Coping with the Cold and Growing as a Group at Lookout Mountain

Getting excited to explore the mountain!

Arriving at Lookout Mountain on a chilly winter morning, the Storm Wolves were excited to be back out exploring the forest. Our last outing consisted of a more focused, stationary, skill in coal blowing spoons at Larrabee State Park and it was clear these Explorers were ready to romp in the woods and play some games. Gathering up we took a look at the map and picked out a destination for our base camp. Hiking along the trail we cruised quickly up to the waterfall lookout where we paused for a snack and some water before continuing on. Our final destination was just a ways about the waterfall where we found a nice flat area to set up shop.

Keen on seeing what we could find, we dropped our packs and spread out to investigate the nearby creek and follow it to the top of the waterfall where we were able to peer down at our snack spot and get a new perspective of the landscape. Although playing near a creek poses some challenges on a chilly day, we managed to get away with only a couple wet boots and some lessons learned in “slow is fast and fast is slow.” The rest of the outing those of us that rushed the stream crossing were reminded of this lesson as we had to figure out how to manage our body temperature and suffer a little bit to learn our lesson. 

Hiking down to check out the waterfall

Enjoying the view

After exploring for a bit it was time for a game of Spider’s Web. Although not everyone played, those that did found the thick Salmon Berry and uneven terrain an favorable area for Flies to sneak up on the food source. That being said, the Spider was on top of his game today and managed to make life very difficult for the Flies. While most of us were playing the game, those of us who were feeling the cold a bit more than others campaigned for a fire. Recalling back to our past outings the boys spread out in search of Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar bark, and we even found some “fat wood” or chunks of food that can be found in rotting stumps that is saturated with resinous sap. There was plenty of downed limbs that were dry and off the ground for us to harvest and saw into manageable sizes, and soon we had all the pieces to the puzzle to start a fire.

Processing fuel for the fire

Fat-wood shavings, Cedar bark nest, and Western Hemlock kindling bundle ready to go!

Sitting back and trying to let the Storm Wolves take the charge on starting the fire, the mentors noticed that these guys were still having difficulty stepping up and taking the lead. Out sympathy, and a bit of boredom, the mentors helped the group prepare the materials and with a strike of a ferro rod from that one of the Explorers had brought we had our first flames. Still, there wasn’t much initiative taken by the Storm Wolves to tend the fire and we soon were back to square one. Reprocessing our tinder and kindling we tried for round two and were a bit more successful this time. With some assistance from the mentors we finally got a reasonable little fire going, elevated on a platform of logs and only large enough to warm our hands, to help ward off the cold. 

Using a ferro rod to create a hot spark to ignite the fire

As our outing wound to a close, some of us found time to try and make a quick atl-atl, an ancient spear throwing device that functions much like a “chuck-it” tennis ball flinger used for playing fetch with dogs. With only a little time left and only a few smoldering embers left to our fire we finished with closing circle. After sharing some gratitude and apple slices we made sure to properly care for our fire and cover up our tracks to ensure we left no trace. Douse the embers with water until everything was cool to the touch, digging a pit and burying any of the charred material, scattering any leftover scraps from processing the wood, and sprinkling a fresh layer of duff on top of the disturbed area we effectively covered our tracks and left the area as close to the way we found it as we could. 

Getting the fire bundle going, transitioning to adding fuel to the fire

Although we had some fantastic moments of exploration, play, and skills work, the mentors were left a little unsatisfied in how this group handled themselves today. There was a need for the mentors to really reign in the interruptions during circle, a need for the mentors to significantly assist in the process of fire making and tending, and a bit too much complaining about the cold without taking any initiative to try and improve the situation by the Explorers who were unhappy with the chilly winter weather. This by no means is to say this wasn’t a very fun and memorable outing, but after many years in Explorers Club and a couple really strong seasons under their belts, this group is held to a higher standard than most and there were multiple opportunities this outing for them to step up when they didn’t. Although some of this is likely due to new group members settling in and old group members learning how to step up as leaders, the mentors will make sure we hold ourselves to a higher standard on future outings. With only a few seasons left before graduation, it is our hope that this group can get it together and have a strong, productive, and fruitful finish to their Explorers Club experience. They are more than capable of it, but only time will tell.

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