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!