Roosevelt Elk Calves Reunite at Stimpson Nature Reserve

Roosevelt Elk Calves – Stimpson Family Nature Reserve – 02/27/2016

Reuniting at Stimpson Family Nature Reserve it was clear that the Roosevelt Elk Calves were going to pick up right where they left off last fall. Just as the Indian Plum and Red Flowering Currant are pushing forth fresh blossoms after a long, cold winter, the budding interactions amongst the boys began to blossom into fruitful experiences as our outing began. With our group ready to hit the trail we headed out toward Geneva Pond for an opening meeting. Along the way we passed by the larger Beaver Pond and pristine creeks and stands of magnificent Western Red Cedars that inhabit this nature reserve. It was great to see old friends fall back into their silly ways of joking with one another while plodding along the trail. It became apparent that this group was already hiking faster than they used to. Clearly the pace they set demonstrated a level of growth within these boys that the mentors were not expecting.

Arriving at Geneva Pond we found a nice clearing for opening circle, but alas, smack dab in the middle of the clearing was a heaping pile of scat! Upon further inspection, the crunched up crustacean shells and shiny scales of fish, along with the prominent locations of these mounds hinted to the culprit. If you don’t know who left this present perhaps you should ask your explorer for a hint! Scooting off to the side we finally circled up and began discussing what awaits us upon the horizon of spring. Along with sprouting plants, budding flowers, and frolicking birds, this spring will bring with it a continued focus on the Art of Carving. After a strong start to learning this skill in the fall, the Roosevelt Elk Calves will delve deeper into the greater intricacies of the Art of Carving. First and foremost they found out that every good carving project begins not with the knife, but with the wood.

Traveling along the trail it was time for the Knowledge Keeper to share the wisdom within Pojar and MacKinnon’s Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, our go to field guide for plant knowledge and information. Using our field guide we identified four trees; two conifers and two deciduous. The first was a classic; red stringy bark, scaly green foliage, tiny cones and swooping “J-Shaped” branches. We learned that this tree, The Western Red Cedar, was used by indigenous people for a multitude of uses from canoes and totem poles, to clothing and baskets, to intricate masks used for religious ceremonies.  The rot resistant wood is great for many modern day uses as well and good to keep in mind when thinking about our carving projects. Not to mention it will be one of the best woods to use when these boys begin their journey in the art of Fire by Friction. 

The next tree we found was also a conifer, but had small, sporadic needles, small cones, an expansive and dense canopy, and slightly furrowed bark. This we determined was the Western Hemlock. With the right point of view you will also notice the Western Hemlock has a floppy top! Its thin, abundant branches are great for starting fires and the wood though strong, is relatively easy to carve with a sharp knife. 

Next we moved on to deciduous trees. The first was a large, prominent tree with expansive canopy of many thick branches, its trunk had relatively furrowed bark, and although no leaves were on the branches, a quick glance at the ground and we discovered a leaf that resembled the Canadian flag! Yep, this was a Big Leaf Maple. Many of us have played with its helicopter seeds, but often overlook the thick carpets of moss on the trunks of the trees and the delicious Licorice Fern that grow there as well. 

Finally we discovered an abundant tree that grows in stands, has a ashy-grey mottled bark, ovate serrated leaves, and cone-like catkins. This was a Red Alder. Its bark turns a reddish color when scraped or bruised and can be boiled down to create a reddish die. Additionally, we learned that this tree holds a powerful ecological role as a nitrogen fixer. It has the ability to gather nitrogen from the air and deliver it to the soil providing the primary limiting nutrient required for plants to grow in our region. With our brains boiling over with new knowledge, it was time to give our minds a break and invigorate our bodies with a romp off trail to a secret valley perfect for carving and games.

Traveling along a deer trail for a short distances, we navigated away from the designated Stimpson Nature Reserve onto land that would allow us to explore off trail. The Roosevelt Elk Calves quickly felt at home and demonstrated their growth and maturity as a group in scouting out a location to set up base camp, deliberating and coming to a consensus on where to go, then turning intention into action. Before we knew it we were a midst a ravine of gigantic Sword Fern, spindles of thorny Devils Club, and vast swathes of pristine forest. Taking some time to relax, explore, carve, and eat some lunch we discussed what to do next. Of course, Spiders Web is always a popular option, so away we went into the ever enticing presence of play. The mentors had been impressed by the Roosevelt Elk Calves high level of functioning so they let them set up the game themselves. Sure they needed a little help here or there when the anticipation of the game overtook their ability to focus, but compared to last season they had already proven a tremendous level of growth in this area. The game unfolded as it usually does, slithering through the Sword Ferns, flanking along the ridge-lines, eluding the gaze of the Spider. Despite his best efforts, and an elaborate ambush, the Spider was bested by the Flies.

With our outing drawing to a close we had just enough time for a sit spot before trekking back to the parking lot. The boys spread out over the landscape to find a special place that called to them. Settling in for a span of silence and solitude, the sights and sounds of the forest slowly slip into sentience. Each boy connecting to the land in their own way, this time is precious and of the utmost importance to building a strong relationship to the natural world and the greater community of our planet. Often times this opportunity is dismissed by explorers in order to throw a fir-cone at a friend or try and get a buddy to snicker in the silence, but today the Roosevelt Elk Calves found a deeper focus. During our closing circle following the sit spot each boy shared a deep appreciation for the natural world and their connection to it. This marked a huge step forward in the growth of this group and was deeply gratifying for the mentors to hear. With such a great start to the spring season one can only wonder what this group has in store for them as they continue adventuring this spring and into the future.

Make sure to check out all the photos from this outing here.

Roosevelt Elk Calves Explore the Chuckanuts

Our third outing of the season was an exploration of the Chuckanuts via the North end trailhead through Arroyo Park. The Chuckanuts are a favorite location with many options for exploration and discovery. Late Fall is a particularly interesting time to explore this area since Chuckanut Creek often has salmon spawning upriver from bellingham bay. On this cold clear day the groups excitement was high and we quickly gathered and began moving.

We quickly hiked the steep switchbacks up to a trail junction where chose to take the trail that would take us down hill toward the creek and the potential to see spawning salmon. Once down at the creek we quickly saw the dorsal fins of several large Chum salmon making their way up stream. The group quickly dropped packs and headed to the bridge and shoreline to look at the salmon. It was truly impressive to see the powerful fish making their way through the swift current of Chuckanut creek. The Roosevelt Elk Calves all marveled at their movement and made keen observations of their activity. We had a great discussion on the bridge about how these fish spawn thousands of miles sometimes back to where they were born. The boys were enthusiastic and we spent a good chunk of time watching the salmon.

Soon we decided it was time to keep moving so we began to pack up in preparation to leave. As we packed up part of the group took off down the trail while the other part of the group was still packing up. We called the boys back from up ahead to wait for the rest of the group. After waiting for a while again the group began to spread out and not wait for everyone. Again we called the boys back and this time had everyone get into a circle. Tim and I told the boys what we expected and why it was important to stay together. The boys listened acutely as we expressed this and asked them what they needed to stay together better today. The roosevelt Elk Calves were able to really clearly articulate what they needed and where this urge to spread out was coming from. It was a really great discussion and highlighted the growth this group has gone through in the past year.

Once back on the trail we hiked upstream in search of more salmon and adventure. We soon reached a small sandy river bar with a large log to cross the creek on. One by one we made our way across the log and into the upland forest above the creek. The boys decided we should look for a good spot to drop packs, carve, and maybe play some games. We found a great flat spot between two sections of steep hill where we could set up a little basecamp. Everyone spread out and took the time to eat some lunch and adjust layers after the steep climb.

We spent the next hour harvesting cedar for carving wood, exploring the landscape and working on carving skills. The Roosevelt Elk Calves have shown an almost insatiable curiosity and drive to carve. Many of the boys have really been challenging themselves and their dedication has shown in the quality of their carving projects. After about an hour most of the boys had transitioned from carving and had found a sandstone outcropping on top of the hill with many fossils in it. The boys were totally content carving or exploring the fossils in this area.

As most of you know from our brief discussion after the outing one of the boys was hit in the head by a rock knocked down from above him as he climbed up the hill to investigate the fossils. The injury turned out to be OK. Tim and I quickly responded and took care of the injury. The rest of the boys showed a lot of maturity in how they handled the situation. They quickly responded to the directions Tim and I gave them and even packed up the injured boys gear to help us get out even quicker. We made our way down to the parking lot for an early pick up.

Luckily everything turned out fine and we were able to get the injured boy down to the parking lot and to the medical attention he needed. In our closing circle the boys brought up very insightful questions and observations about risk management, assisting others in hard situations, and what it means to be a cohesive group. Again I was really impressed by the Roosevelt Elk calves Maturity and insight when discussing these topics. The whole experience was not only a great learning opportunity for the boys but also for Tim and I. Our forefront priority while on these outings is to keep all of the boys safe and incidents like this help us solidify and reinforce our own risk management procedures.

Thank you Roosevelt Elk Calves for your growth as a group and thank you parents for your support of our program. Please be sure to look at our photo gallery for more pictures from the outing.

  

Roosevelt Elk Calves Explore the Chuckanuts

Our third outing of the season was an exploration of the Chuckanuts via the North end trailhead through Arroyo Park. The Chuckanuts are a favorite location with many options for exploration and discovery. Late Fall is a particularly interesting time to explore this area since Chuckanut Creek often has salmon spawning upriver from bellingham bay. On this cold clear day the groups excitement was high and we quickly gathered and began moving
We quickly hiked the steep switchbacks up to a trail junction where chose to take the trail that would take us down hill toward the creek and the potential to see spawning salmon. Once down at the creek we quickly saw the dorsal fins of several large Chum salmon making their way up stream. The group quickly dropped packs and headed to the bridge and shoreline to look at the salmon. It was truly impressive to see the powerful fish making their way through the swift current of Chuckanut creek. The Roosevelt Elk Calves all marveled at their movement and made keen observations of their activity. We had a great discussion on the bridge about how these fish spawn thousands of miles sometimes back to where they were born. The boys were enthusiastic and we spent a good chunk of time watching the salmon.

Soon we decided it was time to keep moving so we began to pack up in preparation to leave. As we packed up part of the group took off down the trail while the other part of the group was still packing up. We called the boys back from up ahead to wait for the rest of the group. After waiting for a while again the group began to spread out and not wait for everyone. Again we called the boys back and this time had everyone get into a circle. Tim and I told the boys what we expected and why it was important to stay together. The boys listened acutely as we expressed this and asked them what they needed to stay together better today. The roosevelt Elk Calves were able to really clearly articulate what they needed and where this urge to spread out was coming from. It was a really great discussion and highlighted the growth this group has gone through in the past year.

Once back on the trail we hiked upstream in search of more salmon and adventure. We soon reached a small sandy river bar with a large log to cross the creek on. One by one we made our way across the log and into the upland forest above the creek. The boys decided we should look for a good spot to drop packs, carve, and maybe play some games. We found a great flat spot between two sections of steep hill where we could set up a little basecamp. Everyone spread out and took the time to eat some lunch and adjust layers after the steep climb.

We spent the next hour harvesting cedar for carving wood, exploring the landscape and working on carving skills. The Roosevelt Elk Calves have shown an almost insatiable curiosity and drive to carve. Many of the boys have really been challenging themselves and their dedication has shown in the quality of their carving projects. After about an hour most of the boys had transitioned from carving and had found a sandstone outcropping on top of the hill with many fossils in it. The boys were totally content carving or exploring the fossils in this area.

As most of you know from our brief discussion after the outing one of the boys was hit in the head by a rock knocked down from above him as he climbed up the hill to investigate the fossils. The injury turned out to be OK. Tim and I quickly responded and took care of the injury. The rest of the boys showed a lot of maturity in how they handled the situation. They quickly responded to the directions Tim and I gave them and even packed up the injured boys gear to help us get out even quicker. We made our way down to the parking lot for an early pick up.

Luckily everything turned out fine and we were able to get the injured boy down to the parking lot and to the medical attention he needed. In our closing circle the boys brought up very insightful questions and observations about risk management, assisting others in hard situations, and what it means to be a cohesive group. Again I was really impressed by the Roosevelt Elk calves Maturity and insight when discussing these topics. The whole experience was not only a great learning opportunity for the boys but also for Tim and I. Our forefront priority while on these outings is to keep all of the boys safe and incidents like this help us solidify and reinforce our own risk management procedures.

Thank you Roosevelt Elk Calves for your growth as a group and thank you parents for your support of our program. Please be sure to look at our photo gallery for more pictures from the outing.

  

Roosevelt Elk Calves work at Connelly Creek

The Roosevelt Elk Calves gathered for their Service outing under sunny skies and warm temperatures. This weekend was the start to our service outings and would require a lot of hard work to clear and create space for future work. We were all excited to see the Connelly Creek service site and what it would look like after not seeing it for a whole summer. Upon arrival we saw that the Hardhack, Spirea, and Alders we had planted the year before were flourishing. We saw that the reed canary grass and invasive blackberry had also flourished over the summer and would yet again need our attention.

After surveying the site we gathered in the sunshine for a quick opening meeting to review tool safety and finalize a plan for the day. The Roosevelt Elk Calves did an excellent job explaining proper tool use and demonstrating to each other the best practices with each tool. After breaking from our closing circle we quickly got to work.

Our first task was to clear morning glory that had climbed up the wire cages around the Alders as well as the small trees themselves. The work was slow and delicate as we carefully unwound the morning glory trying not to damage the more delicate leaves and branches of the sappelings. We also worked on clearing out the reed canary grass from around the base of the saplings to give them more space. This is an important task this time of year since by clearing the canary grass and morning glory we are allowing the tree to absorb more sunlight in these shortening days.

After the alders were clear we circled up to congratulate each other on our efforts and turn our focus to the next task at hand; blackberries. The blackberries are a tenacious plant that is extremely hard to get rid of. any small clipping left on the ground can re root itself and easily undo all of our work. with loppers and shovels in hand we approached the blackberry thicket and began carefully chopping and extracting the blackberry vines.  

The Roosevelt Elk Calves put in a couple hours of really focused hard work and made great progress on the blackberries. Even though this is a service outing we wanted to give the boys a little time at the end of the outing to focus on their carving since they showed so much skill and excitement about this last time. Some of the boys chose to make more chopsticks or finish existing chopsticks while others who had completed a nice pair of chopsticks moved on to carving spoon blanks. Again the Roosevelt Elk Calves handled their knives very well and showed a lot of natural talent at carving. After about half and hour of carving it was time to pack up and have a closing circle.

We had a wonderful closing circle with all of the boys sharing really heartfelt and sincere gratitude for the day, the work, and each other. The Roosevelt Elk Calves have come along way as a group and are a true pleasure to be out in the woods with. Individually all the boys have done a lot of personal growth and as a group they have really bonded. Thank you Roosevelt Elk Calves for a great service outing and thank you parents for your continual support and enthusiasm about our program. Please check out our photo gallery for more pictures from the day.  

Roosevelt Elk Calves Enjoy a day of Carving

The fickle weather of Fall was in full swing on the morning of the Roosevelt Elk Calves first outing. Scattered showers with intermittent sun breaks cycled on and off as we prepared for the outing. This season marks a huge step forward for the Roosevelt Elk Calves as we are introducing the art of carving. More so than many of our other skills the art of carving is one that we approach slowly and with a great amount of commitment and respect. Over the past few seasons the Roosevelt Elk Calves have proved themselves as a focused and ever maturing group that is ready for this challenge.

We walked into the forest via a lower path that is not often frequented by mountain bikers or dog walkers. We kept an eye out for a spot that would be both a suitable place for an opening meeting and a nice spot to carve. After a while of hiking we found such a spot and set up our base camp for the day. We had observed a downed bigleaf maple on the hike in and decided it would be the perfect tree to harvest from for our carving wood. Big leaf maple is a hard wood, but also one that has a smooth consistent grain for practicing carving. We quickly sawed and split enough wood for everyone to work with.

During our opening circle Tim and I made it very clear that the boys wood not only have to demonstrate focus and skill individual when working with knives, but also as a group. We reviewed blood circlesand talked about some basic safety around carving (not carving told yourself, having a comfortable spot to sit, not cutting toward other body parts, etc). After setting the tone for the day we distributed the carving wood and told the Roosevelt Elk Calves that our first project would be to make chopsticks. Chopsticks are a good first project because they can be completed in a day, require you to carve a tapering cylinder, and you must carve two things that are close to identical. With the task clear the boys started carving.

All the boys showed great care with the knives, besides a few small things we did not have to remind them of any safety issues. As the boys carved their chopsticks their skills grew; They made smaller more precise cuts and over all showed an immense amount of patience. We had a solid hour and a half of carving before anyone wanted to anything else. At this point we took a lunch break and all admired eachothers carving. After this many of the boys had focused enough for the day and decided to organize a game ofSpiders Web and a handful of boys decided to keep working on their carving. For the remainder of the outing the boys that were carving showed total focus and dedication while the others had an excellent game of Spiders Web.  

During our closing circle many of the boys shared really profound and insightful lessons they felt carving had taught them. Everything from patience to confronting challenges that seem really big in life. The Roosevelt Elk Calves not only excelled at the hard skill of carving, but also were able to apply this to the bigger picture and context of their lives. Thank you Roosevelt Elk Calves for your focus and  hard work on our outing! Parents, please encourage your boys to carve at home if you have the space and feel comfortable letting them. Carving is a skill that can take a lifetime to perfect and these boys are well on their way. Also if you still need to get a knife for your explorer or have other carving related questions please contact me or visit our knife skills page. Also be sure to look at our photo gallery for more pictures.       

Roosevelt Elk Calves Explore Intertidal life at Clayton Beach

The Roosevelt Elk Calves gathered in the parking lot above Clayton Beach for their final outing of the Spring season. The weather was warm and our energy was high as we made our way from the parking lot and into the woods for an opening circle. The shade offered by the towering red cedars and douglas firs was welcomed after the heat of the open parking lot. The boys led us down a deer trail to a small opening above a creek, here we dropped our packs and formed our circle.

This season the Roosevelt Elk Calves earth skills focus has been the skill of navigation. We had already spent sometime practicing more primitive forms of navigation, mainly songlines. (Which the boys still remembered word for word from our first outing!) This time we pulled out a map of the Chuckanuts and a compass. The boys crowded around the map and began to orient it in the right direction using the compass. Most of the boys showed a lot of interest in using the map and pinpointing our location on it. After a while of focused map work the boys were ready to explore the landforms we had been staring at on a map.

Jumping in the creek, finding fossils, throwing rocks, steep hillsides, slippery rocks, little caves, moss, dappled sunlight, laughter, mud, and adventure filled our exploration of the creek. After a while the boys began making their way up to the packs and we began to circle up to decide what to do next.

Making decisions in a big group can be a long process without the focus to listen to others and come to a collaborative decision. The Roosevelt Elk Calves could not hold a circle to make a plan for the rest of the day. It took a long time for them to finally bring their focus and energy to a place where they could work as a group and come up with a plan. As a mentor we are there to guide the boys, gently nudging them to come to these decisions rather than step in to make the choices for them. The Roosevelt elk calves eventually decided, in true Explorers Club fashion, that we would follow deer trails and bushwhack down to the beach instead of following the main trail.

Once moving we had a great time navigating the winding deer trails that traversed along the hillside parallel to the ocean. We soon made it down to the beach to find a low tide with plenty of room to explore the exposed eel grass. Packs off we began poking around in tide pools, lifting rocks, and finding all sorts of intertidal life. Aggregating Anemones hung from slimy rocks, lion's mane jellyfish lay cooking on the beach, sharp barnacles clustered on rocks, and crabs scurried away as we lifted rocks. A few of the boys came up the beach with a hooded nudibranch caught in an old geoduck shell. Looking out at the ocean we caught a brief glimpse of a dark head pop out of the water. We all stared out at the ocean waiting for it to resurface. Some people though a seal while others guessed otter. We soon saw the animal emerge again this time starring right at us as it chomped its teeth. It turned out to be a river otter and we watched as it happily swaim just off shore. Our next wildlife encounter was with a giant Geoduck pulled out of the mud. We all gathered around to look at the strange Mollusk that we had unearthed. After seeing this all the boys began digging along the tide line in search for more.

We spent the rest of our afternoon on the beach enjoying the sunshine and amazing wildlife encounters. Soon it was time to pack up our things and have a closing circle. We all expressed our thanks for the day as the tide crept in began lapping at the seaward side of the circle. With that cue we packed up and worked our way back along our diminishing beach. Thank you Roosevelt Elk Calves for an amazing season together! Parents thank you for your support throughout the season and for sending your boys out to explore with us. Your sons our well on their way to become proficient backcountry navigators! for more pictures please visit our photo gallery.  

Roosevelt Elk Calves and Branch Hoppers do Service at Connelly Creek

The sun was not only shining but also full of warmth as the Branch Hoppers and Roosevelt Elk Calves circled up in the large field adjacent to the Connelly Creek service site. For most of the boys this was their first look at the site since our efforts the previous Fall. We all took a moment to be proud of our work last Fall and recognize the work that other Explorers groups had already done this season. After these moments of reflection and recognition of our work it was time to turn our attention to our task today.

In our large circle we talked about using the tools with intention and keeping in mind blood circles and safety as we worked. After discussing the tools we moved on to talking about what exactly needed to get done today. The main work that needed to be done today was to move the rest of the mulch out over the flattened Reed Canary Grass and continue to cut back the black bearies that seemed to continually grow closer and closer to our site. Despite two other groups putting in many hours of hard work the day before the pile of mulch still stood tall.

Armed with buckets, rakes, and shovels the Roosevelt Elk Calves and the Branch Hoppers got to work on the mulch. While part of the boys shoveled the other part moved the large buckets of mulch out to the places it was needed. This effort took teamwork and planning since each bucket needed; one or two Explorers to fill it, three or four Explorers to move it and another couple to spread the emptied mulch. Both the Branch Hoppers and Roosevelt Elk Calves showed great work ethic and group coordination as they moved the mulch. After a solid hour and a half of work the mulch pile was flattened and we all stood, sweating, as we admired our work.

The boys ran after Steve as he led the way down to Connelly Creek for a refreshing head dunk in the Creeks chilly water. Reinvigorated the boys came back ready for the next task. Our next project was to begin clearing the back part of our service site of the invasive blackberry vines. The boys got to work lopping the vines, stacking the vines and moving them into large trash bags. Again the boys quickly figured out the most efficient assembly line for this task and coordinated it gracefully.

Soon it was time for the Branch Hoppers to leave Connelly creek. After bidding the Branch Hoppers farewell the Roosevelt Elk Calves turned to the task of gathering all the remaining blackberry clippings into piles to put into trash bags. blackberry is an incredibly resilient plant that can replant itself from just one clipping so the job of cleaning up all these scrapes was very important. The Roosevelt Elk Calves buckled down for the last bit of work to clean the service site before we left it.

Our day ended with some time to just play and explore the site that we had been working so hard on. The hard work is important, but so is connecting with the place your are doing the service work at. Laughter filled the site as the Roosevelt elk calves ran through the creek; jumping along the bank, and sometimes into the creek, to see what was around the next corner. Parents be sure to stop by connelly creek sometime and have your Explorer show you all the work they have been doing, it is really impressive. Thank you Explorers for you hard work this weekend! Be sure to look at our Branch hopper photo gallery and Roosevelt Elk Calves photo gallery for more pictures.