Soaking in the PNW Fall with the Roosevelt Elk Calves at Lookout Mountain

Meeting up at Lookout Mountain on a drizzly December day, the Roosevelt Elk Calves were finally reunited with nearly the whole group. After our last outing navigating along Chuckanut Ridge with only half the group, it was great to see the whole gang of Elk Calves back together again. Of course, the playful energy of this group was on full display from the moment they were dropped off. However, after getting prompted by the mentors to circle up around the map they quickly pulled it together as they have continually proven capable of doing. We shared what we did on our last outing with those who missed it discussing navigation, honing our internal compass, and what natural features and tendencies we can utilize to help us navigate in wild spaces. The group was able to recall everything we talked about from using the sign to determine the cardinal directions, to remembering the number/direction of turns on a trail map, to pulling on local knowledge of the landscape to orient ourselves. The Roosevelt Elk Calves were then prompted with picking a location on the map to navigate to and with some collaboration and compromise we came to a consensus and hit the trail.

Planning our day on the trailhead map

Luckily, a friendly hiker informed us there was some brush clearing taking place along the main gravel road. Looking at the map we determined the best route to take to avoid the main trail and were able to make it all the way to our destination with only crossing over the main trail once. Along the way we encountered quite a few downed trees across the trail, so the Explorers took it upon themselves to use a pack saw to clear the way. Not only was this a nice way for us to leave a place better than how we found it, but taking turns sawing up the trees helped keep us warm on a chilly day. Eventually we made it to the waterfall lookout and stopped to eat some lunch before continuing on.

Working on tree #1

Working away on Tree #2

Many hands makes light work, plus taking turns kept us all warm!

 Mustering ourselves with full bellies we continued to push up the trail to our final destination to hang out by the creek area above the waterfall. Upon settling in to our destination we decided to spend some time playing games before transitioning to free time. The Roosevelt Elk Calves came up a with a game much like sumo wrestling where they took turns going one-on-one trying to push the other out of a circle. Of course we needed to make this into a tournament so the Explorers worked their way through a bracket system to arrive at a champion before splitting off for free time. 

Eating lunch by the waterfall

 With an expansive environment and a variety of interests to pursue in our remaining time we all broke off into smaller groups and got busy building a bridge to cross the creek, practicing our fire skills, or just hanging out and romping around the forest. The bridge building crew was under tight supervision as the creek was flowing quite strong and it was a cold day. The remaining Explorers got together to try and see if they could gather enough kindling in 10 minutes to start fire with matches. This was no easy feat as the forest was absolutely saturated and we couldn’t find any material that wasn’t at least a little damp. Of course, some of the Roosevelt Elk Calves remembered that Western Hemlock makes some of the best kindling you can find. With its spindly branches that remain on the tree after dying it is usually fairly dry and thin enough to light from a match in no time. Unfortunately we just weren’t able to get anything to light, but it was a good reminder of how important it is to practice our skills so when we need to rely on them they are honed and ready to take care of us in a time of need. We finished the day with a hike back down the trail in high spirits and hopeful for what is in store during our upcoming outings in the new year.

Bridge builders at work

Testing our fire skills

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

Roosevelt Elk Calves Traverse the Sehome Arboretum

We gathered at the base of the Sehome Arboretum for our final outing of the Fall season. Giant mulch pile provided a great training ground for our agility and ninja skills as we waited for everyone to arrive. After we had spent a while running up and down mulch piles we gathered under a stand of Douglas Firs for our opening meeting. Jobs, discussions about our day and a few rounds of Hungary Hungary Martin Were all we needed to get ready for our day

We made our way up the trail and stopped at the first map to decide on our route to the top. We gathered around the sign to identify what trails led where we wanted to go and to get a lay of the land. The Roosevelt Elk Calves began to talk amongst themselves regarding what route to take and where they wanted to go. Steve and I sat back and for the most part let the Explorers come to the decision. Making decisions as a group is a very important part of Explorers Club. Even though it can be a long and sometimes frustrating process, letting the boys do this as much as possible is really good. As a mentor we are really just there to guide their decision making skills rather than make these decision for them. We concluded that the Ridge trails would be the best approach to the towers and began our hike up.

Discovering interesting orange fungus, stopping to identify new trees and plants, running across routes, through mud, getting off the Trail, sandstone cliffs, safety, sliding down rocks, eating, laughing, hiding. The Arboretum offers some really amazing terrain and a cool opportunity to explore a place that is right in the middle of the city. We soon found a low gully filled with sword ferns, fallen trees, and Salal; A perfect spot to play Eagles Eye. They boys spread out and our “Eagle” counted as the rest of us hid. The Roosevelt Elk Calves were feeling a bit high energy for a hiding game so we kept walking toward the tower. Their energy was contagious and soon enough we were all moving at a brisk pass. Winding our way up steep paths, through sandstone cliffs and across valleys of sword fern we soon reached the lookout tower. From here we looked out West over the san juan islands, North toward the Canadian mountains, and watched the high pressure system move back in from the coast.

After leaving the tower we headed into a series of steep ridges and deep ravines to find a location for a sit spot and a closing meeting. As The boys trickled back in from their sit spots. Steve and I pulled out our Bow Drill Kits and began talking about fire by friction. As smoke rose from the bow drill sets the boys drew closer and quieted down to see what would happen next. Soon enough Steve produced a nice little cole from his kit. As he blew the ember into flame the boys excitement was near overflowing. We coaxed a small fire into existence feeding it small Western hemlock twigs. Despite the fact that Fire by Friction is not the skill focus for the Roosevelt Elk Calves this season it is important for them to see these skills in use and know that if they continue to practice their skills they too will be making fire by friction too.

We had a very pleasant closing meeting. Circled around the small fire the boys gave some very sincere and heartfelt thanks as they roasted slices of apple over the dying ember. As the circle ended We doused the fire and buried the ashes in trenches. By the time we left no one could tell where the fire had been. Thank you Roosevelt Elk Calves for an amazing season. You all were truly a joy to work with. Parents please check out our photo gallery for more pictures, It really is true that pictures speak louder than a thousand words.