The Branch Hoppers’ streak of fine weather explorations continued on Sunday at Whatcom Falls Park. Explorers arrived early with the gumption to get into the forest as soon as possible. As we gathered, this newly formed group displayed a deeper sense of comfort and camaraderie with one another. As such, our goal for the day was to delve into the motto: All Things are Connected.
We did activities that strengthened bonds with other Branch Hoppers, starting with name tag to relearn everyone’s name… this would come in handy later during rounds ofHide and Spider’s Web!
We also delved into the natural world to foster that connection as well. It didn’t take long for our connections to take root. During meeting, we were visited by a four-legged member of the natural community. Ask your Explorer if he remembers the stand-off and excitement surrounding the squirrel that desperately tried to be a part of meeting!
Eventually it left us alone and we conducted our business in peace. Keeping in mind the motto, Be Prepared, we assumed our trail jobs for the day and made sure that we had the right gear for any possible encounters. We also considered the motto, Safety First, and discussed rules for behavior around the falls. Exploration was the goal, but Explorers learned about safe distances from the edge and the importance of mentor supervision.
After crossing the bridge, we had to make a decision about which way to go. Explorers worked hard to facilitate their own vote, practicing the motto, Collaborate and Compromise. In the end, we took the trail toward the falls and made it a spot for forest exploration. Some Branch Hoppers ate their snack. Others found leaves and other “boats” and sent them down the creek toward the falls. We observed the natural paths of the water and how boats responded to various dam points.
Explorers also clambered up embankments and practiced their balancing skills on downed trees. Not only did we enjoy this place, but we took ownership over the area; we practiced the motto, You See It, You Own It, and picked up lots of trash. By the end of the day, we had collected over three bags of trash. In doing so, Branch Hoppers abided by another Explorers Club motto, Leave No Trace, and definitely left Whatcom Fall Park in a better condition than we found it.
We followed Matt up a really cool hill to a clearing between two adjacent forests. In that space we learned about how Spiders build their webs. Then we observed some of the spiders in the area, seeing which parts of the webs were made of sticky and stretchy thread. Ask your Explorer if he remembers the process of web-building or what the spider does with the non-sticky webbing!
Matt and Dave then explained the rules for the game, Spider’s Web. Explorers were ready to play and we set the boundaries in the forest. As spider, Calvin successfully guarded the flag during the entire time. But the flies also won because we were never all on the web at the same time. In the end, we all sharpened our camouflage awareness by spending so much time hiding in the natural world. Like Explorers commented, we began to feel like Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum) and other plants as well as like carnivores or other animals.
Crawling through the understory augmented our overall connection and feelings to nature because we were a part of it! Connections between Explorers also strengthened as teams hid and “strategized” together. We lived the motto,Slow is Fast and Fast is Slow. Some flies took a long time to get to the flag but got really close without being seen!
In developing our motto, Attitude of Gratitude, we shared in a snack and listened attentively to others during our Circle of Thanks. After another game, we ran/ slid/ walked down the hill, traipsed through the woods, crossing back over the bridge, and met back at our starting area. By this time the squirrel was preoccupied, running for its life from a dog instead of looking for food handouts from us!
Thank you, Explorers, for living up to so many Explorers Club mottos during this outing. Parents, thank you for your support. Please look at more pictures from the outing on our photo gallery.
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