To say that the Komo Kulshan camp was epic might underestimate just how great this week of camp actually was. From adventurous beginnings to strong endings, these ten boys and four mentors embraced what “summer camp” means.
This camp would not have been a success were it not for the volunteer efforts of Natty Hagood and Asher Suloway. Natty, a strong adult leader, showed Explorers new ways of caring for the land and helped us rise above the walls of Whatcom Creek’s cliffs. He explained and then showed the boys how to be safe in swift water situations.
Asher, a dedicated EMA who joined many of the Daredevil’s Club participants last summer at camp and during various outings during the year, shined as a mentor too. His well-rounded skill set had Explorers laughing and playing during slow times and focused when we had to get work done. Both of you added so much to this camp and we are thankful for your work.
Each day could be an entire blog post in itself, so we’ll resort to summarizing the most memorable points. Please ask your Explorer to elaborate on the other details; undoubtedly they will remember more than us :)
Monday- Whatcom Creek Traverse: Getting lost in the forest, learning about trailing blackberry, raccoon prints, well-executed group decisions, playing in the creek, catching frogs, walking up the creek, falling in the water, salmonberries, traversing up a steep hill, clambering up the cliff’s edge, laughing on the way back, arriving exactly on time.
Tuesday- Racehorse Falls: Eating cherries at Samish Woods, boarding Stubbs, meeting Steve, Japanese Bus Driver, lots of “Earthkeeping,” discussions about bullets and safety considerations in public lands, exploring Racehorse Creek, throwing rocks, harvesting cedar for our fire kits, deliberations about fire, eating corn on the cob, true “fire-lining” to put out the blaze, crossing cold swift water, mossy rocks, western redback salamanders (Plethodon vehiculum), rock-hopping, scout-walking the way out.
Wednesday- Bakerview to Locust Beach traverse: Arriving at the Campbell’s house, opening meeting in a tree, seeing American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), scampering down to the beach, exploring the tide flats, walking to the water’s edge (30 minutes!), bald eagles and great blue herons feeding, surrounding flounders, hunting for geoducks (Panopea generosa), more carving, collecting bags and bags of rubbish, visiting the Earthkeeper’s den, making up a new game, experiencing the changing tide, covering ourselves in mud, washing off and being squeaky clean.
Thursday-Friday- Pine Lake backpack & overnight: Gathering gear and repacking backpacks to carry group stuff, missing the USA/Germany World Cup match :) , hiking up that steep hill, stretching edges of comfort and perceived ability, enjoying the top half of the hike, finally arriving at the island, being effective and efficient in setting up camp, providing for our needs- shelter, fire, water, & food; impressive efforts from every boy, “stay out of the kitchen,” Asher teaching us how to filter water, Matt starts a fire using materials we collected at various sites all week, a new game called Asher-stalk, late-night frogging, sleeping under the stars, crawling into the tents when the rain started, waking up leisurely, eating and packing in the scattered showers, hiking home jovially, everyone’s packs are lighter :) , games of Hide along the trail, arriving 15 minutes early, strong finish and goodbyes!
Explorers- truly you were a blast to hang out with all week. Your commitment to working together was paramount in our ability to function well and have such an expansive week. You stretched your edges yet again and are really maturing into great boys… and soon-to-be, arriving adults. See you in the fall!
Parents- thank you for having your boys participate in camp this summer. This program exists because you send your boys out with us and we are grateful for the chance to learn and teach alongside them. Certainly there are no mentors without mentees and their supportive and caring families!
Please look at the 156 pictures in thephoto gallery if you have the space and time to do so. It was really a great week!
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