As the name of the camp implies our week of Salish Sea Exploration was centered around the exploration of the salish seas as well as the watershed that flows into it. Through days spent wandering along beaches to long hours bushwhacking along creeks your boys; explored our local ecosystems, delved into some of our area’s natural history, played games, and became a strong and cohesive group.
Day 1: 100 acre wood
The boys were keen on hiking and covering some ground so the morning flew by as we covered much of the park, only pausing for the occasional game of Hide! After lunch we gathered everyone together to play a game of Spiders Web (a wild whatcom favorite) shortly after starting there was a commotion and several boys came running out of the woods with bee stings. This put a pause to our game and our momentum was quickly lost. With swollen stings and a slight unwillingness to do too much more off trail exploration that day we all decided to head up to the small pond that sits at the far end of 100 acre wood. We spent the afternoon lounging by the pond and finished with a long sit spot (a time to sit by yourself quietly in the forest)
Day 2: Whatcom falls park
Whatcom creek is an amazing waterway to have access to. It’s waters are a major thoroughfare for many salmonid species as well as river otters, herons, osprey and a host of other species. The boys decided they wanted to explore the creek right away so we made our way to derby pond and began exploring downstream. Our day was truly amazing! Catching crawdads, deep swimming holes, finding animal tracks, playing games next to cascading waterfall and lots and lots of laughter.
Day 3: Bakerview beach
This locations is an all time favorite for groups. Expansive mud flats, unbeatable bird watching, and the delta of the Nooksack. As your boys had demonstrated all week, they made quick work of coming to a consensus about how to spend the day. As we moved out onto the mud flats the mentors had the boys pause and each put on a blindfold and grab hold of the boy’s shoulders in front of them. The boys all took turns being the eyes (leader) for the group as we navigated large tidepools and squishy mud. We soon made it down to the Nooksack delta and spent the afternoon exploring, making cities out of sand, watching the cities get destroyed by the tide, swimming in the delta, and trying not to get too sunburned. 
Day 4 & 5: Deception pass overnight
Everyone’s excitement was high as we loaded the bus to make our way down to deception pass state park. Once at the park we decided to take advantage of the day light and do some exploring before setting up camp for the evening. After spending some time down on the beach we decided to take a trail leading out to Rosario head. The path wound it’s way above huge bluffs overlooking the ocean and stunning views out to the Olympic mountains.
That evening we set up our camp and prepared to make dinner. After a simple meal of pasta and red sauce we all spread out along the beach for an evening sit spot. The boys quieted down and welcomed in the evening from their perches on rocks and logs. As the boys trickled in the mentors started a fire with a bow drill kit and got the coals going for the long standing camping tradition of S’mores.
The next morning we all awoke early and prepared ourselves for the day with large bowls of oatmeal and steaming cups of hot chocolate. After breakfast we began the task of breaking down camp. The boys were all very efficient and soon had not only their personal gear packed away, but also the tents and other group gear cleaned and packed up. Once we packed the bus we circled up to make a plan for the day. Again the boys did an excellent job of making sure everyone’s ideas were heard and then coming to a consensus. 
We spent our morning hiking the Goose Rock area above Deception Pass we covered lots of ground and were rewarded with views over the Salish Sea Deception Pass State Park. We made our way back around the trail to the bus and headed down to West Beach to spend our afternoon playing in the waves and building driftwood forts.
Thank you explorers for an amazing week of adventures. You did an amazing job making decisions as a group and resolving the brief interpersonal conflict that did arise. You were all truly a joy to spend time with. Thank you parents for your support of our program and sending your sons off to explore with us! They are all great boys full of enthusiasm, insight, an amazing ability to act as a group!
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