Service with the Branch Hoppers at Larrabee State Park

The Branch Hoppers deepened their experience in Explorers’ Club by doing service at Larrabee State Park. Though the rain threatened to fall during the outing, Explorers stayed dry until the end of the day when the skies finally loosened up their hold on the clouds.

Before embarking on the service project, we immediately reviewed our camouflage knowledge with an activity. Dave was hiding in a snowberry thicket and Explorers had to scrutinize the area until they found him. It was a good opportunity for sharpening our awareness.

Then we talked about service and why it is an important activity. Explorers mentioned how the land cares for us by providing food, medicine, and materials for shelter. It only made sense that we should care for the land in return. 

We also understood that the ivy we were going to pull isn’t a “bad” plant. It is just growing in the wrong place at the wrong time. It causes an imbalance in the ecosystem and we were trying to restore a healthier balance.

On our way to the service area, we played games of Hide in various places. This gave us to opportunity to practice “breaking up our image” in different settings. Ask your Explorer what this means!

Matt showed us the focus of the day: English Ivy. He explained what it looks like and how even the smallest bit could re-grow an entirely new plant. It was vital for us to do a complete and accurate job in our service.

Also important was that this is the place where Explorers, both Boys and Girls groups, have been coming for seven years to start their journey of service. In doing our work, we joined the rich tradition of Explorers’ Club groups, past and present of giving back to the land.

Explorers pulled and tugged and dug and ripped at the ground! They got small leaves and deep, thick roots as well. Explorers moved from the small hill over to the “mother lode” as they worked alongside mentors and each other to get a formidable amount of ivy in only one hour!

In picking up even the small pieces, we practiced the motto, Slow is Fast and Fast is Slow. With deliberate action we did a good job in healing the land. Explorers learned that their hands are valuable tools and that they have power at their fingertips. They also discovered the essence of teamwork with two or more pulling on the same roots to fully eradicate some hard-fast vines.

After a feeling of accomplishment we took the last chunk of time to enjoy the fruits of our labor by appreciating the land that we worked hard to serve. Thus we explored the beach as the high tide line lapped at our ankles and the edge of the Chuckanut sandstone formations.

We practiced the motto, Stretch Your Edge during our Sit Spot. This is a paramount practice in Explorers’ Club. Ask your Explorer what he remembers form his spot. Boys may have been a bit unsettled at first to have some quiet time to themselves. But they found peace in the natural world and used their time to reflect on the day and observe their surroundings.

We practiced, Attitude of Gratitude, and all shouted a big “Thank You!” towards the water for all of the combined thanks we felt that day. We scampered up the stairs and back to our parents as the raindrops started to fall bigger.

Explorers, Thank you for giving back to the land. This is a good base point to consider future service. Parents, thank you for the support and encouragement. Don’t forget to check the photo gallery for other pictures of our outing. See you next outing!