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| Hiding amongst the rocks |
Heading out, we climbed up and onto the ‘dragon’s spine’, a classic explorer’s route above the primary trail and out of sight. Remarkably, even with a group of 9 boys making little effort to be quiet, we passed by and above several other groups withouth being seen. The hill was profuse with the signs of Douglas’ squirrels enjoying their winter larders, so we might not have been alone in this observation. Other signs of wildlife were prolific as well and when we dropped down off the dragon’s spine we were even accompanied by a deer mouse, uncharacteristically visible during the day, for the span of about 100 ft. Approaching the beach the boys were faced with the prospective railroad tracks. As mundane as it seems to simply walk over the tracks, the boys unanimously elected to go under the tracks, slipping through the culvert and emerging on the other side. Breaking through the trees at the beach we were greeted by a receding tide. We scrambled over rocks and waded through shallow water looking for a place to set up base camp, finally settling on an outcropping of sandstone overlooking the bay.
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| Sand hills are irresistible |
As many (or possibly most) of the Storm Wolves outings have been accompanied by harsh weather it felt good for everyone to bask in the sun and relax a bit as we clambered over the the sandstone and along the beach. As some of the boys set up driftwood hideouts amongst the rocks some of the others noticed that where our approach had been blocked by water there was now open beach, and that a lone crab had been left high and dry. We returned the crab to the water and went about setting up sticks, marking the sand, and taking measurements to record the progress of the tide.
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| Figuring this fire thing out |
After lunch we decided to head down the beach and see what it took to get a fire going. Each of the boys was given a single match and challenged to work together to create a small self sustaining fire. They broke up into several small groups which each put a small fire structure together. The first few matches fizzled out quickly. As less and less boys had their own matches more and more discussion went into how each match should be used. They discovered that although the matches could easily conjure fire, it was difficult to maintain it. Fire structures were improved as more refined materials were collected and matches were carefully placed rather than tossed in without forethought. As the last few matches were used the boys all came together as a single group. Flames caught in shredded cedar bark and valiantly attempted to ignite a pile of small twigs, but, just as things seemed to be going well, they died out. We all came together and discussed how vital fire could be and how the times when you need it most are also the times when it can be most difficult to create and maintain. We talked about some of the physics of fire and techniques for making ignition easier as well as agreeing that the fire wasn’t really lit until it could keep burning without help. After this everyone was issued another match. The fire was rebuilt and this time greater care was taken. After a few more attempts, a small self-sustaining fire came to life. As usual, the magnetic nature of fire drew everyone together and we all agreed it would be great to have something to cook over the fire. We made due with what we had and roasted some orange slices. After extinguishing the fire and cleaning up we circled up to talk about the day and give thanks. Chief among the many expressions of gratitude was that, in stark contrast with history, we enjoyed a full day of peaceful weather. For our next outing we will be returning to Lookout Mountain to more fully explore the forest we first visited this fall.
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| Success! |
Be sure to check out the rest of the photos from this outing here.
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