playing in the sand, Playing “the old blind cougar” game, blindfold time, sneaking up on each other, laughing, and so much fun on the beach. The Red Tailed Eyas still have some work to do on their ability to act as a group and make decisions together, but they are such a joy to explore with! The group is full of enthusiasm and they all have some very impressive skills when it comes to the forest. Thanks for a great season explorers and parents, please look at our photo gallery to see what these boys have been up to!  

Red Tailed Eyas Explore Galby Lane

The Red Tailed Eyas gathered for their third outing of the season above lake padden right at the foot hill of galbraith mountain. This is a really great patch of forest that is off the beaten path for most hikers and has many acres of woodland that sits well of trail, a perfect place for us to explore. We made our way out of the parking lot in search of a good opening meeting spot. We joked about halloween costumes, compared amounts of candy swindled for the year and explored licorice fern roots on our way to opening circle. At opening circle we talked about how the last outing (service at connelly creek!) was a pretty structured outing. The need to wander, explore, and make decisions as a group was expressed by all. On this note the boys decided that we all needed a game.

We headed into the forest in search of a good spot to play Eagle Eye This was a new game for all the boys and everyone expressed excitement to learn it. We found a lush valley veiled by giant sword ferns and numerous fallen mossy logs; this is just the kind of environment that lets explorers and mentors alike disappear into the underbrush. We began our first round of eagle eye, everyone dashing in different directions to hide before the “eagle” opened his eyes. From my hiding place nestled at the base of a sword fern I could hear boys yelling and small arguments about whether or not someone had been seen or not. This commotion persisted through the game and escalated to the point that I even had a hard time hearing the eagle bring us all in. As the first round ended we gathered together as a group to discuss the game. There was voices of those that felt impatience at the fact that the rest of the group had been so disruptive. As mentors we strive to give these boys the tools necessary to let them settle these questions of fairness, honor, and respect rather than step in and solve them for these boys. After a solid twenty minutes of discussion these boys identified the points of friction in the game and came up with ways to solve these.

The next two rounds went really smoothly. Significantly less noise, fewer disputes about who had been found and who had not, and overall a much better attitude toward the whole game. Realizing our impact on this little patch of forest we decided to move on in search of new terrain to explore. We spent the rest of the day exploring this patch of forest, running through the woods, Hide, spy training games, remembering birds, getting to know trees, laughing, staying warm, tasting licorice root, and rejoicing the lack of rain. 

As the day ended we again stopped to make some decisions on how to spend the rest of the day. Some boys wanted to practice their carving others wanted to play a Spiders Web and others just wanted to keep exploring. It was challenging to do so much work on group decision making in one day. These boys are still working on listening to others as they speak instead of continuing with their individual discussions. Again it took a while but we did finally reach a point where each boy had said what he needed to say and the group had maintained enough focus to hear each other out.

We had a brief closing meeting and headed back just before the rain started! thank you Red Tailed Eyas for a fun filled outing! I am so happy to be a part of your time in Explorers club! be sure to check out our photo gallery for more pictures.