There is always a fine balance between planning and Explorers Club outing and letting the inspiration of the day take over. Too much of a plan and you are not flexible enough to follow the inspiration that occurs once you are out exploring and not enough of a plan and your day loses the direction it needs to get going. Sundays outing with the Grey Fox Kits was a perfect example of hitting this balance. The mentors had planned a day of focused carving in the woods above Arroyo park and then playing some games in the forest to celebrate the end of another successful season together.
However, the moment we hit the trail the Grey Fox Kits began talking about the beach. The trail branched and we had a really coherent discussion, led entirely by the boys, on how to spend the day. The unanimous decision was to take the Interurban trail to Teddy Bear Cove. The mentors looked at eachother and let the boys excitement for the beach guide our day.
However, the moment we hit the trail the Grey Fox Kits began talking about the beach. The trail branched and we had a really coherent discussion, led entirely by the boys, on how to spend the day. The unanimous decision was to take the Interurban trail to Teddy Bear Cove. The mentors looked at eachother and let the boys excitement for the beach guide our day.
After a short .5 miles along the Interurban we came to the point where we had to cross Chuckanut drive to make our way down the steep switchbacks to the beach. This is arguably the most dangerous part of our day and as such requires the utmost focus and concentration. The Grey Fox Kits have been dedicating themselves to the Art of Carving The last few seasons and have learned the the focus and maturity it take to safely handle a knife. As we prepared to cross Chuckanut the mentors asked the boys to use this same focus while crossing the road.
Once on the other side we made our way down the steep switchbacks to Teddy Bear Cove. Low clouds hung over the Chuckanuts while the sun crept in from over the San Juan Islands. Tim split Western Red Cedar rounds into chopstick blanks while the Boys found their knives and prepared to carve. We had a really focused carving session for about an hour. Many of the boys ended the session with nearly completed chopsticks. As seen by our experience crossing Chuckanut the Art of Carving is not only a useful skill in and of itself, but is also a great practice in focus and concentration for these boys. The Grey Fox Kits have really taken to the carving and I am excited to see where they take it in the future.
After our focused time on the beach it was time to explore! We climbed sandstone bluffs, found holes in the rocks, looked out over the bay, found Madrone and Oak trees that seemed to be made for climbing, explored the dry hillside above the ocean, traversed along the coast line, made crab forts, played some games, ate lunch, found new routes on the rocks, lay in the sun, and generally enjoyed the beach. It was nice after all the focused work on our carving to take some time to free play and explore the beach.
After our focused time on the beach it was time to explore! We climbed sandstone bluffs, found holes in the rocks, looked out over the bay, found Madrone and Oak trees that seemed to be made for climbing, explored the dry hillside above the ocean, traversed along the coast line, made crab forts, played some games, ate lunch, found new routes on the rocks, lay in the sun, and generally enjoyed the beach. It was nice after all the focused work on our carving to take some time to free play and explore the beach.
Our day ended as it always does with a closing circle where we all expressed our gratitude for the day. On such a great day it was easy to find many things we were all thankful for. Thank you parents for being so supportive of us during our outings with your boys! Thank you grey fox kits for another great season together. We really appreciate your enthusiasm and commitment to personal growth despite the challenges we have faced. Please checkout our photo gallery for more great pictures from our exploration last weekend. See you all in the Fall for another great season!
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