The Mentors would like to thank the Roosevelt Elk Calves parents for their flexibility and patience with our scheduling mishap on Sunday. Due to a misread of our internal calendar the Mentors went to the wrong location resulting in our late arrival to the outing. One of the many skills we try to convey to the Explorers and practice within our own lives is recognizing when we have made a mistake, owning it, and figuring out how address or amend the issue. Again, we send our apologies.
After that slight hiccup the Mentors arrived at Arroyo Park to greet the Roosevelt Elk Calves and their families. Anxious to get exploring the group quickly walked down the trail and found a wonderful spot by Chuckanut Creek to hold an opening meeting. The group introduced themselves to a new Mentor named Adnan. Adnan is currently interning with the Explores Club and hopes to gain more insight and experience in the way the Explorers serve and connect with the land. We are grateful to have him in our program and are excited for him to share some of the Explorers Club culture with the youth in his community in Northern Pakistan. Being that it was Adnan’s first exploration the boys shared the importance of the Explorer’s culture of jobs within the group and the potential safety hazards that we would need to watch out for. The boys did a great job and are really stepping into their leadership.
Mentors took a moment to talk to the group about their commitment to Stick Culture and using tools with intention. We also reminded the group that the Mentors are assessing the group’s actions and commitment to this culture. Within a few seasons the group will be ready to carve and it is now in the groups hands to show that they are ready for the responsibility.
As the group snacked we set our intention for the day. Feeling the call in response to the Explorers request, the Mentors decided to give up much of theArt of Water curriculum we had planned and instead explore the land scouting for the perfect place to play Spider’s Web.
In our overscheduled high stress culture it is vital that the Explorers and Mentors get out and engage in play. Games offer us a way to test our skills, challenge ourselves, work together, and build our confidence. When Explorers play games with honor and integrity they slowly learn to meet all challenges in their lives with this same mindset. As Mentors we know that this idea of play not only helps us connect with others and ourselves, it also allows us to engage in an ongoing relationship with the land. When an Explorer crouches under the cover of a Sword Fern waiting for their opportunity to move the land becomes their teacher; offering them learning opportunities that come naturally through their curiosity and out of necessity.
Following Chuckanut Creek the Explorers thought they would teach Adnan a little more about our culture by calling Hide! As the group went diving into the bushes it was clear that the joke was on the finder. A number of downed trees and branches littered the forest floor and provided the perfect camouflage. After the game we challenged the Explorers to think back to the cause of all these downed trees. The group remembered back to the winter storm that brought all the snow to the lowlands. Learning to read the land cultivates our connection to the seasons and helps us make sense of the landscape.
As we hiked further the Salmonberries and Stink Currant got higher and higher until it felt as though we were in a maze. Suddenly we were stopped dead in our tracks by the riverbank, which looked like the end of the trail to the Roosevelt Elk Calves. Scouting along the group noticed a very unique rise in the land and a prominent shelf on the opposite side of the bank. The group agreed that it would be a great place to play Spider’s Web so they searched for a way to cross the creek. Before going across Greg demonstrated the safe way to traverse a river with a backpack on. Greg explained that by unbuckling the chest and waist belt we give ourselves the ability to free ourselves from the pack incase we fall in. This skill will become useful in a few years when we are fording a river with heavy packs on. Finding a downed log the Explorers one by one shimmied across with some careful spotting from Adnan and Greg.
The group played and splashed on the far side of the creek, admiring the large bank of rivers rocks until the Mentors called them together to scout the potential game area. Anxious to play the group started to break the circle and explore. Quickly Greg called the group back together as they were not aware of a major hazard that was abundant in the area. Walking over to a dense thicket the group was introduced to a plant called Devil’s Club.
Oplopanax horridus or Devil’s Club is a tall shrub that often grows at the bottom of river valleys across the Northwest. This shrub is a powerful source of medicine, which can be used for common coughs and colds, stomach ulcers, tuberculosis and even hypoglycemia. It can be steeped into teas, mashed into salves, chewed, and steamed. Although this plant is medicine it also has an effective way of guarding its precious gift. Devil’s Club’s giant woody stems and coarse leaves are covered top to bottom in brittle spines. These spines lodge themselves into the skin, breaking off into micro fragments and are irritants worse than Stinging Nettles, eventually causing an infection if left in the skin for too long.
The group set up the game using the prominent shelf as the Spider’s lair, giving him a ridgeline advantage. With the creek rushing below us the Explorers climbed the steep lower flank of Chuckanut Mountain, crawling through the maze of Sword Fern and Devil’s Club. While we were playing one of the Mentors came across a Red-tailed Hawk Skull. The group took a moment to marvel at its unique bone structure.
Using the protection of the hillside the flies managed to capture the food source twice from the Spider. Calling the group back together we had a great conversation about camouflage strategies and the importance of treading lightly on the land. Learning from our outing at Clayton Trailhead it’s important that we travel off trail and it’s also important that we take care of the land and tread lightly when we do.
Gathering our packs the group circled up on the river rocks to have a closing meeting. We shared some apples and gave thanks for the day. The boys gave thanks for the sunny weather, the ability to find a secluded place to playSpider’s Web, for getting to know the hazards of the land, for the creek and fresh water, and for a great bunch of friends to explore with. A big thanks goes out to the Explorers for stepping into leadership and growth this season. The Roosevelt Elk Calves are becoming a cohesive group and the Mentors look forward to extended exploration with them in our summer camps!
Please visit our photo gallery for more pictures from the day.
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