A Well Rounded Adventure

I am a big supporter of bite-sized adventure.  Exploration does not need to be this grand undertaking to far off lands.  I can appreciate and cherish the opportunities and discoveries that we find close at hand and under our boots at any given moment.  On a beautiful Saturday in March, the Alligator Lizards proved this idea again and again and again.  On our most recent outing to North Lake Whatcom, the boys demonstrated that being in the here and now is the perfect way to experience all the magic of nature. 

Alligator Lizards gearing up for an adventure

North Lake Whatcom is a fantastic place to explore.  It offers a remote and wild wilderness feeling right in our own backward.  The group met at the trailhead.  In our opening circle we passed out jobs, and discussed our new skill “The Art of the Harvest.”  We talked about what things in our life are harvested, the rule of twenty (dealing with over harvesting and what that looks like and means to the ecosystem), and the importance and necessity of not consuming anything without the permission of a mentor.  For the safety of the participants we are very strict about this rule. 

It's wild out there

Upon completion of our opening circle we hiked up the Chanterelle Trail.  This is a really cool and steep trail that switchbacks up through some classic PNW terrain.  The boys worked really hard, and with a few breaks we made it to our basecamp. 

A nice base camp

When we reach our basecamp, the first thing we do is set up some boundaries for the explorers.  This area is on a little plateau and the sharply sloping edges made for easily defined limits while still leaving plenty of space to discover.  The Alligator Lizards are great at free exploration.  They are perfectly happy to build forts and play pretend and ask questions about all the interesting things that they come across.  We even found some old bear sign.  There was a broken branch with some bear hair caught in the break, and an old cedar with claw marks where it was marking its territory.  This discovery caused much excitement and a few nervous glances around.  The mentors explained to the group that the sign was at least a couple weeks old and that we were making far to much noise to worry about seeing one in person.  A previous Explorers Club group two weeks prior discovered these markings.  It was a great experience for the Alligator Lizards to have. 

It's pretty cool who we share this space with!

To cap off our camouflage skill, the mentors introduced a game called Spider’s Web to the Alligator Lizards.  It is a bit like Capture The Flag.  This is great game that the participants really get into.  It is a game that is played all throughout their time in Explorers Club, and the boys were really excited to finally get to play.  The sparse winter terrain made for a challenging playing field, but the Alligator Lizards rose to the challenge.  The mentors noticed that their hiding and sneaking skills improved greatly over the course of our games. 

Fort building

Learning earth skills is a fun and rewarding part of Explorers Club.  Even though we will be focusing on the Art of Harvest this season, the mentors like to give the explorers small glimpses into skills to come.  All of our lessons are a progression towards future skills or concepts that embody Explorers Club culture.  Down the road, we will introduce the Art of Fire.  This is always a huge hit, and we like to show the boys what’s to come if they are responsible with what they are learning in this moment.  On that note, the explorers were interested in fire, so the mentors taught them how to make a birds nest from cedar bark, and how to process a tinder bundle from western hemlock.  We then showed them what a ferrocerium rod is, and how to strike it to get sparks.  The Alligator Lizards curiosity really got going when the bird’s nest started smoking and finally ignited.  It was a great learning opportunity for the explorers, and I think that they are really excited for what’s to come. 

Ferro rod introduction

To close out a really fun and well-rounded adventure, we harvested some fresh cedar tips and set up the stove to make some cedar tip tea.  The boys enjoyed having a little taste of the forest while we had our closing circle.  There was much gratitude to go around.  The energy and curiosity and joy that the Alligator Lizards bring to each outing really makes this group fun to be a part of.  To view the rest of the photos from our outing click here.

Finding New Adventures at Lake Padden

As residents of the Bellingham area, we are lucky to have Lake Padden in our backyard.  I have hiked the trails there so many times, but there always seems to be new pockets left to explore.  It was my pleasure to share a winter adventure at this location with the Alligator Lizards.  They are a young group, but they are meshing together and internalizing Explores Club practices with each new outing.  These boys love to play in the woods, and that makes for rewarding day outside. 

 

Grabbing a quick snack

After opening circle we hiked back into the forest above the lake.  The mentors had a specific spot in mind, but along the way we came across an interesting area with huge and ancient fallen trees pushing up against the hillside.  The explorers decided that this would be a perfect place to deviate from the game plan.  They decided as a group to check out this area before heading onward to the next spot.  The group crossed a small muddy area where some chose to spend there time building a bridge to keep out of the mud.  The others spent the next 45 min. exploring and playing in the “Ewok Village.” 

 

Fun in the forest

Our next stop was a basecamp set in a little draw.  This spot provided much to explore while at the same time creating some very defined natural boundaries that kept the explorers within “crow call” distance.  Here the boys played countless rounds of hungry, hungry martin and hide, and there were some who focused intensely on building a fort between two fallen trees. 

 

Hungry, Hungry Martin

After a couple of hours of free exploration and games, the mentors felt it was good time to switch gears a little bit.  We hiked down the trail a little ways and found a good spot to have a “sit spot.”  Sit spot is an important part of Explorers Club.  The participants find a spot away from their fellow explorers and sit still and quiet for a set amount of time.  It is a good time for reflection, observation, and learning to be comfortable with your own thoughts.  The Alligator Lizards did a great job with this activity.  They were silent and respectful for the full 10 minutes!  When time was up we got in a circle and talked about some of the things we observed.  There were many incredibly insightful observations and thoughts shared. 

Finding great spots for reflection

As the outing was coming to a close, we found time for one last area to explore.  We played a couple more rounds of hide and drank some hot chocolate before we ended our adventure with a closing circle.  Thanks Alligator Lizards for bringing such enthusiasm, interest, and creativity to our day at Lake Padden.  Click here to view the rest of the photos. 

Climbing All Over North Chuckanut Mountain

The Alligator Lizards spent a fun Saturday climbing everything they could find on the north side of Chuckanut Mountain, exploring all kinds of new spots, and jumping ahead a bit in their skills training.  Starting out at the North Chuckanut Trailhead, we walked up the mountain and over onto the north side to enjoy the wonders of "Cougar Rock", a large boulder right along the trail.  The boys were very patient in learning the basics of safe climbing and how to make sure their spotter (one of the mentors) was ready before beginning your route.  While the group had varying levels of experience, we had a blast going up and down on different routes.  Everyone had a chance to enjoy the view from the top and it was the favored spot to sit and have a snack.  On the adjacent slope, the boys also had a chance to crawl through a hollow log halfway up.  We also took some time to build a rough shelter right next to the boulder which a number of explorers helped construct.

Nothing beats lunch on top of Cougar Rock!

Learning how to find hand and foot holds.

Awesome hollow log to crawl through!

Construction work is serious business.

Moving further east from Cougar Rock, the Alligator Lizards dropped off-trail to do some free exploring down in a nice valley.  Hunting for different types of fungus was a favorite activity for some.  Others spent some time playing "Hide" or building more stick shelters.

There's a fungus among us.

The mentors followed the shouts of excitement to be shown this beauty.

Future tightrope walkers trained here.

Just for fun (and because we found a ton of dried hemlock branches while we were exploring) we decided to show the boys how to use materials from the forest to start a fire with just sparks from a ferrocerium rod (kind of like flint-and-steel).  We gathered up the tiny dried branches from a Western Hemlock and shaved the backs of some falling cedar bark to create a bird's nest for our tinder bundle.  There were a lot of questions from the boys about why we didn't just use lighters or matches or paper for kindling, so the mentors explained that anyone can make a fire with those things.  What we are trying to teach them is how to make fire when some of those things aren't available to them.  As they progress in Explorer's Club, we will eventually teach them how to make fire from even more primitive methods like friction on a bow or hand drill.  Oddly enough, the best part about this activity was how long it took to light the fire!  Because the materials were fresh from the forest, everything was damp, so it took us almost 20 minutes to finally get a spark to catch and create an ember.  It was a good learning moment for the group in how hard it can be to start a fire and how much preparation it takes to be successful.

Learning about tinder bundles and safe fire preparation.

The first of many (many, many, many...) sparks needed to get our damp tinder started.

Wow!  It actually worked!

After putting out our small fire and eliminating all traces that we'd been there, we held our closing circle down in the valley.  The Alligator Lizards are really starting to get into their Attitude of Gratitude after our outings and they're sharing a lot of thanks for the cool places we get to explore together.  We had a great time with them on this outing and the mentors are definitely looking forward to seeing these boys again in the new year!

Be sure to check out the rest of the photos from our outing here! 

Finding Fun in a Familiar Place - Exploring Whatcom Falls Park

The Alligator Lizards took full advantage of a pleasant fall day to explore some out-of-the-way corners at one of our local favorites: Whatcom Falls Park.  Most of the boys have been to this park a number of times, but none of them had seen some of the spots we stopped along the way.

After holding our opening circle near the playground, we headed down the trail to check out the fish hatchery.  Right now, all the pens are holding rainbow trout that look like they're about ready to be released.  We had a chance to chat a little bit about fish life cycles and how hatcheries play a role in supporting populations of fish in certain waters.

Rolling on  from the hatchery, we headed up into the woods for some exploration.  The boys had a great time ranging around the area and they all did a great job of staying within hearing range of the mentors.  The "crow call" is a critical part of our safety culture.  Upon hearing it, the Explorers need to stop whatever they're doing and come back to the mentors.  The Alligator Lizards showed us they had that rule figured out, which made the mentors feel much more confident about their awareness.

Jonah makes a new friend...and names him Wilbert.  Wilbert is a Western Hemlock who grew up on top of a stump that has rotted away from beneath.

The boys found some beaver sign down by the pond.

Jonah introduces Huck to the joys of hanging out with Wilbert.

Our next stop was an area with a number of fallen trees.  The Explorers had a ball climbing around, playing some games of "Hide", and learning a bit more about native plants with a game of "Nature Scavenger Hunt".

Most of our hike was close to Whatcom Creek.

Advanced balance beam techniques.

We're about to reveal the scavenger hunt plant parts.

Quote of the day, "It's like a huge playground!"

Our last stop was a small open field that was the perfect size for some field games.  The boys decided they wanted to play "Fox Tails" and "Fire in the Forest".  Fox tails is similar to tag, but you had to pull a bandana out of another person's pocket to get them out.  Fire in the Forest is also tag-based, but pits one person ("The Cougar") against everyone else.  As peoples' chosen animal type is called out, they have to try to run past the cougar without being tagged.  In addition to having fun, these games are helping the boys learn the basics around playing with honor, resolving conflicts, and game strategy.

Setting up the ground rules for games.

The Alligator Lizards and their mentors had a great time on this outing.  As a group, we're already beginning to see some cohesiveness in their interactions, which is great!  Only three outings into their first season together and they already know each other's names, play well together as a group, and are picking up many of the basic Wild Whatcom norms.  We're looking forward to the next time to keep building on this strong foundation!

Be sure to check out the rest of the photos from our outing here! 

Alligator Lizards do Service with GEC at Woodstock Farms

Our service outing at Woodstock Park had three Explorers Groups onsite, which started with a bit of the expected social awkwardness given their age span (2nd grade - 7th grade), which we quickly transformed into fun energy by playing a rousing game of Everybody's It. Called into a circle, the elder Explorers were tasked with presenting safe and appropriate tool use, which they demonstrated effectively and efficiently. Well done, crew! Speaking in front of a large group is a life skill and you nailed it. 

The question "Why are we doing this?" came up in our circle and a young Explorer asked, "Do we have to?". This isn't an unusual sentiment given that service outings can be hard work, and a child may be more inclined to play. We often demonstrate why we Explorers do service with a "fill your cup" activity, but this time we asked a simple, "Who likes wild animals"? Of course, everyone raised their hands. And so we launched into our projects knowing that we were helping the wild animals who live in this park. 

With this relevant and heartfelt inspiration, we tackled our projects and removed invasive plants like nobody's business. It was a huge We Not Me situation, and together we inspired each other with our work ethic. These Explorers have discovered how satisfying it is to physically work hard towards a goal, and complete their mission. The Blackberry Barbarians (their name) ruthlessly attacked, raked, and pulled out huge 1 1/2" thick blackberry canes, and digging up the biggest-ugliest-gnarliest root balls. We put them on display in our root ball museum, which was a mossy horizontal branch in a nearby tree. :) We mentors forgot to take a photo of the whole gallery, but ask your kiddo about their personal conquest. We endured many scratches and pokes from those sharp thorns, and gained resiliency by working through those challenges to our physical bodies. 

The other teams focused on invasive plants that were  crowding and hogging nutrients from native plants, trimming lots of holly and pulling out bags and bags of Stinky Bob (Herb Robert). All teams stayed on task, enjoyed their work and put in a solid three hours. Was your Explorer tired that evening? They certainly earned some sore muscles!

A few determined Explorers went back to their project even after our outing wrapped, just to see if they could get out a massive root ball of a holly tree. They gave it a real go, but it became clear that different tools were needed -like a saw or maybe a jackhammer. It's a BIG root ball. We'll be back...

It was a sincere pleasure to watch these elder Explorers  mentoring a younger group. They Widened Their Circles socially and worked hard, providing guidance and support when and where they saw a need. Thank you, Swallowtails and Silver Salmon/Spotted Owls. Proud of you! Alligator Lizards, way to bring your "A" game! You've made a great start in helping wild animals in this park. 

Here's the online photo album of our day. Sorry, there's not so many photos, we were busy working and the time flew by! 

AL Fairhaven Park; 9/16/17

Welcome to Boys Explorers Club, Alligator Lizard families! Some of the boys (and you) have waited too long for this opportunity. We at Wild Whatcom appreciate your patience; now the wait is over - let’s make the most of the experience.

The Alligator Lizards began their Explorers Club (EC) experience at our traditional location, Fairhaven Park and 100 Acre Wood. We took a few minutes to begin to learn each other’s names, then meandered across the field and up… and down… and up… and down… and dizzily up…. the far hill toward the forest. At Wild Whatcom, we try to tap into child passions (part of our Coyote mentoring approach) such as hiding, games and music making. I’m not sure where repeatedly rolling downhill fits but I’m pretty sure most kids love it.

Do I really want to make myself dizzy?

At our opening meeting, we talked about camouflage, our skill for this season. Ask your Explorer if he can name one of the four strategies animals use to hide in the wild. We also handed out the jobs for the day. Each outing, the group divides the labor of carrying necessary materials such as field guides, the TTTPP kit (ask your Alligator Lizard), and more. 

Several of the boys had participated in one or more summer camps, so calls for games were rampant. “Hide” became our focus next, with the uninitiated soon catching on to the importance of always keeping the “predator” in your sites. 

We spent most of our time exploring the 100 Acre Wood,
despite what the pictures show!

Time for lunch. While we chowed down, EC Mentors Apprentice (EMA) Avery set up our "Camouflage Gauntlet". A veteran Explorer who is giving back by volunteering to help with younger boys, Avery hid about a dozen pipe cleaners along a trail for the Alligator Lizards to try to spot. Each boy then had the chance to slowly walk the trail trying to locate as many as he could. Many an exclamation of “how did I not see that?” was heard from your Explorers (and mentor Brian) in a visceral examination of the aforementioned camouflage strategies. 

Unstructured play time in the woods is a necessary part of connecting with nature, so we spent the next while in free exploration. 

Smiles abound! Being in nature sparks curiosity and a
sense of adventure.

While the boys were creating their own games, the mentors prepared our final structured activity of the outing - a game called The Wildlife is Watching. Like the camouflage gauntlet, the boys walk a trail looking for what’s hidden in the woods. Only this time, it’s their peers that are hidden. Half the group hides; the other half searches. This activity gives the hiding boys quiet time in nature while also sharpening the searcher’s observation skill.

Our closing meeting always focuses on giving thanks. Each Explorer and mentor says what he’s thankful for while we share apple slices. Thanksgiving is an EC core routine. 

Eager to get going on the "100 yard scream!"

To complete the Alligator Lizard’s first ever EC outing, we took advantage of that field again with the “100 yard scream”. A promising beginning for this group of bright-eyed boys. 

On October 15, their journey resumes at Woodstock Farms with their first service outing (Alligator Lizard schedule). Click here for the Alligator Lizard photo gallery.