Roosevelt Elk Calves Harvest from the Past at North Galbraith

Meeting up for the first time since winter break, the Roosevelt Elk Calves gathered at North Galbraith Mountain Trailhead eager to explore the varied landscape. Heading out, we trekked down the trail toward the bike jumps and our still standing debris shelters from the fall! Taking a break to inspect our handy work with the debris shelters and cruise along the bike jumps, we gathered up for an opening circle to discuss our plans for the day. Not only did we have an Explorer from the Jumping Mice on a make-up outing, but we also had a volunteer from Western who was tagging along to gather video, photos, and do some interviews to put together a short film for Wild Whatcom. It was rather amusing for the mentors to see how little effect having a paparazzi along for the outing had on them. Perhaps they were just too immersed in exploring, free play, and getting outside with their buddies.

Getting a good run on the bike jumps

After our opening circle, we dropped down into the recently deforested section of Galbraith Mountain where we took some time to absorb the transformation of this location. Once a Boys Explorers Club stomping ground where many a game of Spider’s Web and Life and Death in the Forest had been played, the landscape had been completely transformed with heaps of debris piled high and only a few Big Leaf Maples standing sporadically upon the landscape. Not only did this offer a great opportunity to observe the different ways humans interact with the natural world, but it also offered up a bounty of downed Western Red Cedar, Big Leaf Maple, and many other harvestable materials. We even had a great opportunity to check out a massive widow-maker where the top of a maple snapped off and got snagged on a lower section of the tree. 

Traveling through the deforested landscape

Checking out the widow-maker and learning about its impact on the tree

Moving through the deforested land we dropped down to a creek where the forest was preserved to keep the stream safe from erosion. This sliver of untouched forest was the perfect spot to settle in and talk for a bit about The Art of Harvest; our focus for the spring. The Roosevelt Elk Calves demonstrated their growth as a group while they sat in a circle and had a conversation about what we harvest, how we harvest, and what the term “harvest” means to us. The mentors made a point to not provide a definition of harvest, rather let the group develop their own definition of harvest. This was a great example of the maturation of this group as they each shared unique perspectives on what harvest can mean and even dove into ethics of harvest and how it varies from person to person (unprompted!). With our discussion wrapped up it was time to transition to a group decision making process to determine how we would spend the rest of the outing.

Building a bridge during free play

As the Tribal Elder took over, the Explorers took turns sharing how they wanted to spend the outing. They collaborated, compromised, and came to a consensus. Kicking things off with some free play and exploration, we later relocated to a denser section of forest to play a few rounds of Spider’s Web. In addition to all this fun play, the mentors channeled their own inspirations to harvest from the disturbed landscape to create a bow drill kit and an atlatl. Testing out the atlatl quickly caught the attention of the group and all the boys wanted one of their own. Scouring the landscape we found many downed branches of Big Leaf Maple that created perfect launchers, while the fresh sprouts protruding up from the stumps of logged Big Leaf Maples offered perfect straight, long, and flexible darts to be flung. The atlatl is an extremely primitive tool that spanned the gap between spear and bow. Basically operating like a tennis ball launcher used to play fetch with dogs, the atlatl extends the length of arm allowing one to fling the dart a greater distance.

Counting the rings to determine the age of a Western Red Cedar

Running out of time the Roosevelt Elk Calves scrambled to finish up their atlatls, before closing circle. We set aside the much distracting tools we just created in order to bring our full focus to our circle of thanks. Passing around the apple slices the Explorers were all very grateful for the good weather, plenty of play and exploration, and how the group followed their inspirations to create atlatls. With just enough time left, we trekked back to the trailhead pausing briefly to assemble an atlatl flinging competition. The boys lined up and all launched their atlatls down the logging road to see who could fling their dart the furthest. A fun moment for the Roosevelt Elk Calves, no doubt, but for the mentors, seeing a posse of boys carving atlatls and flinging darts together felt like taking a step back in time. One can only imagine how many times that same process had taken place thousands of years ago. Boys growing up, learning how to use atlatls, playing games in the forest to hone sneaking skills, discovering new ways to harvest and utilize natural materials like cedar bark to make tinder bundles and Licorice Fern to make medicine. Not only did we have a blast today, but we stepped into a time machine and connected with the roots of humanity. What more could one ask for on a Saturday afternoon?!

Ready, aim, fire!

 Make sure to check out the rest of the photos from our outing here!