Summer is such a wonderful time to be out exploring; long days, nice weather, and the time to do it all, well almost all of it! The Foothills Exploration camp is not only a great opportunity to get outside, but also an introduction to the culture of Wild Whatcom. Over the three days we played lots of games, explored many places, learned natural history, and above all became a cohesive group with growing skills in group decision making.
100 acre Wood is a true gem for exploration. Located right in the heart of bellingham this place continues to surprise me with the diversity and abundance of local wildlife. Once everyone had arrived we made a short hike into the woods to find a spot to have an opening circle. We always start our day with an opening circle; this gives us all time to talk about our plans for the day and go over in hazards that might be unique to a location. The boys soon picked out a spot and we all sat down for our first circle together. It took some time to gather everyone's focus, but soon we all settled in and were able to go over some basics; group decision making, hazards, sticking together as a group, physical and emotional safety, orienting ourselves to this place, and finally talking about how to spend our first day together.
I am always impressed by the creativity that flourishes when you get a group of boys into the forest. Today was certainly a testament to this. We spent a good portion of the day building forts (shelters) in the forest. Everyone was enthusiastic about the project and worked very collaboratively in making several shelters spread through the forest. Shelter building is always such a great activity because it capitalizes on the natural creativity and enthusiasm from the boys and manifests itself in a very concrete skill.
For our second day we met at Lake Padden. This location has both great forests and ravines to play games in as well as the shoreline of the lake which provides endless exploration. With the sun already heating up the open field we decided to spend the first part of our day exploring the deep forests behind the horse trails. As we hiked up the trail we played a few games of Hide! ( ask your explorer to teach you this game ) This game is a program favorite and not only provides great practice in camouflage, but is also a great way to talk about fairness and playing with honor. After reaching a high point we departed the main trail in favor of a small game trail leading to “the secret valley”
In the valley we played games, explored, and ate lunch. As we explored several boys stirred up some hornets. With swelling bites and many of the boys feeling nervous about more hornets we decided to hike out of the valley and continue moving along the trail.
We spent the afternoon hiking along the forested paths that eventually lead down toward the lake. With the native beary season in full swing we had the perfect opportunity to learn our local edibles and the motto meet before you eat. With the incentive of being able to eat their weight in berries the group was eager to explain how they new each plants. Describing details like serrated edges, alternating leaves, opposite leaves, smooth leaves, thorns, leaves grouped in sevens, and many other key details. As the day drew to a close we made it to the lake for a refreshing dip after our long hike through the upper reaches of lake padden.
For our finale day we visited a longtime favorite location; Clayton Beach. We started our day by hiking into the ravine just below the main trail. This ravine is an amazing place to explore; steep hillsides, pools of water, this ferns, rock outcroppings, and towering cedars along the creek edge. The boys all spread out, wanting some time to just explore and free play. After ample exploration we all gathered to learn the game Spiders Web. The boys were all eager to learn this game, at times their excitement made it hard to explain the rules, but eventually we got through them and started the game. This is a hard game to explain but it involves, sneaking, hiding, and teamwork to make it a success. After playing a really successful round it was time to pack up and hit the beach. Instead of going back out to the main trail the group decided to go straight down to the water and traverse the sandstone coastline south to Clayton Beach.
This traverse is physically demanding requiring explorers to climb across sandstone boulders as well as travers several headlands. We have a motto Stretch your edge meaning to push your limits a little bit. This traverse certainly did this for the group. For some boys their edge was staying with the rest of the group for others it was a physical achievement for me it was keeping the group together along the traverse. It is was nice to have an experience that the whole group could grow from. When we reached Clayton Beach the boys were overjoyed and immediately began playing and swimming the shallow water just off the beach. The joy and sense of accomplishment from completing such a rigorous traverse was palpable as they boys splashes and laughed.
The three days together were a huge success; lots of games, learning, and exploration. Thank you foothills explorers for your enthusiasm and boundless energy and thank you parents for your support of our program!
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