Red-Tailed Eyas Explore North Galbraith Mountain with the Gray Wolf Pups

All outings are exciting, but the first outing of Spring season always seems to carry a little extra excitement; Winter is long and the days have just started being long enough and nice enough to explore again. As the Red Tailed Eyas gathered in the North Galbraith parking lot it was fun to see the faces of seasoned explorers and share memories of past explorations and adventures together. Today was an unusual day for Explorers Club in that we had two groups gathering at the same location; both the Red Tailed Eyas and a younger group called the Grey Wolf Pups. As the groups arrived all four mentors quickly conferenced and decided to take advantage of this anomaly and that we should all meet up for a big game of Spiders Web.

Once everyone had arrived the Red Tailed Eyas hit the trail just before the Grey Wolf Pups in search of a spot in the woods for an opening circle. After a few minutes of hiking we found one and all gathered together to not only discuss our day but also the upcoming season. Historically the Red Tailed Eyas have struggled with efficient group decision making; A skill that becomes increasingly important as these boys mature and began backpacking and other trips that take them deeper into the wilderness. Last season the group made some gains in this skill through some long and committing traverses that required careful thought of the group and ability to make quick decisions. But today the Red Tailed Eyas were back to their unfocused ways as we attempted to frame the season and talk about our plans for today.

As we sat in our circle the younger Grey Wolf Pups had sat down for their circle and quickly came up with a plan and were now hiking down the hill to find a spot for Spiders Web One of the red Tailed Eyas Said “Why do they get to leave their Circle?” The mentors replied that the Grey Wolf Pups had probably talked about everything they needed to talk about. This was a moment where it is clear that sometimes the best mentors are not the adults in the circle but our peers.

With our opening circle done we hiked down to join the Grey Wolf Pups for a giant Game of Spiders Web. The game went off without a hitch. We found an excellent location and playing with so many boys allowed us to have three spiders and two food sources. (ask your explorer how this changed the game, they will be happy to share!) 

After the first game well game together to talk about what to change for the next round. With such a large group it was challenging to facilitate this conversation, but soon we all came to an agreement about how to play the next round. Hiding in ravines, getting stuck on the web, new nettles stinging us, lots of dirt, rain sprinkles, laughter, new friends, challenging game, running up hills. We all ended the second game feeling satisfied and tired from our day together. This was a day that is a good reminder that sometimes just playing in the woods is the most important way to learn from and experience the land.

With the game over it was time to separate the Red Tailed Eyas and Grey Wolf Pups so we could each have our own closing circles. As we sat in our circle we all talked openly about decision making and how we could all individually  help facilitate better group work. The Red Tailed Eyas were all sincere in their comments and spoke from the heart. The group as a whole is still working on their ability to focus and make decisions, but on an individual level many of the boys have grown and matured a lot over the Winter and there are some strong and capable leaders emerging in the group. Thank you Red Tailed Eyas for a great Outing!

To see more photos from the day please visit the RTE's and GWP's photo albums. 

  

Planting Red Alders at Connelly Creek with the Red Tailed Eyas and Gray Wolf Pups

We arrived at Connelly Creek service site under dark clouds but no rain for our last service outing of the Fall season. for the last month there has been four groups of Explorers working on this site every weekend. The transformation of this land has been amazing to watch and be a part of. This final outing of service for the Fall season was such a great way for the Red Tailed Eyas and the Grey Wolf Pups to not only see all the work that groups before them had done, but also to put in the final push of work before we leave this site until Spring. Our task today was to plant the seven 10ft tall Red Alders that the Parks Department had left for us. We needed to dig holes for every tree, set up supports, and finally cage in and mulch around the base of the trees.

While we waited for the Grey Wolf Pups the Red Tailed Eyas had a discussion about one of the main species that is affected by the work that we do; the Salmon. The Alders are great nitrogen fixers for the soil as well as providing shade to stunt the invasive reed canary grass. The boys had some really insightful observations on what makes good habitat for salmon and how our work is benefiting habitat.  

When the Grey Wolf Pups arrived the combined energy of the two groups swept us into productive work. Digging holes, throwing mulch, finding roots, clearing Reed Canary grass, moving Red Alders, setting up cages, massaging roots, laughing, new friends, dirty hands, more holes, and plenty of strong work.

The power of having two Explorers groups work together is so tangible when doing this work at Connelly Creek; So much hard work and new connections with each other. After a solid few hours of work the Red Alders were no longer laying on their sides in a pile, but instead happily standing in freshly dug and mulched holes. It was really amazing to look around and see a miniature forest of Red Alder saplings instead of the Reed Canary grass that had carpeted the ground previously.

As the Red Tailed Eyes left the Grey Wolf Pups geared up to spread the last of the mulch that remained. A forty five minute explosion of work from the Grey Wolf Pups left the previously mountainous mulch pile a mere bump on the land. At this point the focus was gone and the group was ready to explore. Even on these days that are focused on a strong ethic of service work it is important for these boys to have time to explore the land. As these boys Explore the land around the service site they learn more about what the land needs and how the work they are doing affects it.

As the energy from the exploration came down the Grey Wolf Pups came back in wet and muddy from the creek, scrapped by the blackberries, and excited by all their discoveries. We packed up and settled into a closing meeting. While going around and giving thanks for the day I was touched to hear so much appreciation for the day. Many boys voiced their thanks for the land and our opportunity to give back to it. Peter asked the explorers; Who does this service benefit and how does it affect us? Some explorers pondered this questions as they finished the last of their apple slices. The salmon? The neighbors? the community of bellingham? the deer? the Trees? us? After a while a few explorers said this work benefits everyone. We all seemed to agree with this explanation.

Thank you Red Tailed Eyas and Grey Wolf Pups for all your hard work at connelly creek. It was a true pleasure to work alongside all of you. Parents please talk your sons into taking you back to this site to see all their hard work. This time of year is a great opportunity to see it before the mud season truly begins. Please check out our photo gallery 

Exploring Fragrance Lake Road with the Gray Wolf Pups

The sun was out and shining on a warm spring day as the Gray Wolf Pups began to arrive at the Clayton Beach parking lot.  Mentors Greg and Matt were eager to head into the forest, explore some new places, and play some games!  As soon as the all the boys had gathered we held our opening circle.  Matt and Greg quickly facilitated a round of names, and a few essential jobs.  Then without too much delay we left the hustle and bustle of the parking lot and headed up the road.

At our first junction we stopped and did some group decision-making about which direction we wished to explore.  The Explorers did a blind vote and we headed off the road and onto a deer trail.  The expansiveness of the road disappeared and soon we were pushing through tangles of fallen trees and walls of salal.  The boys eventually emerged onto a huge fallen Douglas fir and we promptly set down our packs and enjoyed some lunch.  While some boys ate others explored the forest around our lunch spot.  The thickets of salal had shifted to tall firs and an understory dominated by sword ferns.  The party of boys exploring covered a lot of ground and discovered we were next to a creek and near the trail to Fragrance Lake!  The boys and mentors agreed that this might be the perfect place to play spider’s web!

Spider’s web is a fantastic game that combines capture the flag and Hide!  The game is played in a patch of forest that offers some cover to sneak around and hide behind.  The players choose a person to be the Spider, who is trying to capture all the flies.  A fly is captured when the spider spots him and calls out “Back to the web!”  That fly is then stuck in the web (a tree or bush designated by a bandana) until he is either waved off by free fly, or all the flies are captured.  While the spider is trying to capture the flies, they are sneaking, often crawling, towards the “food source”, often another bandana.  Playing with two food sources forces the spider to move around the playing field and prevents the spider from sitting next to the food source.  If the flies can capture the food source and bring it back to the web undetected they win.  A single round can be over in 5 minutes, but often a single game can be an hour or longer! 

This game, which is a favorite of explorers and mentors alike force all of us to practice moving slowly and quietly in the forest.  While increasing our stealth makes for progressively more challenging games of spiders web, it also has the benefit of helping us move unnoticed in the forest allowing us to see more on our travels.  Spider’s web also forces both the spider and the flies to activate thier senses in an effort to pick up disturbences in the landscape and give away thier opponents position.  Stretching and strengthening our senses helps us see and experience more when we venture out our door everyday.

Matt and Greg were excited to provide a space in our outing to play spiders web for hours.  Boys this age need to have a chance to lose track of time and get lost in big game outside.  Playing several rounds also allowed the Gray Wolf Pups to learn a lot about what makes for a fun game of Spider’s web.  What variables make it more or less challenging?  How can the land provide advantages or challenges for the spiders and flies?  After several hours the mentors and the boys had lots of answers to these questions.  The game also brings up discussions that are challenging for the boys.  Some boys are persistent and follow the same paths over and over eventually getting frustrated at their lack of success.  Others experience the frustration of being stuck at the web with no one around to help them off.  These can often lead to conversations about fairness.

All too soon it was time to form a circle and begin our closing meeting.  We took the opportunity to talk about the games we played and what we learned.  As always we shared what we were thankful for and enjoyed some apple slices together.  A short walk brought us back to the road and eventually to the parking lot where families were waiting eagerly to hear stories of the day.

A big thank you to the explorers for an epic game of spiders web!  And another deep thank you to your families for all your support.  We couldn't do this work without you.