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!

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!

Roosevelt Elk Calves Make All the Right Decisions at Lookout Mountain

The Roosevelt Elk Calves met up at Lookout Mountain for their final outing of the fall season. On a drizzly day, it was a perfect setting for the Explorers to finish up their season focused on shelter building. Hitting the trail after an opening circle, we trekked along the trail in search of a good location to build a shelter. Arriving at a hillside of small conifers the boys jumped right into free play scrambling around the hillside. We got together to revisit what to look for when selecting a shelter location; flat ground, abundant building resources, and potentially some canopy cover if you’re lucky. Realizing our current location wasn’t ideal, we ate some food, packed up, and headed out in search of a new location.

Opening circle, deciding how to spend our outing

Creating the skeleton of the shelter

Gathering shelter building materials

Backtracking with a renewed focus on finding a location that fit all our requirements we got back onto the trail and headed out. The mentors noticed the boys getting back into “hike” mode with blinders on, cruising down the trail at a fast pace. We made sure to slow down, take the blinders off, and start looking around taking in our surroundings and viewing the landscape through the lens of shelter building. Shortly after slowing down, we found a prime location to set up shop and get down to business. The mentors took a step back and let the Roosevelt Elk Calves work together as a group to collaborate and make a group decision on where to build their shelter. They showed tremendous cooperation working together to come to a consensus that everyone agreed upon. Next they decided on what type of shelter to build, and got to work. Gathering a bunch of young Alders that had fallen down in the wind, the boys engineered a leverage system using two trees in close proximity to wedge the long, skinny alders in between and torque to the side and snap the lengthy building materials down to a more manageable size. Their ingenuity and ability to work together dividing up tasks was rather impressive for a group of ten and eleven year old boys. It was truly a testament to all the time this group has spent together over the years. After the primary structure of the shelter was up, the mentors felt good about the progress and transitioned to playing games.

Continuing to add to our shelter

Breaking the small Alders down to size

Reviewing our work and discussing ways to improve the shelter

One last time, the group came together to collaborate, compromise, and come to a consensus on how best to spend the rest of the day. Deciding on a game of Spider’s Web, the boys ate some food, re-hydrated, and set up the game. Working their way down through a valley filled with Sword Fern, Devils Club, and small stands of Red Alder, the boys slowly but surely made progress retrieving the food source from under the watchful eye of the Spider. As the game wound down, the Flies proved victorious once again and it was time for our closing circle. 

Getting together for our closing circle

Hanging out and giving some thanks before hiking back to the parking lot

During our final outing of the season the Roosevelt Elk Calves demonstrated that they had taken the next step in their growth as a group. The group worked together, showing a tremendous ability to collaborate and come to a consensus as a group under the leadership of a peer in the role of Tribal Elder. They offered great respect to one another, were patient, deliberate, and concise in their efforts to reach decisions as a group, and all without any need for the mentors to step in and help. On countless occasions before, mentors have watched groups this age struggle to even come close to how well the Roosevelt Elk Calves worked together on this outing. With a brief respite for the holiday season, we are eager to get back out exploring with this group and see if they can prove once again that they are ahead of the curve when it comes to cooperative collaboration and group decision making. Not only is this a credit to the group, but also to each and every individual that makes up this awesome bunch of Explorers.

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