Storm Wolves Showdown Games Day with the Branch Hoppers

The Branch Hoppers and Storms Wolves met at Lookout Mountain for a day of games. The outing also marked the third time in the fall season that the boys had shared an outing together. Once everyone arrived the group hiked out in search of Steve and Brian who were busy setting up the course for, Life and Death in the Forest.

The morning was brisk and damp and a great reminder that without the proper gear and preparation for the day this combination of weather can be a miserable experience. Making their rendezvous with the mentors, the group circled up to listen to the rules of the game while they snacked on some food.

The mentors explained that Life and Death in the Forest teaches us about the intricacies of the food web through playful embodiment of those who call the forest home. Herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores make up the basic players in the game with food and water sources represented by cards hanging from string scattered throughout the playing field. A player not only has to collect a certain amount of food and water sources in an allotted time, they must also keep their own life which is represented by a specific number of rubber bands depending upon one’s status within the food chain.

With our game set up, the rules explained, and participants prepped, all that was left was to start. The herbivores got a head start to disperse into the landscape and begin stealthily scouring the forest for food and water. Next the Omnivores were sent off needing to pick a priority of plant food, water, or hunting to begin the game. Finally, the carnivores were let loose much to the dismay of the herbivores and omnivores who now flinched at every twig snapped and fern rustled.

For twenty minutes Explorers and Mentors alike ran, crawled, climbed, ducked, dove, scurried and scampered. The struggle between life and death becomes surprisingly real when time starts running out and the only thing standing between you and that last food source is a hungry Carnivore licking his chops for a shot at one last meal.

At the end of the round we circled back up and debriefed our experience. Initially we had picked what we thought would be a balanced ecosystem, but it turned out that the herbivore and omnivore populations had been demolished. This was a great time for the group to think about what would happen the next year to our population of carnivores. Picking new roles and trying once more to balance our numbers within the food web we played another round.

Coming in a half an hour later tired and sweaty the group circled up once again to debrief. The Explorers struggled to focus and the mentors had difficulty tracking whether it was environmental factors at play or if the boys had just reached their limit. This was a great time to talk about our expectations for the elder EC groups to be present during our outings and take initiative. After a few more reminders and some unfocused leadership the boys made the decision to clean up the game, have a closing circle, and then head back to the trailhead so that the Storm Wolves could show the Branch Hoppers their favorite game, Where’s My Egg? Although they had difficultly making decisions the boys held a solid closing circle and shared what they were thankful for openly and honestly.

Back at the trailhead the mentors took a step back to watch the Explorers try and get their game together. Similarly to what the mentors had experienced, the boys talked over one another causing some frustration and confusion. The group was able to overcome this hurdle and it was fun to watch their playfulness and companionship engaged with one another. This ended our games day on a high note and the group internalized their need for focus during circle time. The mentors also learned an important lesson that occasionally we need to step back and observe the dynamics of the group in order to be more targeted and effective mentors.

For more pictures for our Showdown outing please visit the photo album from the day. Thanks for reading!

The Storm Wolves Play in the Wind at Lookout Mountain

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. 

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)

The ambulance driving up the trail!

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.

Storm Wolves hiking down the trail

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!

A pack of Storm Wolves eager to get started playing "Wheres My Egg"

Service at Connelly Creek with the Branch Hoppers & Grey Fox Kits

The Branch Hoppers arrived at Connelly Creek ready for a day of service. As we circled up we saw that something was different about these Explorers. Not only were they considerably taller, each boy had a knife attached to his belt. As a mentor who has known they boys for quite awhile it was a little nerve wracking and also very exciting. Walking over to our service site the Branch Hoppers were eager to continue our culture of stalking the group that would be serving alongside us. Once we got to the site the boys spread out, looking for the perfect hiding spots. Grouping back up the mentors passed out Red Cedar blanks for carving spoons, butter knives, and chopsticks. The group spent about fifteen minutes carving before we snuck back to our hiding spots.

From our hiding spots we could hear the Grey Fox Kits mingling and climbing around in the creek. As we patiently waited the Black-Capped Chickadees hopped from branch to branch around our heads. As the Grey Fox Kits walked to the service site the Branch Hoppers emerged from every nook and cranny along the trail. Grouping up in a large circle we passed out wood blanks to the Grey Fox Kits and shared with the Explorers that both groups started carving this season, and that it’s important to build a group culture around respectful and intentional tool usage. Our Explorers Mentor Apprentice for the day, Logan Bartz, introduced himself and with a quick round of names we got to work.

Our task for the day was to clear the Himalayan Blackberry from areas that we had mulched previously. Also to trim back the Reed-Canary Grass growing under the Red Alders so we could plant Dogwood and Salmonberry in its place. Analyzing the site we noticed the Reed-Canary Grass had grown back after we had mulched it, but only half as high! There were also new Blackberry shoots in the areas that we mulched previously.

Mustering their strength the Explorers put in a great team effort with such excellent attitudes. After serving Connelly Creek for multiple seasons they knew what needed to be done. Raking, chopping, shearing, lopping, and cutting the debris into small pieces they worked cohesively and efficiently. The group was not daunted by the invasive plant’s ability to spring back and overtake the work they had done. They found that the Blackberry stalks were easily identifiable in the mulch and the shovels uprooted them easily. They also noticed that the Willows we had been guarding over the last three seasons were getting tall enough to shade out the grass.

Through service work the boys are learning a very important lesson about slowly working towards a goal and aiming for long term healthy stability rather than quick solutions. Connelly Creek calls the boys to wrestle with problem solving and accept that their work may take years. Together we are learning that it is okay to fail because it’s all part of the learning process. In spring season we tried to plant green Willow shoots that we harvested and this season we found every one of them dead with Reed-Canary Grass growing up through their mulch rings. After speaking to Rae Edwards of the Parks Department we learned that we needed to cardboard underneath the mulch and around the base of the plants to kill the Reed-Canary grass once and for all.

Our work today was to prepare the site for this new strategy and it was such a pleasure to work with both of the groups in the sunshine. After a solid hour and a half of work the group decided to take a lunch break. In our opening meeting we told the Explorers that we would not be using our knives during the service project, as it was not what we were there to do. Over lunch a few boys pulled out their knives and started carving their Cedar blanks into butter knives. It was a chain reaction and soon there were twenty Explorers carving. As mentors we debated stopping them and redirecting their focus towards service, but the group was modeling such excellent safety and responsibility that we decided to run with it and have a half-hour carving session.

Once the time was up we set down our knives and got back to work for a strong finish. The group attacked the Blackberry hedge, cutting it back all the way to the park boundary and finished trimming the grass under the Alders. We spent the rest of the time bagging Blackberries, raking piles of grass, and picking up every clipping that we dropped along our way. I have to commend the boys again for being such excellent workers and expecting nothing in return except for the satisfaction of a job well done. These boys are growing into fine young men and are meeting the new responsibilities that come with their deepened role with their communities and relationship with the land.

We ended the day with a closing meeting in our individual groups. We snacked on apples and gave thanks for a wonderful day of sun and service! The mentors thanked the boys for kick starting our service outings with such a great start. These Explorers are nourishing the land and restoring the quality of the watershed and salmon runs for generations to come. It’s important to constantly remind them of this and recognize their work. The mentors would also like to thank Logan for coming out and EMAing. He is setting a strong example of what it means to give to a community and modeling the rewards to sticking with the Boys EC culture and developmental journey. He meets the boys with acceptance, care, and patience, always keeping their best in mind. Thanks Logan!

For more pictures from the day please visit the Grey Fox Kit's and Branch Hopper's photo galleries.