Roosevelt Elk Calves Explore the Chuckanuts

Our third outing of the season was an exploration of the Chuckanuts via the North end trailhead through Arroyo Park. The Chuckanuts are a favorite location with many options for exploration and discovery. Late Fall is a particularly interesting time to explore this area since Chuckanut Creek often has salmon spawning upriver from bellingham bay. On this cold clear day the groups excitement was high and we quickly gathered and began moving
We quickly hiked the steep switchbacks up to a trail junction where chose to take the trail that would take us down hill toward the creek and the potential to see spawning salmon. Once down at the creek we quickly saw the dorsal fins of several large Chum salmon making their way up stream. The group quickly dropped packs and headed to the bridge and shoreline to look at the salmon. It was truly impressive to see the powerful fish making their way through the swift current of Chuckanut creek. The Roosevelt Elk Calves all marveled at their movement and made keen observations of their activity. We had a great discussion on the bridge about how these fish spawn thousands of miles sometimes back to where they were born. The boys were enthusiastic and we spent a good chunk of time watching the salmon.

Soon we decided it was time to keep moving so we began to pack up in preparation to leave. As we packed up part of the group took off down the trail while the other part of the group was still packing up. We called the boys back from up ahead to wait for the rest of the group. After waiting for a while again the group began to spread out and not wait for everyone. Again we called the boys back and this time had everyone get into a circle. Tim and I told the boys what we expected and why it was important to stay together. The boys listened acutely as we expressed this and asked them what they needed to stay together better today. The roosevelt Elk Calves were able to really clearly articulate what they needed and where this urge to spread out was coming from. It was a really great discussion and highlighted the growth this group has gone through in the past year.

Once back on the trail we hiked upstream in search of more salmon and adventure. We soon reached a small sandy river bar with a large log to cross the creek on. One by one we made our way across the log and into the upland forest above the creek. The boys decided we should look for a good spot to drop packs, carve, and maybe play some games. We found a great flat spot between two sections of steep hill where we could set up a little basecamp. Everyone spread out and took the time to eat some lunch and adjust layers after the steep climb.

We spent the next hour harvesting cedar for carving wood, exploring the landscape and working on carving skills. The Roosevelt Elk Calves have shown an almost insatiable curiosity and drive to carve. Many of the boys have really been challenging themselves and their dedication has shown in the quality of their carving projects. After about an hour most of the boys had transitioned from carving and had found a sandstone outcropping on top of the hill with many fossils in it. The boys were totally content carving or exploring the fossils in this area.

As most of you know from our brief discussion after the outing one of the boys was hit in the head by a rock knocked down from above him as he climbed up the hill to investigate the fossils. The injury turned out to be OK. Tim and I quickly responded and took care of the injury. The rest of the boys showed a lot of maturity in how they handled the situation. They quickly responded to the directions Tim and I gave them and even packed up the injured boys gear to help us get out even quicker. We made our way down to the parking lot for an early pick up.

Luckily everything turned out fine and we were able to get the injured boy down to the parking lot and to the medical attention he needed. In our closing circle the boys brought up very insightful questions and observations about risk management, assisting others in hard situations, and what it means to be a cohesive group. Again I was really impressed by the Roosevelt Elk calves Maturity and insight when discussing these topics. The whole experience was not only a great learning opportunity for the boys but also for Tim and I. Our forefront priority while on these outings is to keep all of the boys safe and incidents like this help us solidify and reinforce our own risk management procedures.

Thank you Roosevelt Elk Calves for your growth as a group and thank you parents for your support of our program. Please be sure to look at our photo gallery for more pictures from the outing.