Plenty to Harvest in the Snow at Lookout Mountain

The Roosevelt Elk Calves arrived to Lookout Mountain on a snowy Saturday. With plenty of energy buzzing around the group as they hurled snowballs at one another it was difficult for the mentors to gather enough focus on developing a game plan for the day. After some time the group’s energy settled down and we decided to hike back in to check on our old debris shelter, continue developing our definition of what harvest means, learn some new harvesting techniques, and maybe even play a game or two!

Gathering snow for a snowball

  Hitting the trail we hiked by snow covered Sword Ferns appreciating the peacefulness the white blanket brought to the forest. Passing by a familiar location the boys remembered jumping down a hillside on their last outing and just had to do it again. While letting the boys play for a bit, the mentors paused the game and had everyone take note of the impact they were leaving on the hillside. Lucky for us we were off the trail, not near a stream or water source that could be further impacted by erosion, and the impact we had wasn’t going to damage any of the trees or plants nearby. That being said, we made sure to take note of what sort of impact a group of Explorers can truly leave, and decided to be more mindful in the future before getting lost in play and disregarding the trace we may be leaving.

Hope you brought your boots!

Heading deeper into the woods we stopped to look at an old deer skeleton the mentors knew had been decaying just off trail for the past few months, then set off for the location of our old debris shelter. Once we arrived we settled in and began exploring, playing games with friends, and working on the debris shelter. But before we got too lost in what we were doing we gathered up for a decision making circle where after ten minutes of goofing around, the mentors really called upon the boys to tap into their ability to focus and make a decision. The Explorers were reminded that one day they would be grown up and in charge of making the big decisions that impact our society and environment. With the pep talk out of the way the group got it together and we were off onto the rest of our outing.

What remains of a young deer. Chewed off ribs and nose of skull suggests feeding by coyotes.

Working on the debris shelter

 After romping around a bit more through exploration and free play, the outing naturally transitioned to learning about harvesting fire materials. First the Roosevelt Elk Calves learned what Western Hemlock was and how to identify it. Next we found where we could find dry, dead hemlock branches for our kindling. Finally, we found a small, dead tree still standing and well off the damp ground to saw into smaller chunks and then baton with our knives into manageable firewood. This all took up the rest of our outing and with a quick closing circle where we gave some thanks and ate some apples we were finished for the day. Hiking out the mentors appreciated the way this group rallied to focus and make the most of our time together. They transitioned seamlessly from play to focused learning and skills building and demonstrated an ability to get it together when asked of them. We will make sure to remember this for the future as this group continues to dig into the Art of Harvest and what harvest, and our relationship to the natural world, means to them. 

Learning how to use a limbing saw to cut up sections of the dead tree

Full bundle of Western Hemlock branches for kindling

 For more photos form our outing check out the photo album!