The Branch Hoppers arrived at North Lake Whatcom for the
first ever BEC exploration up the Smith Creek drainage. The sunny and warm
autumn day the mentors had envisioned when planning this outing six months
prior turned out to be a quite chilly day with the threat of rain in the
forecast.
Circling up for an opening meeting Steve introduced a new
mentor to the group, Glen, who was filling in for Brian as he was backpacking
in the Grand Canyon. The mentors presented the group with two different topographic
maps and asked them to orient the map to the landscape using a compass to
predict what type of terrain they would be navigating based on the topo lines.
The group did an excellent job and found that the drainage was a very steep
arroyo and that navigating up out of the drainage might pose a problem for the
group. From this they predicted that they would most likely have to navigate
out the same way they came in and should plan their turn around time time
accordingly.
Before heading out the mentors revisited the interpersonal
conflict that had occurred on our last outing and the Five Exemplary Practices of Leadership model that the mentors had
shared as a counter to this situation. Going around the circle the boys worked
to define the five practices and apply them towards their own leadership.
Together we highlighted the practices that we wanted to hold to for the day, Inspire a Shared Vision and Encourage the Heart.
Adjourning our meeting we headed down the road and assessed
the creek from the bridge above. Doing a bit of scouting one of the boys found
a rope tied to an Alder and we repelled into the drainage of the creek. It
didn’t take long to discover that this terrain would be challenging. Not only
did the group have to find the easiest route of travel along the creek but they
also needed to watch their footing carefully as the morning dew had blanketed
the exposed creek bed, which made the rocks very slick and slippery.
The group navigated up the creek, climbing over logs and
boulders, rock hopping from one side to the other, and trying their best not to
get soaked in order to protect their warm layers. The group tracked that a
serious amount of water ran through the creek in early spring by observing an
immense logjam and large undercuts in its banks. These undercut banks proved to
be a gold mine for fossils and the group spent some time looking at the pressed
leaves in the clay like layers.
After roughly forty-five minutes of travel the mentors
encouraged the group to Inspire a Shared
Vision by checking in with each member to see how they were fairing and
their level of enjoyment with this style of exploration. Taking the pulse reviews
were mixed and there was consensus to find a lunch spot where the group could
do some free exploration.
Just round the next bend the group found what they had been
looking for, a large grove of Western Red Cedar that sat a top a shelf like
landscape with sandstone overhangs and plenty of mystery to explore. Dropping
their packs the boys quickly found a large overhang with a fire pit and
evidence that someone had been using the shelter as a camp.
Making their way up a deer trail through the rises in the
steep hillside the group came across a puffball mushroom called an Earth Star.
Squeezing it gently the boys discovered its method for spreading spores by
propelling them into the air when some bumped against its sphere like cap.
Ascending out of the drainage the group came across a very
strange and illicit find. The group found a fifty-gallon drum buried to its rim
in the dirt stuffed full with tarps and a collection of rainwater. Examining it
further one of the boys found a corner of a tarp, which was covered with six
inches of soil and pulled it back, finding four more barrels, which were
sealed. The boys were excited to pull the lids off and discover what was inside
but the mentors stopped them and let the group know that this brought up a lot
of red flags for them in terms of group safety.
The mentors went on to say that whatever was buried there
someone did not want others to find and the group did not have the resources to
deal with. Being responsible Explorers and community members did mean that we
would need to document our findings by marking them on our topo map, taking a
few pictures, and alerting the Whatcom County Police.
Leaving the barrels behind the group found a route to the
power line clearing on the other side of the valley from where we had made char
cloth a year ago. It was nice to have some expansive views after navigating the
dense arroyo. Circling up for a group decision the boys decided to try and
navigate through the tickets of brambles to get back to the creek where they
could set up a base camp to work on some fire skills and explore one section of
the creek more intimately.
Moving through the thorny thicket proved to be very difficult
and slightly claustrophobic. After twenty minutes of pushing our way through
the brush we emerged scratched up and thirsty in much the same place as we had
started. The group seemed a bit frustrated, but it was a great time to
highlight that off trail travel does not always go as planned.
Navigating back to the overhang with the primitive camp Glen
and a few boys worked on making a small tinder bundle of cedar while the rest
of the group collected some downed hemlock branches for a small twig
fire. Through some persistence the boys managed to ignite the tinder bundle and
the group gathered around the fire warming their wet shoes and working on some
carving projects. The Sandstone overhang reflected the heat of the fire and the
boys were able to grasp the concept of how to use a heat reflecting emergency
blanket in conjunction with a twig fire.
Circling up in our intimate setting with only the sound of
the creek in the background we shared roasted apples and a heartfelt round of
thanks. The group expressed their gratitude for the cohesion they felt in the
moment and solitude they experienced after putting in the effort to get out off
trail. This was a powerful close to our outing and incentivized the Branch
Hoppers to Enlist Others in a Shared
Vision and Encourage the Heart of
their fellow group members.
For more photos from the outing please visit the Branch
Hoppers’ photo album
from their Smith Creek Exploration.
