Storm Wolves Trek to Pine Lake

Blessed with mild weather, and even a little sun, the Storm Wolves (plus a few friends) met for an outing that would be relatively more challenging than most. This was the longest we've had to travel to get to our destination yet this season, and the Pine and Cedar Lakes Trail is no joke. The trail climbs roughly 1,600 feet in just over a mile and a half before leveling out near the top of the mountain. However, though initially challenging, this trail offers a sweet reward in the picturesque lakes at its terminus, and is an excellent way to greet the spring season.

Storm Wolves and Friends hitting the trail.

 This trail is also a great way to start priming ourselves for the coming summer season, when we will be spending more time outside and doing longer hikes and extended excursions. We all got our hearts pumping and our muscles warmed up, but also started remembering some of the important aspects of hiking other than just putting one foot in front of the other. Although it was clear with nice patches of sun, at the parking lot it had been somewhat chilly as we waited for everyone to arrive. As we climbed the hill, many of us realized how important it was to use a layering system in our clothing as we started to heat up and shed our jackets. Stopping to rest and drink water, not only did we realize that we often had to put or jackets back on, we also learned something about group dynamics. Especially with this many guys, there is a natural tendency for groups to spread out along the trail as everyone falls into their comfortable pace. This can sometimes lead to conflict if the people at the front of the group are stopping to rest and wait for the people behind, but head off down the trail again as soon as they show up. We discussed whether a rest begins when the first people stop or when the last people stop, and arrived at the conclusion that it has to begin when the last people stop otherwise they will be constantly struggling to catch up.

Taking a rest, drinking some water, checking the map, and allowing the group to congregate.

As we ascended we were surprised to find a decent amount of snow on the ground, and almost rainy conditions from treetop snow melting in the sun. We have held the intention of practicing our fire skills on each outing this season, so we took note of these conditions. We considered what it would be like u at the lakes and what it would take to start a fire. Cruising past Cedar Lake, we headed down to Pine. Conditions on the lake were clear and crisp, and we discovered that a boardwalk around the lake led to a small island, the southeast portion of which was bathed in sunshine. We broke here for lunch and exploration, some of us working on carving projects, some of us kicking back to soak up the sun.

Enjoying some lunch and sunshine.

After enjoying our lunch and time in the sun, we turned our attention towards our fire skills. After practicing our fire lighting for several outings we wanted to try our hand in these moderately difficult conditions, the added time crunch from having to hike back down thrown in the mix as well. As mentors, we have been taking a progressively more hands off approach as this group grows with fire, and today we wanted to see how the Storm Wolves would fare with minimal input from us. The boys divided up tasks of gathering kindling, fuel, and preparation of the fire site and went to work. For the past several outings we have provided the boys with matches, and today we did the same, but with a caveat; the boys had to approach us for one match at a time, but with each failed attempt at ignition had to explain what had happened and how they would use the next match for increased success. With each new match the boys also had to switch who was doing the lighting, so everyone would have equal chance to try their hand.

Getting materials prepared

With all the materials gathered we all gathered round to try to make a fire happen. One of the boys had brought marshmallows in to roast in place of oranges or granola bars, and time was short, so excitement ran high. With the clock ticking, the first match was lit. One boy held a prepared bundle of twigs and another struck the match. Flames flickered and fizzled out. We discussed what had happened and how our chances could be improved. We talked about how to hold the match and place the flame and the kindling was readjusted. The first match lighter took up the twig bundle and the and another boy took a match. So it went, around the group. With each change of hands improvements were made and we came closer to coaxing fire out of the twigs. And so we we came to the final match. Flames flared in the twig bundle, but again fizzled out.

Putting flame to kindling.

Something we often talk about in Explorers Club is whether we learn more from success or failure. Early success can often breed false confidence in our skills. Conditions are always different, and, especially with a skill as complex as fire, many factors come into play. On this day we failed to make a fire, but probably learned more about lighting fires than we have on our successful attempts. We will continue to work with fire in the the future and be all the more skilled for having failed.

Next time we meet we will be returning to our service sight at Connelly Creek to continue our journey with that special place.

Be sure to check out the rest of the photos from this outing here.

Storm Wolves Navigate Cuckanut Ridge

Kicking off the fall season, the Storm Wolves reunited at the Lower Chuckanut Ridge Trailhead. With a few familiar faces not present, but a few new ones popping up during drop off, it was time to have an opening circle and get to some introductions. With a few members of the infamous Storm Wolves deciding not to return this season, or switching to a new group, we had the opportunity to bring in a few new members to the group. It was great getting to inject this old group with some new personalities that made this outing a fun time to re-establish the identity of the Storm Wolves. With many of the returning members making up the majority of the group there wasn’t much change, but there was definitely a lot of energy and excitement on our outing that was likely due to just seeing old friends and getting out in the woods, but it also made focusing a bit challenging.

Hitting the trail we hiked up towards the top of Chuckanut Ridge. Taking a few moments to appreciate the views from a lookout, we pressed on and eventually hit a juncture in the trail. But before we could get out our map and compass it was time for a game of HIDE! With that out of our systems we ate some food and got out the map to figure out where we were, where we came from, and where we wanted to go. Orienting the map with our compass, we tuned into the surrounding landscape taking clues from the terrain, trail signs, topography on the map, trail directions, and how the angle of the trails met at the juncture. There was plenty of evidence to allow us to find our location on the map. The mentors made the comparison to using the scientific method when using a map. You create a hypothesis for where you are on the map, then use a variety of clues and information you can gather from the map, your surroundings, and your compass, to support your hypothesis. With our location pinpointed on the map, we looked ahead along the trail to see what noticeable landmarks we would be keeping an eye out for to support our hypothesis of which trail we were on and which direction we were going. With a straight section of elevation loss leading to a 180 degree right hand turn in the trail that would drop us down onto a four trail junction, we had our landmarks to keep an eye out for.

Continuing down the trail along the ridgeline, we had numerous peek-a-boo views out to the east of the towards Raptor Ridge and the vast terrain of the Chuckanuts. Looking further north at one of the viewpoints we got a great view of south side Bellingham allowing us to calibrate our internal compasses. The boys were reminded to constantly take the opportunity to check your surroundings at these view points and notice changes in terrain and the ebb and flow of the landscape to keep our internal compasses on point. Pressing on down the descending ridgeline we soon hit the wide 180 degree turn and arrived at the trail junction. With even more evidence to support our trailside hypothesis, we felt good about our navigation thus far. Looking at a nice, new trail map, we were able to pick a route to follow out to Arroyo Park and eventually North Chuckanut Trailhead for  pickup.

Pressing on down the trail the boys were faced with a pop-quiz on plant ID. Not only is navigation about map and compass, but a lot can be determined by tracking the plants that are growing all around us. Additionally many of these plants can aid us in our travels; food, medicine, tools, even toilet paper, they can all be found in the forest if we know where to look. We identified Western Red Cedar, Sword Fern, Cottonwood, Big Leaf Maple, Salmon Berry, Thimble Berry, Vine Maple, and a variety of other plant species as we traveled down the trail. At each one we discussed identification properties and what uses each plant provides us. This was a great way to pass the time and revitalize our natural history knowledge as we get back into the groove of exploration and adventure.

Following our route we crossed through a few more junctions and finally made our way to Arroyo Park. Here we found a nice little place to dip off the side of the trail, set up camp under a lovely Western Red Cedar that sheltered us from the light sprinkle of rain that started up, and jump right into a game of Spider’s Web. This was something the Storm Wolves needed no help doing and were soon off sneaking through the Sword Fern in pursuit of the food source. After some trial and error, the Flies found a weakness in the Spider’s defenses and secured the food source. Flies win! This was a quick yet exciting game that got us back into the mindset of maneuvering off trail.

With just enough time for a closing circle, we gathered up and passed around the apple slices to share. One of the mentors reminded the Explorers of why it is important to give thanks, and why we need to respect one another especially while opening up and sharing gratitude. Our cups truly overflow with all that we have in our lives, our friends, family, clothing, food, homes, woods to explore, time to play games, and a community that supports us. There is so much to be thankful for that we often forget about it all and there is nothing like listening to others share what they are grateful for to remind us of those little things we sometimes forget about. With apples in our bellies and gratitude in our hearts we loaded up and hit the trail for a quick hike out to the trailhead. Dropping down to the parking lot we successfully navigated along Chuckanut Ridge, down to Arroyo Park and out to the North Chuckanut Trailhead. Quite an accomplishment for a pack of wild boys who despite appearing a bit unfocused, were able to utilize map and compass to navigate, and identify over a dozen plant species and discuss their various traits and uses. What a great way to kick off our fall season and welcome in a new chapter of exploration and adventure in the Pacific Northwest.

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