Art of Snow Caves II with the Branch Hoppers

The Branch Hoppers arrived at Cascades Montessori surprisingly energetic and alert in spite of the fact it was 8:00am on a Saturday. Hopping aboard our bus Moose we headed out Highway 542 in search of snow. Cruising along the North Fork of the Nooksack River the Explorers marveled at the Bald Eagles perched in the old growth.

Arriving at the upper parking lot of the Mt. Baker Ski Area the weather felt unusually warm and comfortable. Circling up at the backcountry gate the mentors asked for the group to focus for a safety discussion, and reminded everyone that venturing out into the backcountry during winter required careful tracking of weather and a heightened awareness of hazards that are present.

Together the group was challenged to remember what safety terminologies and guidelines we had discussed on our previous snow cave outings. We reviewed: backcountry travel and etiquette, avalanche prone slopes and their degree of angle, terrain traps and cornices, wind loading, storm slab, loose wet snow avalanches, tree well hazards, dehydration, protecting layers and gear in a wet environment, and sticking together as a group.

Building upon this knowledge the mentors gave a talk on the previous two weeks weather and snowfall in relation to: the daily temperature, amount of rain/snowfall, precipitation in relation to snowpack stability, wind direction and speed, direction of wind loading on slopes due to transportation of snow, NWAC’s detailed avalanche forecast and current level of danger rating, and recent observations skiers had made of in the backcountry.

The boys were anxious to get digging but the mentors needed to mention one other important point. We are very clear with the Explorers that just because they are learning information relating to avalanche awareness and backcountry winter travel that does not give them license to duck the ropes while at the ski area or venture out into the winter wilderness without supervision or an experienced adult.

Leading the charge the Explorers headed out on a path that offered a safe and efficient travel route to their identified snow cave building location. Stepping out of the boot pack to let a few skiers go past the boys sank up to their waists into the snow. Trudging, post-holing, and pushing their way up slope the group looked like a pack of sled dogs. It’s powerful to see the Explorers developing a familiarity and affinity for this landscape.

Setting up base camp the group honed in on a spot roughly on a twenty-degree slope with a deep wind deposited snow bank. Walking out a perimeter around the snow cave site as to not compress the snow, the boys used a probed and determined that the depth was roughly seven feet. Digging out a platform the boys excavated six feet vertically, throwing the snow down slope.

Initially the work went quickly. Outlining the entrance of their cave the Explorers used a snow-saw to cut blocks out of the wall until a shoulder-wide entrance to the cave went roughly three feet back. From this point the work of digging gets tough until the cave gets big enough to sit up in. Adding to the day’s difficulty was the mentor’s mistake in banking on the Explorers bringing extra shovels. With only two shovels at our disposal the work went slow and half the group played while the other worked.

Stopping for a snack the group cut out a small kitchen space with a wind block next to the cave and Brian set up a stove to make some peppermint tea. As our snow melted and came to a boil we sat back and looked out at Table Mountain while we basked in the touch and go sunshine. The mild weather came much to our surprise as NOAA’s forecast had called for rain and temps around forty, which can be miserable without the knowledge of how to stay warm and dry in those tough conditions.

The boys really enjoyed identifying the previous week’s avalanches across the valley. From a distance the mentors tried to help the group orient to the scale and size of the slides and if they looked to be natural releases or human triggered. Being in the presence of the mountains has the power to humble both mentor and Explorer alike as it provides a window into forces much greater than ourselves. This shift in perspective calls us to be present and engaged, increases our discernment, encourages forethought and reflection, and is restorative in nature.

One take-away our mentors have had time and time again with the Branch Hoppers is that they love being together in the mountains. Whether it watching the tea boil and the sun travel over the peaks, engaging in the skill of snow caving, or body sliding down the hill and throwing snowballs at each other, they couldn’t get enough!

We ended up making a snow cave big enough for one person and set-up a sleeping bag and pad inside to see what it would feel like to weather a night there. Demolishing our cave was seemingly more fun than building it! After making a sweep around our camp we made our way back to the wilderness rope line to gather up for a circle of thanks.

The Branch Hoppers were thankful for the opportunity to be in the mountains, for all the knowledge gained through the experience, for the creative medium of snow, for deep spring snowpack that provides us drinking water, for quality gear that enriches our experience, for pleasantly surprising weather, and for being reminded of the lesson that the hardest part is getting out the door and how that most of the time the experience is rich and rewarding. Brain and I are thankful to spend another day in the mountains with this fine crew of arriving adults.

For more pictures from our outing please visit the Branch Hopper’s photo album from the day.

The Branch Hoppers make Char Cloth at Stewart Mountain

When an Explorer spends time in a natural environment they begin to recognize and anticipate the cyclical events by which the natural process follows.  The Branch Hopper’s outing at Stewart Mountain marked the revisiting of two such events. First, exactly one year ago the group explored the exact same location on the cusp of the Vernal Equinox. Second, it would be the third year in a row that the group had shared an exploration together on their consistent mentor’s birthday.

Circling up at the trailhead the boys were squirrely but managed to pull their focus together enough to formulate a plan for the day. The boys were anxious to head up into Stewart Mountain’s watershed and play a round of Spider’s Web. In keeping with our theme for the season the mentors had brought the materials to create Char Cloth so that the boys could add yet another tool to their fire making kits. Fire skills, along with a long sit spot, were the only two activities that the mentors were adamant about holding to.

With that we were off and the boys choose to hike directly up the logging road instead of using the engineered trail. The road was steep and soon the group was peeling off layers and guzzling water. In the early spring the fringes of the logging roads are a great place to track the seasonal changes that occur. Hiking along the boys ate the fresh Indian Plum leaves, noticed the nettle shoots popping up, and marveled at all the kinds of different buds sprouting on the trees and shrubs.

Just outside of Whatcom County Parks land the boys plopped down in the power line clearing and ate some lunch. Calling for the Tribal Elder the group choose to spend some time exploring the woods on the opposite side of the clearing to look for the ideal place to play Spider’s Web.

Crossing under the power lines the group noticed how many invasive species were growing. The mentors explained that anywhere the forest canopy was cleared left an opportunity for invasive plants like blackberries and Scotch Broom to capitalize. Across the clearing the group entered into the wood and quickly found a viewpoint that looked east into a valley that seemed rarely explored. Tracking the groups curiosity and desire to venture into uncharted territory the mentors could infer that these Explorers have truly internalized a wonder and interest for the natural world.

Back at our basecamp the group got to work creating Char Cloth for their fire kits. They did an excellent job being present for the process and holding their focus. As we worked the sun broke through the clouds and the group laid back in the grass and absorbed some much-needed vitamin D. Check out the steps to making Char cloth below, and don’t forget to share these with your Explorer.

Making Char Cloth

What is it?

• “Char cloth (also called char paper) is a swatch of fabric made from vegetable fiber (such as linen, cotton or jute) that has been converted via pyrolysis into a slow-burning fuel of very low ignition temperature.” — Basically, char cloth is created by combusting an organic material in a way that releases its gasses without burning it up completely.
• The resulting substance has a low ignition temperature — just a single spark or point of heat can start it burning. Once the char cloth has been set off, it will ignite your tinder easier than had you employed the original spark/heat source directly to it. Char cloth smolders longer than a match,

What do I make it out of?

• Make sure the fabric is 100% cotton, linen, or hemp. It needs to be a plant fiber for the pyrolysis reaction to work. A man made fiber will melt and a protein fiber like wool or silk won’t have the same chemical reaction.

How do I do it?

• Step 1: To ensure complete, uniform charring, cut your cotton material into strips/pieces that can be placed into your can without their being rolled or folded up.
• Step 2: Make a small hole in the top of your can with a nail or other tool. The hole will allow the smoke/gasses out of the can. You don’t want the hole too big, as this will let oxygen into the can, causing the cloth to burn.
• Step 3: Seal the container and place it on a small fire or a bed of coals. Smoke should escape from the hole in the can. If flames appear around it, that’s okay. Watch the can, and once it has stopped smoking, turn it over. It will begin to smoke again. Once this smoke has stopped, remove the can from the fire.
• Step 4: Inspect your char cloth. It should have turned black but not become ash, and feel semi-rigid without being brittle.

·       Step 5: Separate the pieces to give them a little air, and then either store them in the charred can (wipe off the soot and peeling paint) or in something more compact, like an old film canister (do they make those anymore either?).

As we packed up from our skills session a few boys ventured out to set up a game of Spider’s Web at a location they had scouted earlier. The course for the game proved to be quite challenging because the spider and the food source were situated on a knoll that gave the spider the perfect advantage for catching flies. This did not detour the flies and they put in a valiant effort. Calling the game early the mentors sent the boys out on a sit spot to do an activity called a sound map.

To make a sound map one needs to sit with their eyes closed and listen to the sounds of the landscape for five minutes. Then taking a piece of paper they draw themselves in the middle of the page and make a drawing in the direction that they hear a different sound. Spring is a great time to do this activity because of the abundance of bird language that fills the forest.

Coming in from their sit spot the boys circled up and showed off their maps. It was fascinating to see the boy’s different approaches to the process. Our BEC mentors have identified the need to bring more intentional programming around journaling opportunities for our Explorers on sit spots. We feel that it will provide the space for the Explorers to process through writing prompts and interact with the landscape in new ways.

We shared our thanks together as we passed around Mint Chip Sugar Cookies that Steve’s wife Danielle had graciously baked for the boys on behalf of his birthday. A few of the Explorers liked the treat so much they asked for the recipe (which we have shared a link to above). Our mentors are grateful to share in the cyclical tradition of birthday celebrations and in welcoming the turning of winter into spring with these fine young men. What a pleasure it is to walk beside them as they grow and mature together. Each passing year our relationship as mentors/mentees grows deeper and more meaningful.

For more pictures from our outing please visit the Branch Hopper’s Photo Gallery from the day.

The Art of Carving with the Branch Hoppers

The Branch Hoppers gathered for the first time after a long summer season of adventure and vacation. Jumping into Stubbs their noise level amplified reverberating off of Stubbs’s box like walls. Although the noise was a bit hard on the mentor’s ears it so wonderful to see the friendship and cohort that these boys have built together. Arriving North Lake Whatcom Trailhead parking lot we evacuated the hot bus and quickly circled up under the shade of some Hemlocks for an opening meeting. This outing marked the start to the Branch Hoppers journey through the Art of Carving. The boys have been waiting and asking for the day when they could start and the mentors now feel that they are ready and responsible enough to use their knives with good intention.

Sitting in circle the mentors asked the group, “Who had brought a knife?” Many boys raised their hands and we took a moment to review the types of knives. For the carving that we do in Boys EC a fixed blade knife with a good sheath is the most reliable and safest. These knives are easy to carve with and fit the Explorer’s hands. Click here for a link to our knife safety and selection page with great references on where to buy inexpensive and sturdy knives.  

Once the group was oriented to the different styles of knives we talked about the proper way to unsheathe them. Always making sure that our hands were lower than the opening of the sheath and remembering to check our Blood Circle before we unsheathed it. The mentors reiterated to the group that it was not only important to be responsible for physically safety with a knife, but to always keep good intention in their minds and hearts when using them. With all the violence we see in our culture, media, and around the world it is easy to joke around and down play the sacred and ancient relationship we have with these tools. The mentors often see this manifested in language like, “I am going to kill you” or a boy brandishing a stick like a sword pretending to hurt another Explorer. We stress to these Explorers that what you marinate on and what you put in your mind often manifests in the same way in action; unintentionally or intentionally. 

After a long intro to carving Brian, handed out jobs and the group made a game plan for the day. Group decision-making is often times a point of contention for the Branch Hoppers and their edge is letting go of their personal wants and Collaborating and Compromising. Brian helped facilitate a valuable discussion, which ended in the Explorers deciding that they were going to find a swimming spot where some could carve along the shore. 

Walking down to the lake the boys harvested wood to carve. Tracking the branches different shapes and forms they gathered Cedar, Hemlock and Big Leaf Maple.  Although the boys were high energy it was clear to see that being out on the land on this sun really centered them. Giving them some much need relief from being cooped up in class all day. They laughed and joked with each other as they scouted for a place to swim. Finding a great spot the group sat carved for a solid two hours. They experimented by whittling sharp points and making designs by stripping off the bark in sections. Eventually they started to get more targeted and a few carved the start to chopsticks and butter knives.  If your Explorer is searching for a good wood to carve around the house Western Red Cedar is a great option. The wood is easy to carve and easily sanded. It is also non-toxic and makes great utensils. The mentors will be providing the boys with some blank pieces next outing with the aim that by next summer the group will have their own set of handmade utensils to eat with at overnights.

Basking in the sun the Explorers swam to their hearts content. The waves of passing by boaters made for some great body surfing.  Wading out into the water a little further one Explorer called “Over here!” We all swam over to see what he had found. Diving down wee could see a steep drop off under water. This must have been one of the deeper sections of the trough that makes lake Whatcom. We did not push out any further and had fun treading over the edge. Climbing out of the lake and looking at our watch for the first time all day the mentors realized that we needed to get back to Stubbs soon.

On our way back we played many rounds of Hide and honed our plant identification skills. I was such a joy to spend the day at Lake Whatcom with the Branch Hoppers. These boys modeled excellent behavior with their knives and are starting to develop some real skill. We ended our outing with a closing meeting near the bus. The boys gave thanks for the free time to explore and follow their interests, for water and waves, for the ability to use tools, for friendship and laughter, and for the wonderful places that we explore.  What a great way to bring summer to a close and usher in fall. As mentors we are excited for this groups’ friendship and all the adventures that lie in store for them this season.

For more pictures from the outing please visit the Branch Hopper’s photo gallery.