BEC: Exploring Clayton Beach with the Branch Hoppers

Branch Hopper Explorers gathered for their first outing of the season at the Clayton Beach parking lot. Spring had sprung Bellingham style- rain and a steady breeze, and the possibility of some serious cold and wet were before us. As the Branch Hoppers piled out of their metal cans, and congregated on the pavement, our minds turned to the gentle shapes, the sweet bird sounds, wild bitter tastes, and the invigorating feel of our surrounding Chuckanut wilds.

As we gathered, the mentors reminisced over the last outing of the Fall season. In that outing, Branch Hoppers were challenged to follow the mentors’ lead completely. Mentors had overtly guided the pace of the day and the content of the meetings- transparently making triangular leadership decisions and orchestrating the group so that we made it to the top of Galbraith Mountain with plenty of time to spare. In thisouting, however, the mentors did the exact opposite. For the opening meeting, Matt and Steve stood by their car, ate chips, and drank tea. Branch Hoppers were given the mission to perform the meeting by themselves, to hand out jobs, and to make sure they were prepared for the day.

It must be honestly said that the Branch Hoppers are a pretty fantastic and resilient group, and they respond well to real challenges. They circled up and managed to choose about half of the jobs before the circle broke. Parents, please understand that this is an amazing feat. After the breaking of the circle, they did flounder for a bit, and mentors offered a few gentle suggestions. They regrouped and scattered a few times, but ended up impressively remembering and assigning every job. At this point, the mentors stepped into the circle and joined the ring of leadership. They then offered one way to stretch the edge of group performance by telling a short story.

Explorers, do you remember the story of Matia (Matt’s spouse) hiking in the Pasayten Wilderness? Why was it important for her to know what equipment (jobs) her hiking partner had?

We finished off the meeting with a consideration of safety and a vision for the day. We then performed the most dangerous act of the entire exploration (crossing the road) and made our way into the coastal woodlands. At the first junction, the power and the challenge of circular leadership and group authority was evident. The Branch Hoppers could go one of three ways. Again, Steve and Matt stepped to the side, fascinated by the wonders of spring growth and the new birds songs. Branch Hoppers circled and scattered, trying to assess who wanted to go where, and trying to figure out how to reach consensus. An occasional suggestion floated in from Matt and Steve, but it must be said that in the end it was the Branch Hoppers group who came to a clear decision and ventured forth.

As we moved forward and admired the spring beauty, we enjoyed the smells of the cold stream, the piping calls of northern flickers, and the brilliant green and dappled whites of young indian plums. We all enjoyed a playful spirit on this outing. Hide was called on more than one occasion, as well as incoming! We snacked together, made another group decision on the next move, and found a great location for a “base camp.” Spiders Web was the plan of the day, after some water, food, and stream exploration. A few Explorers got wet here, and Steve and Matt continued our ongoing exploration of hypothermia, clothing, keeping warm, and natural consequences. The only way to really understand this is experientially, and many Branch Hoppers on this day dove in to the education… literally. We had some excellent Spiders Web games and some very good discussions afterward. After some down time, we made our way toward the beach for an open exploration and a close of the day.

Parents, you may have heard stories of the last forty minutes of our outing. Some Explorers exuberantly dove into the pooled ocean water as we enjoyed the wonders of the beach. Again, Matt and Steve, offered advice but, given our read of the time of day and other environmental factors, judged it best to let them to follow their excitement and enjoy the fruits (and the pits) of the path of self agency. What a great closing, and what a wonderful lesson nature provided. What long term empowerment, and what refinement of judgment grew from these decisions. After five minutes, Explorers exclaimed that they were not cold at all, and that it was a great idea to soak themselves. Matt and Steve gave some gentle suggestions again, but these were disregarded. Ten minutes and the shivers came. Fifteen and we circled up to talk about hypothermia with our willing, shivering exhibits. We looked at how to deal with it, and how the different stages might present. Then our Explorers willingly decided to take care of themselves, to take the appropriate steps, and to begin heat recovery.  In good time, we had apples and a closing circle of thanks.  More than one thanks was given for warmth and dry clothing. As well as a good amount for the land and a wonderful day.

Branch Hoppers, you are growing into a fine group, and we are very thankful for all of your heartfelt work. Parents, we thank you for all of your enduring support. Finally, we thank our land, which we are all a part of, for its endless education on how to live a full and vibrant life.

Don’t forget to check out pics from the outing in our photo gallery.

Scouting with the Branch Hoppers at South Lake Padden

Cold winter temperatures greeted the Branch Hoppers for their final outing of the Fall 2012 season. In Explorers’ Club, Scouting refers to an exploration during which we travel, or traverse, from one place to another. It involves dedicated supporters who can drop us one place and pick us up at another. Thank you parents for facilitating this experience!

To avoid getting too wet, we hiked to shelter under large trees. There, we played games and welcomed Marcus to the group. Marcus is a member of the older group called the Firestalkers, and also involved in the Explorers Mentoring Apprentice (EMA) program. He joined us for the day and added tremendously to the Branch Hoppers’ experience.

We started our journey and found many mushrooms along the way. We also walked through a living history of logging, seeing notches in the sides of huge cedar stumps. And Explorers did lots of climbing in and through these stumps to get to know them more!

It didn’t take long until we came to a perfect clearing in the understory. Though the trees kept us rather dry, there seemed to be a lot of open space to explore. Matt showed us the earth shelter he built and slept in! Explorers took turns getting into the shelter and feeling how warm it was inside.

Some were even inspired to build their own. Though the Art of Shelter-Building is a skill that the Branch Hoppers might not learn until next year, we learned the very basics about shelter frame and the importance of lots of debris for insulation. We used sticks as rakes and gathered together pile after pile of leaves. To get more in the exploratory mood, we also painted our faces with the charcoal from burned old cedar stump!

With a long way to go still, we began to hike in earnest. Coming across different trail maps and forks in the road, we discussed the importance of maps and the basics of reading them. Like shelter-building, we will develop the Art of Map Reading in future seasons. But Explorers  did learn some foundational practices  for trail junctions: stopping, waiting for the entire group to arrive, and deciding as a group where to go. This is a keystone for safe wilderness travel in the future. Good work, boys!

We stopped short of the parking lot in order to wrap up the day and the season. First, we learned a new game, Incoming, which builds on Explorers’ camouflage skills. Then we reminisced about connections to previous outings including the plants and animals we met. Our web of life activity reinforced the connections between and among all things in the ecosystem. We reflected that our service work is one way to re-build connections that may have been lost.

As a strong end to the day, we followed themotto, Attitude of Gratitude, and enjoyed apples together while participating in a Circle of Thanks. And we will continue this motto to end this blog post. Thank you parents so much for facilitating this traverse. And a big thanks to you Explorers for a great first season. We look forward to seeing you for the Mountaineers Lodge in February, the Spring 2013 season, and at the Summer Camp as well.

Please check out more images from this outing in the photo gallery. If you want to review the themes that guide Explorers’ Club activities please look at our mottos.

The Art of Exploring and Camouflage with the Branch Hoppers

The Branch Hoppers’ first outing was met with glorious sunny skies at Fairhaven Park. We spent a good portion of the day getting to know one another and laying the core foundations for successful friendships and a fun fall Explorer’s Club season. The goal for the day was twofold: to introduce ourselves to the ancient and essentially human art of exploration and to begin learning about camouflage. The day started with Squirrel Tag. Explorers began by scrambling to not get tagged, but quickly adapted and discovered some advantageous strategies. Those “squirrels” became more able to think on their feet at a faster and faster pace.

With a yearning to get into the woods, we had a meeting to orient ourselves to the art of exploring. We began with our Explorers’ Club mottoes: Being Prepared and Safety First. At the same time we discussed the different jobs we need to have a good exploration. Each Branch Hopper received his trail job, knew his responsibilities, and had an important role in the group. Prepared and empowered, we headed to 100-Acre Woods!

We put down our backpacks and played Hide. For many this was the first time hiding in this way in the woods from the searching eyes of another. But the boys got into it and in successive rounds their camouflage techniques improved. Then we slowed down the pace to focus on developing our awareness skills with 15 hidden pipe cleaners in an activity called Camo Gauntlet. Explorers recognized that shapes, colors, and shadow are important aspects of camouflage.

The art of exploration requires Explorers following their inspirations, collaborating, and compromising to spontaneously create the day. This became apparent as the Explorers envisioned an adaptation of Squirrel Tag. The whole group thought it through, and soon enough, Explorers were laughing and running to and from each other, hugging trees for safety, and getting ready to run to the next tree when they were forced from their safe points.

Likewise, the art of Exploration takes working together in safety. As walking sticks became the craze we took the opportunity to learn two more mottoes: “The difference between a tool and a weapon is you” and “A tool is an extension of the body.”With all of this in mind we started our walk into the woods and eventually lost track of Matt. We searched for him and found him hiding in a thicket of blackberry. His camouflage was good but he reminded us about Safety First in looking for hazards while hiding, especially considering blackberry (Rubus armeniacus) and the ever-present Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica).

After a short while, we found ourselves running out of time. We found a huge cedar and finished our exploration adhering to the motto: Attitude of Gratitude. We enjoyed apple slices and each other’s company and shared one thing for which we were thankful. Knowing that parents were waiting for us, we quickly left the forest and ran across the field (some rolled down the hill first!) to the waiting congregation of parents. A Big Thanks to all the Explorers for your fine work! A Big Thanks to you parents for encouraging this sense of wonder!

Written By: Dave Strich

Don't forget to check out photos from the outing in our photo gallery.

Exploring with the Branch Hoppers Summer Camp

To explore is to be constantly in a state of discovery, facing a world that is ever new. Every experience is a new experience, but our little human minds can sometimes trick us into forgetting this obvious truth. Often, once we consider ourselves to have done already something, we stopped discovering. For this reason, being an obvious beginner can be a true gift.  The Branch Hoppers Explorers began their first ever outings with Explorers’ Club this past week. We explored three of our favorite destinations in Explorers Club and were graced with a sense of complete newness.

We begin at the 100 Aker Wood, playing some interesting games, then gathering for our first meeting.  We considered what it means to explore. We got to know a little bit more about one another. We decided how we will explore together as a group and considered the best way to go about this.  The Explorers’ jobs were explained, and we learned how to start every outing with a discussion about safety and being prepared.  Then we began our journeys!

Seven hours in 100 Aker Wood is only a drop in the bucket.  This patch of wild is our Explorers’ Club group sit spot, a place where we meet and develop our earth skills, a place that every group will visit again and again. And still every single time we discover some new path, plant, animal sign, or regal bird.  This Explorer must say that this particular group was really fun! These boys had great spirits, worked well together, and were willing to jump into whatever we were doing. They were also quite creative, and helped to guide every outing.  It is hard to sum up every day for a summer outing report, and this Explorer has learned not to try.  However, what can be supplied is a list of highlights which must be strung together into a cohesive story through the reader’s imagination:

Discovering earth shelters, learning about nettles, exploring nurse logs, finding animal tracks, touching on navigation, games of Spider's Web, learning how to identify new plants, considering the calls of the many birds, an impromptu obstacle course complete with balance beam, crawling challenges, and stealthy stalking, stories about the magic of the outdoors, a quiet sit spot, a blindfolded drum stock, discovering new trails, making decisions as a group, finding a beautiful patch of old forest, games ofJays and Juncos, a special version of Spider's Web created on the spot, lady fern, vanilla leaf, winter wrens, crow calls, eagles, a beautiful lake, working through the wet weather, staying warm and dry, having fun while doing it, a wild game of Wolfpack, discovering the stream, learning about poison hemlock, eating salmon berries, climbing sandstone, poking the around in tidepools, and shouting thanks to the big wide ocean that holds us all.

This was a wonderful adventure. Much thanks to all the Explorers for your great spirit!
 Much thanks to all the parents for your support!

Don't forget to check out more photos in our photo gallery.