The Red Squirrel Kit Camp was an amazing kick off for the Summer season. The three days flew by full of adventure, laughter, play, exploration, and unique learning opportunities. The boys enthusiasm was contagious and left both Tim and I equally as excited as the boys about playing games and exploring Bellingham’s local parks.
Day one was set to the backdrop of 100 aker wood. Wild Whatcom groups have been coming to this location from the beginning of the program. This rich history provides us with an excellent place to present the culture and heart of what we do in Wild Whatcom. The Red Squirrel Kits gathered in a sprawling circle at the top of a small hill. Here Tim and I took the opportunity to talk to the boys about the culture of Wild Whatcom and set the tone for the rest of the camp. A short discussion and a name game later we were off exploring 100 aker woods; hiding in sword ferns, learning about salmon berries, finding frogs, picking up feathers, and laughing in the woods. As we came to a junction in the trail the boys split apart and began moving down opposite trails. Tim and I called them back and were overwhelmed by the many simultaneous voices telling us which direction to go. In Wild Whatcom a huge aspect to our program centers around making decisions as a group through collaboration and compromise. This is not easy task with a group this big and requires patients and focus from all of us. We formed a small circle at the trail split and began to discuss our options. The decision making process did not go quickly and the boys needed reminding to hold their focus, but they effectively came to a consensus through their willingness to compromise and listen to eachothers needs. We ended the day with a big game of Spiders Web (Parents I am sure you have heard about this game since it was instantly a camp favorite).
Day Two arrived with a planned exploration of the expansive valleys and ridgelines that extend from Lake Padden. We quickly made our way into the protection of the canopy to escape the intense heat. Once again we practiced our group decision making at a fork in the trail. This time the boys worked through it quicker than before with some of the boys really taking into account what the group needed as a whole. Once in the cool undergrowth of the woods the same excitement and energy from the previous day returned to the group. We explored drying up swamps, found more frogs, played games, lounged, built forts, learned wild edibles, and enjoyed the cool shade of the doug fir and cedar trees. As the afternoon drew to a close we decided to head down to the shores of lake padden for and exploration of the lake. We all wadded in, letting the water cool us off as we splashed through the shallow water. Our time in the lake was the perfect ending to our day.
Our final day at Clayton Beach was exciting since this is personally one of my favorite locations. This is the place where the steep flanks of the Chuckanut mountains drop into the sandstone shores of the ocean. We carefully made our way across chuckanut drive and into the deep forest beyond. Following a small game trail we arrived at a steep slope leading into a small gorge. Here we dropped our packs and began exploring the creek and steep forested hillsides around it. Free time and exploration in the woods are important and we took full advantage of this in our unique location. Fossils, Games, sword fern, Lunch, Laughter, creeks, birdsong, new plants, wandering, and a general joy of being out in the woods. After we had all had enough time exploring this place we decided to play a game of Spiders Web across the ravine. The game was short, but made really enjoyable by the unique landscape features. Despite the fun we were having in this place we decided to make our way down to the beach to explore a new ecosystem. Down at the beach we explored tide pools, swaim, found lizards, scrambled on sandstone boulders, and lay out in the sun. The slight breeze from the ocean kept us cool and the wonders and mysteries of intertidal life entertained us all afternoon. We ended our day with a closing circle sharing what we were thankful for that day and what we had enjoyed about the past three days. Smiling we packed up our things and headed back up the hill from the beach.
Thank you Red Squirrel Kits for not only your enthusiasm and energy, but also your focus and hard work over the last three days! You all stretched your edges and are on your way to becoming effective decision makers in a group. Thank you parents for your support and commitment to the program throughout the camp!. 
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