If you’ve ever been to Point Whitehorn, you might have noticed several bridges as you walk the trail to the beach. I certainly have. So, when one of the Branch Hoppers challenged me on the way back to the bus to guess just how may bridges there are, I guessed two. He “guessed” 19 and made a bet with me as to who was closer to the actual number. Turns out there are 19. Good guess?…not really. He knew there were 19 because he counted them on the way in.
I mention this because counting them could be considered a childlike behavior. At Wild Whatcom, we try to sweep away the distractions of our twenty-first century world in order to connect our Explorers to their natural environment. We call it wandering or, as we say it in our motto - Be Here Now. One indicator of that connection is the release of the pretenses and tensions associated with our wired existence and the reversion to such childlike behavior. Let’s take a look at what we did on Sunday to see how well we accomplished this objective.
We hiked…
We combed the beach…
We dug in the dirt, damming a tiny stream then releasing a “torrent” on the village we had created below, wreaking untold havoc on its unsuspecting occupants…
We sheltered from the cool sea breeze…
We cooked maple blossom fritters…
We lounged in the sun…
This was a pleasant adventure, replete with innocent play. Mentor Ellen and I (Steve was off getting recertified in advanced first aid to lead our longer backpacking trips.) saw more harmony within the group this outing than has sometimes been the case. Chalk it up to maturity; put it down to the beautiful natural environment; I’m leaning toward excellent mentoring! Whatever the cause, it went great!
This was our last outing of the 2017-18 year. 2018-19 will be the Branch Hopper’s last in Explorers Club (the Four Shields program awaits all who are interested in continuing — ask us for details). Next year’s schedule will be a bit different in that there could be fewer, longer outings, including an overnight or two. Service might look different as well. Details to follow when the schedule is complete.
I should know better than to accept a bet from an Explorer. Now I’m on the hook for a “treat” when we reconvene in the fall. It’s worth it, though, for the reminder to me to relax into the wonders of nature.
Photo gallery. Have a childlike summer.
