On hearing that we found a dead harbor seal on the beach, an Explorers mother asked, “How do you think you’ll be able to weave this into the blog report?” Well, it was definitely a humbling experience for all of us to gather around the seal for a minute. Some boys took off their hats, others offered to hold a moment of silence. Mentors inquired further and discovered that it may have been a pregnant seal. At this point eight out of nine boys ran back to play on the Chuckanut Sandstone cliffs, mostly because they were bored and wanted to climb as much as possible before camp was over.
Steve and Dave stood in silence as moral issues arose about making efforts to attempt at rescuing a baby seal; in unspoken dialogue, mentors pondered their own mortality, the fragility of life, and the natural cycles of birth and death. It was a pretty intense way to end the perfect, happy-go-lucky week of camp. For three days, Explorers of all ages had enjoyed the land, the games, group camaraderie, and the flow of the days. On Thursday, however, we learned a valuable lesson, which was reflected in discovering the dead seal.
After we set up camp, we held a three-hour debate/ discussion/ council as to what direction we’d explore—towards Clayton Beach or Fragrance Lake. The group was split nearly down the middle and no one would budge from their opinion. The longer it took, the more mentors realized that they were powerless to decide for the group. Boys had taken this decision upon themselves and had to come to a way to Collaborate and Compromise. In the end it came down to a coin flip as the “fairest” way to decide where to go. And the lesson from this experience and from seeing the dead mama seal is: “Life isn’t fair.”
To a nine or ten-year old boy everything has to be fair. From proper order in the food line to adherence to communal rules for games, these Explorers are exactly where they need to be developmentally. Older boys (those of us in our thirties even) ALSO appreciate when things are fair and orderly. As a society we strive towards fairness and a system that is just for all. But the lesson that “Life Isn’t Fair” is bigger than us and our desires. Perhaps striving toward fairness is part of our work on this planet. And maybe this is what drives us to be good people who are contentious of and good to others. Maybe that is why some of us work for the animals and plants that don’t contribute to our everyday human discussion.
WOW. That was an intense way to begin the blog report for last week’s camp. As it was my last summer camp and that I have officially stepped out of the Boys EC coordinator role perhaps I have more freedom in reporting with a different tone than I previously have. Perhaps this voice stems from the experience of seeing that seal which touched me very deeply and I am trying to process it. Whatever the case, I am happy to have ended this summer with such a terrific group of Explorers. What follows is a partial list of some of the goings-on from the week--
Monday- Whatcom Falls Park: Group forms, share names, pick up trash, see the falls, explore the small pond, catch frogs, swim in the creek, jump off of rocks, try to catch crawdads, build rafts out of cattails, watch them float over the dam, play “Eagles and Osprey” aka “Steal Dave’s water bottle,” Walk to Bloedel-Donovan Park, swim in Lake Whatcom, discover temperature gradients, laugh all the way back.
Tuesday- 100-Aker Woods: Delving into the camouflage challenge, learning and practicing hand signals, pickles, not being detected, being sniffed out and barked at by a nervous dog, lunch in the forgotten southwest corner of the park, off-trail clambering, three epic rounds of Spider’s Web, practicing “frustration” gracefully, sinking into our “home.”
Wednesday- Bakerview Beach traverse: Meeting at the Campbell’s house, Laurel joining us for the entire day, Cocoa the dog joining us for the morning, going into the Nooksack River delta area, log-hoppers and river-runners, navigating through huge cattails, enjoying the coastline, picking up a ton of trash, the Earthkeeper’s Den, diving face first into the mud, washing off in the rising tide, pickles again, finding treasures on the beach, eagle feathers, skulls, bull kelp, a great closing meeting, the long, strong walk up the stairs to our parents.
Thursday and Friday- Larrabee State Park campout and exploration: Rock-jumping, setting up camp, climbing the campground rock, kind campground neighbors who gave us bundles of firewood, three-hour decision-making council, excellent group process and interpersonal skills development (really!), hanging Dave’s lunch in a tree, hiking to the Fragrance Lake lookout, the bouncy log, using the TTTPP kit for the first time (two boys!) and learning the freedom of being a human in the woods
Thursday and Friday continued: tortilla chips, building a bridge over the drainage behind camp, yet more pickles, Explorers Burrito bar, Campfire started with a bow-drill kit, dough sticks, scary and fun stories, disappearing mentor tents, Explorers Oatmeal, camp clean-up, focused and respectful closing circle, exploring the beach, finding sea stars, scaling cliffs, the harbor seal discovery, hiking out with smiles and full hearts.
Thank you Explorers for such full commitment this week at camp. You explored completely, participated wholly, and even broached the difficult topics with courage. It was so great to be out with you all week. Parents, thank you for sending your boys into these wild places with us. It is fun to play games alongside your sons and an honor to help them navigate through difficult moral and interpersonal challenges. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to work with these Explorers.
For more pictures of the outing, please see the Summer Photo Gallery. We look forward to seeing you around town and at outings during the upcoming fall season. Enjoy the last week of summer!
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