Common themes throughout our camp were:
· The
boy’s increased desire to immerse themselves in it natural world through
sit spots, games, and naturalist knowledge.
· The
group’s commitment to engage with group processes and our motto ‘collaborate and compromise’.
· Opportunities
to unplug and decompress through extended free play and self-directed
leadership.
· Time spent learning
to use the three tools of the circle in the group decision-making process: our ears to listen to one another, our
eyes to bring our focus towards what was going on in the circle, and our
hearts to share our truths and encourage one another
· Opportunities
to learn how to recognize the needs of the group and weigh them vs. ones
individual needs
· Experiences
that brought our group into the present moment
· Learning
to play with honor and integrity
· Having
fun and building friendships
Below
is a day-by-day snapshot of our week together. For more pictures from the Cascadia
Explorations Camp please visit this photo album. Thanks again for
your support and participation in the program.
We began our week together exploring a track of wild land right in
Bellingham’s own backyard. Our first day was one of culture building, setting
the frame for the week, and coming together as a group.
Once we had all arrived the group headed into the woods to get to
know one another by playing a name game. The mentors asked the boys to form
what would be the first of many circles during our week, explaining that the
group needed to think about some vital questions before we embarked on our
journey.
Together the group asked each other: What were the hazards of this
location? What animals might we find? How should we treat our fellow group
members? What can we do to respect the place we’re in? What do you do if you
get lost? What is our plan for the day?
Our meeting ran a long and the group struggled to pay attention to
all the mounting questions as they were excited to start exploring. Once our
minds were set towards the day we wandered the maze of unmarked trails until we
arrived at a great location to learn two games, Hide and Tree Tag. Both
of these games are great for getting to know basics of what our mentors call
the art of camouflage and some
of out native trees. The group played rounds of Hide and Tree Tag for hours, stopping only once to explore the hallowed out
root system of a Douglas fir and to hunt for frogs in the adjacent wetland.
The group’s inspiration led them to discovering an Ensatina
Salamander and a Bald-Faced Hornets nest! After finding the salamander the boys
were very gentle observing it and returning it to it’s home under the Douglas
Fir. However the hornets were not, stinging
one boy and sending the rest running. It was
certainly a great reminder for the group to keep their awareness while exploring.
After lunch the mentors felt the need to move, so we played a few
rounds of a game called Cougar Stalks
Deer down the trail. In this game there is a deer that has to try and out
navigate the cougars using stealth and stalking. The cougars can approach the
deer, but if they are seen moving they get sent to the back of the line.
The boys struggled with the challenge and it brought up what would
be one of our major themes for the week, playing with honor. In our Boys Summer
Camps we learn to engage with others in games by giving each other our best in
the spirit of healthy competition. Consequently we learn to hold to the rules
and live with the game’s outcomes. The group struggled with the difficulty and
being called back to the end of the line over and over again.
The Mentors put a pause to the game and asked the group think back
to earlier in the day when someone asked to play a game called Spider’s Web. The mentors told the group
that if they were able to show that they could play with honor throughout the
week there would be a perfect place to play the game on Thursday at Clayton
Beach.
We ended our day with a sit spot as we listened to a Pileated
Woodpecker excavate a cavity in a dead Western Red Cedar. Circling up we gave
some thanks with our attitude of gratitude and reflected on the day.
Tuesday, August 9th – Lake Padden
Arriving at the baseball field the boys said hello to our guest
mentor for the day, Sarah Lane, who informed them that she was Wild Whatcom’s newly
hired Schools Coordinator. The mentors let the group know that is was important
that they modeled the group culture they learned at the 100 Acre Wood because Sarah
was joining to learn about what we do in our Boys Program.
Holding our opening circle we went over the same questions we had mulled
over the day before and deepened our leadership
by volunteering for a job for the day. The mentors
explained that the group’s jobs would represent different functions of an
expedition team.
Although it would take too long to explain all the jobs in this
blog, our Mentors would like to highlight one very important job that played a
big role in our day. This job is called the Tribal
Elder. The role of the Tribal Elder within the group is to help the group
make decisions by facilitating the group process.
Arriving at our first junction in the trail the Tribal Elder
circled the group up for an important decision. Our plan was to take a long
trail loop around the South side of Lake Padden and the boys needed to decided
whether they wanted to do the up hill first or last.
Try as he might the Tribal
Elder struggled to keep the group on task and many of the boys dug their
heels in and refused to compromise. In
the end a few of the boys got frustrated and gave into the majority’s desire to
tackle the hill first. The mentors explained to the
group that their challenge of staying on task and listening to one another were
both needed to play Spider’s Web.
Huffing our way up the trail the group stopped for a few water
breaks with a couple of boys asking to turn around. The group grasped the nettle and pushed to the
top. Taking out our lunches we spent a while decompressing and immersing
ourselves in the terrain.
After awhile the mentors felt that we were loosing some cohesion, so
we called the group together for another decision. The boys worked hard to
decide the time limits and order that they would play a few games while taking
into account that we would need to plan in time to have a sit spot and a
closing meeting.
The boys played rounds of Hide
and Cougar Stalks Deer through the
tall stand of Cedar and Western Hemlock. Once the boys had their fill the
mentors asked them to circle up to hear the rules of one last game. It could
have been the time of day or our energy level, but the group was squirrely and struggled
to listen to the rules of Eagle Eye.
Our game commenced and we had mixed results. A few boys played
with focus, but a handful taunted the ones who were engaged and upset the flow.
After two rounds the mentors called the game and circled the group up. It was
time to redirect their energy for a sit spot, but not before calling attention
to their need to take ownership over their own actions and treat others as they
would themselves.
Crawling over nursing logs the boys plopped down in the moss and
laid back, listening to the sounds of the Dark-eyed Juncos and Red-Breasted
Robins foraging through the under brush. Our location in the ravine was quiet
and our groups energy settled.
Climbing back up the hill to our packs we ended with a closing
meeting and a circle of thanks before hiking out.
Wednesday, August 10th - Nooksack River Delta
From the Campbell’s backyard the group stared out at a maze of
sand bars that stretched all the way to Portage Island. Following the steps
that led to the beach the group discovered two semi-permanent driftwood
shelters. The group admired the architecture and made themselves at home.
Encouraging the group to move we headed north along the beach skirting
the estuarine ecosystem that created by outflow of the Nooksack River. The boys
were impressed by the scale of the wetland and salt marsh. The mentor explained
that the vast networks of Bull Rush and Cattail provided excellent habitat for
birds, fish, and mammals.
As we hiked a few boys got into argument over a car tire they had
found, which escalated into shoving and tears. It was a powerful moment for the
mentors to point out ways to recognize escalation and how to take ones personal
power and leadership to defuse it.
Finding a basecamp next to one of the main channels of the river
we ate lunch and listened to the Marsh Wren in the tall grass as we watched the
Herons and Canada Geese congregate on the sand bars.
This location is truly expansive and lent itself to following
one’s inspiration. Wading through brackish channels baby Flounders darted away
from our feet, answering our question of why the birds congregated on the sand
bar. We followed the sand bars, which felt like tiny atolls in a vast ocean,
ever further toward Lummi Spit. The sunshine would hit the shallow water just
right, giving it a beautiful aquamarine color. It was a though we were in the
tropics.
Calling the group back to basecamp the mentors stressed the
importance of hydrating and applying another coat of sunscreen. Spreading out
over the beach the boys took a sit spot. After
fifteen minutes the mentors called the group back in. One of the Explorers
asked why we had gone a sit spot and said that all he could hear was the wind
through the marsh. The mentors told him this was just their aim.
We ended our day with a sensory activity on our way back to the
Campbell’s. Each of the boys was blindfolded and told to use their other senses
to navigate back to the beach forts. The boys stretched their edge while wandering
the tidal flats. Occasionally they would have to wade through the water or
navigate over a log, causing them to doubt that they were on the right course.
After twenty minutes in the dark the boys arrived at the beach
forts. In our debrief the group gave thanks for their time at the delta and
talked about using the sound of wind in the grass to figure out the direction
to walk.
Thursday, August 11th
– Larrabee State Park to Clayton Beach
After our expansive day at the Bakerview Beach the group arrived
at Larrabee State Park for a traverse to Clayton Beach. Sitting down for an
opening meeting the group was quite squirrely and had trouble focusing. Feeling
some inspiration the mentors brought a handful of bandanas for a game of Foxtails. Dodging and darting the boys
pulled each other’s tails until they had burned off some much needed energy.
Refocusing for the traverse at hand we hiked along the trail to
Clayton Beach looking out at the expansive views of Anacortes and the Salish
Sea. While the boys hiked the mentors touched on a few natural history points along
the way. Together the group looked at the colorful and smooth trunks of a
Madrona that clung to the Sandstone cliffs reaching out for the light. We also
took a moment to eat the Salal and Trailing Blackberries along the path.
Coming to the mid-way point of our trek the Explorers noticed a
Bald-Faced Hornets nest along side the trail. Remembering our experience on
Monday the boys looked around for an alternative route. Using their Fox Feet, the boys carefully skirted the
nest, leaving it undisturbed. It was a powerful lesson that if we respect the
rules of our environment and learn the habits and temperaments of its
inhabitants, we can explore safely in almost any situation.
Before starting down the last section of trail to Clayton Beach
the group followed a side path which led to one of the mentors favorite spots
to play Spiders Web. This secret
ravine is not only great for playing games, but was also a great container for
free play. Our mentors often find that while in the field we seek to fill our
time with as many activities as possible. The group roamed the Sandstone creek
bed constructing miniature rafts to float the creek and discovered Red-Legged
Frogs and Salamanders. It was a power moment for the mentors to realize that
sometimes we need to step out of the way and let the boys follow their inspirations
and discover what the land has to teach.
After lunch we circled up to learn the rules of Spider’s Web. The
goal of this game is for the Spider to capture all the flies on the web before
the flies get the food source and bring it back to their base. The boys did an
excellent job listening to the rules and playing with honor. We must have
played for two hours before mentors had to call the group in for a closing
meeting. Giving some thanks the boys expressed their gratitude for the secret ravine
and to experience the fruit of their labor with some long rounds of Spider’s
Web.
Friday, August 12th
– Whatcom Falls Park
The boys gathered at Bloedel-Donovan Park and quickly headed for
the shade of a few Ponderosa Pine trees. Circling up for an opening meeting the
group looked tired from the full week of exploring together. Even though we
were feeling low energy the group would have to grasp the nettle and make a plan for the day.
There were many opinions on how we could best use our time, but
there was a unanimous call to find a good swimming hole along Whatcom Creek.
Through some collaboration
and compromise the boys decided to head to the main falls to do some
exploring, traverse the creek to find a swimming hole, and end the day with a
round of Spider’s Web.
Heading down the trail we played rounds of Hide and watched the Bellingham Parks Department fell a dead tree.
The fifty-foot tall tree came to the ground with a loud crash and the boys were
very excited to witness it. They
commented on how much skill was involved in the process of tree cutting and
decided as disappointing as it was that much old growth was cut down in
Washington, it sure took some talent and coordination to accomplish.
Crossing over the bridge to the falls the boys mentioned that the
waterfall was much smaller than they remembered. The more time the boys spend on
the land the more they begin to understand the seasons and preciousness of
fresh water. The mentors reminded the group that all things are connected and had them track where the water was
coming from. The group looked around observed how dry the woods were; making
that connection that the water in the creek came from Lake Whatcom, which is
filled by the Nooksack River and the run off from the surrounding watershed
which was also dry.
Feeling the need for water we headed down the creek in search of
the perfect swimming hole. It quickly became apparent that the boys were not
ready to navigate the tricky terrain while carrying their backpacks. With a
little luck we came around a corner and found the perfect swimming spot with an
Osprey’s nest right above us.
The boys floated down the creek and worked on a rock dam that
contained the swimming hole. Getting caught up in exploration the group traveled
too far away from the mentors. The mentors had to travel down the creek to find
the boys and called a circle together. The group worked to identify safe
boundaries for creek exploration and went over the hazards again.
After two hours of floating and raft building the group reached
critical mass and some interpersonal dynamics started to surface. Feeling the
call to move we hydrated and lunched before climbing the steep embankment up to
the trail. Following the creek we navigated through a patch of Cottonwood and
Salmonberries, crossing the creek multiple times before arriving at the perfect
swimming hole. We spent the rest of our day feasting on blackberries and
letting the gentle current take us down stream.
With only an hour to make it back to the parking lot the boys stretched their edge and slogged back up
the trail. The group was exhausted and wanted to give up, but the mentors told
them that the only way to make it back was by putting one foot in front of the
other.
Before the parking lot we pulled off to the trail to hold our
final closing meeting and circle of thanks. The boys gave thanks for their time
together, the amazing landscape of Bellingham and Whatcom County, for
friendship and comradery, for food and water, and for expansive time spent out
on the land exploring and playing games.
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