Yet again, the Storm Wolves live up to their name as they
ventured out onto Lookout Mountain for their second outing of the year. The
incoming weather system brought with it blustery conditions and a drizzle of
rain. Luckily, the Storm Wolves weren’t the only group at Lookout Mountain
today; the Branch Hoppers were also meeting at this location. The mentors
thought it would be great fun to bring the groups together for a gigantic game
of Spider’s Web to start off the outing before splitting off for the rest of
our outings.
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| The Storm Wolves and Branch Hoppers combined opening circle/name game |
Making a big two-group circle, we played a name game to get
a little more familiar with one another and had opening circles before hitting
the trail. But before we could get more than a few steps an ambulance pulled up
to the gate and paramedics hopped out. This was odd, but we made sure to get
off the side of the trail and out of the way as best we could. The paramedics
opened up the gate, hopped back into the ambulance and cruised up the trail
past us. We found out from the other group, who spoke to one of the paramedics,
that someone had called in a possible allergic reaction to a bee sting and
there was potentially a hiker up the trail going into anaphylaxis shock! This
was a wake up call that sometimes things don’t go as planned in the forest, and
we hoped for the best for all involved in the incident. Further along the trail
we had a second ambulance arrive on the scene and as they parked and unloaded
at the trail junction they asked if they could commandeer a backpack to haul their
gear up the trail. Of course we obliged and one of the mentors unloaded his
gear into an extra dry bag and handed off his pack for the paramedics to use.
We were just glad we could help in whatever way possible! (FYI we got the pack back at the end of the outing at the fire station)
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| The ambulance driving up the trail! |
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| Everyone hunkered down in the forest for snacks before our big game of Spider's Web |
Carrying on with the rest of our outing we trekked down a
trail to find a good location for our game of Spider’s Web. Satisfied with what
we had found, we hunkered down for snack and some water while a few of us set
up the course. A few minutes later we were lost in play, sneaking through the
forest, scampering down hillsides, hiding in hollows, and just having a blast
getting lost in the moment. The game was fairly challenging and stretched some
edges, but in the end we were all just glad to get out in the forest exploring
through play. While the game carried on the wind picked up a bit and the alder
stand behind us swayed in the breeze. For a few of us this was a bit unnerving given the history
of the group, but after the game was over we parted ways with the Branch
Hoppers and trekked back into the more established forest near the waterfall
for lunch.
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| Storm Wolves hiking down the trail |
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| Playing "Where's My Egg?" at the waterfall after lunch |
Hanging out this group always finds a way to have fun. Jokes and
horsing around were in abundance. After lunch the Storm Wolves decided to play
one of their all-time favorite games: Where’s My Egg? For such a simple game,
these boys have so much fun, and learn so much at the same time! They organize
themselves, work through disagreements, goof off, and eventually end up in a
gigantic dog pile trying to steal the “egg” from the nest. Everyone ends up
having a blast and the group shows so much cohesion and comradery during this
game that it is difficult to call an end to it. But alas, it was time for
closing circle. Giving some gratitude and hiking out, it was great to see how
this group has grown and how they were able to overcome some unsettled nerves
during the blustery moments by the alder grove to have a fantastic outing of
playfulness and goofing off in the forest. Next up is our service outing where
this group will be called upon to be role models for the younger group and help
guide our stewardship outing at the Connelly Creek Service Site. For some
reason I think this group will be up for the challenge!
Make sure the check out all the rest of the photos from our outing
here!
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A pack of Storm Wolves eager to get started playing "Wheres My Egg"
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