As the weather cools and leaves turn brown and brittle, the thought of a cozy place to hibernate grows in our minds. Shelter - one of the necessities of all life, from anthills to estates, to protect creatures from predators or the harsh elements. Today, the Roosevelt Elk Calves had the opportunity to practice shelter building at North Galbraith.
On this crisp, bright day, we decided to hike in for opening circle. Along the way we found a cluster of bike jumps where we let the boys run out their morning energy, but it came to an abrupt end when one of the boys twisted his ankle. After wrapping his ankle, we decided as a group not to travel further down the trail; so we circled up where we were and planned our day.
Sunlight filtered through the tent-like curtains of western red cedar surrounding us as we talked about shelter. All animals need it, and many plants do as well. They find it in the forms of holes and burrows, thickets, snags and logs, river rocks, and constructed houses like beaver dams or apartment complexes (and even tents). The question we wanted to explore today was, How do you make shelter from debris in the forest? We chose to start small and go from there.
We talked about the progression of layers in a shelter: the “skeleton” of sticks, a lattice “skin” of twigs or vines, and “fur” of leaves and duff. The boys began by each making their own faerie shelter (sized accordingly) out of any earth materials they could find. Each one was intriguingly unique.
Next, we divided the boys into two teams. Each team was captained by an Explorer Mentor Apprentice: boys in the eldest group, who have graduated from Explorer’s Club and are now practicing leadership skills with younger groups. Each team had to build a debris shelter in two hours. They were provided with two Y-sticks to start, and had to construct the rest of the shelters skeleton with their team. Once the skeleton looked solid, they collected hemlock twigs, dead sword ferns, and trailing blackberry for the lattice. Next, they covered the shelter with leaves and forest debris. The goal depth was fingertip-to-armpit length, but neither group quite made it. Regardless, the mentor assistants helped test the rain-proof nature of their teams shelter by laying inside while a full water bottle was poured over each. The first shelter let only a few drops through. The second mentor assistant, however, was completely drenched by the end! It was a great opportunity to talk about adjustments they would make in the future.
Before our closing circle, we played Spider’s Web. Our injured party helped by volunteering to be the stationary waver. Finally we hiked the short distance out and sent the boys back to their own family shelters with the newfound appreciation that their homes WILL keep out the coming rains.
