BEC: A Spirited Exploration with the Grey Fox Kits at North Galbraith Mountain Trailhead

In keeping with the apparent 2013 season theme for the Grey Fox Kits, they arrived at the North Galbraith Mountain Trailhead aware of the ominous looking rain clouds rolling in from the South. However, the boys were not too concerned with the weather; instead they were excited to see that Soren Brotherton and Brian Mulligan would be joining us on our outing. It has been a joy to watch the Explorers share connection and experiences with these mentors as their history grows over multiple seasons. By cultivating long-term relationships with a community of mentors, the boys are able to grow and witness a healthy variety of different forms of mentorship. Matt Fogarty once summed this idea with a simple statement, “Teach who you are.”  Mentors engage the boys with genuineness and care; this guides their leadership and mentoring style. In turn, the Explorers are able to develop a more complete understanding of what it means to be a male in  our community.

Despite their normal squirreliness, we formed a circle to unify our thoughts before we set out for the day. After a few challenging fall outings, the Mentors planned to focus the group’s attention on their transformation this season.  The Grey Fox Kits are resilient and have learned to weather the elements. Matt Fogarty compared the group’s experience to that of hardening a plant off before putting it into the garden. In this process, the seedling is moved from a place of shelter and abundance to a place outside where it is intentionally exposed to the elements. At first the seedling wilts, but after while, it slowly strengthens into an established start. Once hardened off, the start is ready to be put in the garden where eventually it will produce a harvest for its community. 

With some great inspiration under our belts, we changed our focus to the surrounding landscape. The Mentors explained to the group that North Galbraith Mountain Trailhead was the beginning of a large wilderness area that spans all the way to the North Cascades. The logging roads that lead to the top of the mountain have many junctions and crossings requiring us to track them to avoid getting lost. Once we oriented ourselves and assigned some jobs, we set out for our Exploration. Arriving at our first junction, we circled up the group. The boys quickly decided to explore the ridgeline trail instead of the lowland valley. The group climbed the ridgeline trail keeping a watchful eye out for bicycles speeding down the trail. It became apparent to the mentors that the Explorers needed to engage their bodies and get into their rhythm. We hiked unwaveringly into the rain until we arrived at the power line clearing.  Many boys pointed out various widow makers and snag hazards along the trail. Standing in the clearing, we noticed just how hard the rain was coming down. Although we were getting soaked, the group took the opportunity to gaze west at the dark rain clouds as they moved steadily across the sky. Slowly the boys are developing an awareness of their extended surroundings and are learning to anticipate changes in the weather. This is a very important survival skill that will be required of them time and time again in future outings.

Following the Explorers, the ridge trail transitions from the power lines into a grove of young Red Alder. While hiking, Matt and Soren spotted what they thought was a deer rub. They called the group over and we examined the Alder trunk for signs of antler velvet or hair. Matt encouraged the group to utilize deer trails in their travels as he pointed out the faint trail that led off to the east. Deer trails can teach us a lot about thriving in the landscape. During prior explorations, deer trails have led us on safe passageways and have revealed safe places to build shelters and bed down for the night. Using this moment as inspiration, Matt burst into a game of Cougar Stalks Deer. In this game, the cougars try to catch a deer as it attempts to escape. As the deer flee, cougars try to catch up. Whenever a deer turns around, all the cougars must stop. If a deer spots a cougar moving it must go to the back of the group. The Explorers stalked Matt all the way up to the ridgeline trail until we got to the viewpoint. Feeling cold and hungry, the group decided that this would be a great spot to put some fuel in our tanks.  Sharing hot tea and munching on sandwiches, we looked out over the bay and north towards Lummi Island and Georgia Strait. Each time we climb to a vista near our homes and look out over the topography we gain more insight on how the expansive geography that surrounds us is connected. The group reflected on just how special it is to live in a place where the mountains meet the sea. The Explorers were also very curios to see over the edge of the sandstone cliff located a few feet in front of us. One by one the Mentors spotted each boy as he peered over the edge of the cliff. Once everyone finished lunch, we packed up and headed out along the ridge. We followed our curiosity with no particular destination in mind.

After a few minutes of hiking the group came to another viewpoint. This time the vista drew our focus in a Northeasterly direction over the Galbraith wildland toward Lake Whatcom and Stewart Mountain. The boys turned toward the mentors and said, “You were not kidding when you said we could easily get lost out here.” Turning back towards the trail, a few Explorers started to Let It Be Known that they had reached their limit on hiking any further. This was a great time for the Mentors to step back and provide the Tribal Elder with an opportunity to lead the decision-making process. After hearing each of the Explorers opinions, the group made a very cohesive compromise to turn around and play Spider’s Web near the trailhead. Matt Fogarty, being the trickster that he is, broke up the circle by looking at Soren and yelling “Deer!”, The chase was on and the boys pursued Soren all the way back down to the power lines. Just when it looked as though Soren was about to be caught, he would round a corner and disappear into the bushes only to reappear when no one was expecting it, what fun!

Following the power line clearing westward we descended into a valley tucked away and littered with a series of mountain bike jumps. As soon as the group saw them they immediately dropped their packs and ran to jump all over them. One purpose for this outing was a well earned celebration of this season where the boys had bonded. The boys let loose as they tested their acrobatics maneuvers. Free play and creative space is so important to the development of our youth. One of the greatest gifts mentors can give to the boys is the freedom of time and space to let the Explorers engage with each other, the landscape and their imaginations. All too often, our  excessively scheduled culture does not allow for this freedom.

The group ran for half an hour without tiring.  Afterward, they circled up to play a round of Spider’s Web. Liam took on the role of the Spider and quickly found a perfect vantage point to watch the major thruways to the food source. Try and try as they might, the flies were relentlessly called back to the web. This challenge really helped the Explorers experiment with the forest colors as they tried to camouflage themselves and determine when they had the best opportunities to move. Any slip up and the attuned senses of the spider would catch them and strike. It was great to watch Brian bonding with the boys as he hid and crawled with other flies under Sword Ferns. After a long game, someone called, “Hey where is the bandana?” It turned out that Matt had fooled all of us by switching out the bandana for his hat. We then circled up to discuss the game. It was apparent to us that the Explorers were really getting into the spirit of competition.  The flies congratulated the spider on a job well done and they in turn congratulated the flies for their diligence and stealth. We all decided that the true purpose of this game was not to win or loose but to play and have fun.

The group quickly packed up and handed back their jobs(?) for a closing meeting. We sat it a tight circle as the sun slowly faded into the West. Sharing apples, we went around the circle discussing our favorite moments of the season and giving thanks. The boys were thankful for the rain and the storms that the fall season brings, for the joy of being together out in the land, forSpider’s Web, forest snags, and the ability to turn our challenges and problems into possibilities into opportunities. The Mentors are deeply grateful for the privilege to be a part of the boys’ experiences and development during this fall season. We would once again like to give a big thanks to all the parents and families for your support and trust throughout this season. We would also like to thank all the Volunteers Mentors, EMA, and Staff for their support this season.  

Please check out more pictures from the outing at the photo gallery. We look forward to seeing you at the Winter Solstice Gathering on December 14th and at the winter outings we are offering for the first time ever!