Coal Blowing with the Storm Wolves at Larrabee State Park

The Storm Wolves had a change from the norm as they arrived at Larrabee State Park to hunker down and work on the skill of “coal blowing” instead of head out on a hike to explore and play games. Although we were straying from the norm in terms of our outing, the Storm Wolves made sure to keep things in line by demonstrating their top notch abilities at free play while balancing things out with pointed focus when called upon. Of course we had to start things off with the usual opening circle where we discussed our plan for the day, chatted about the Art of Fire, and finally got into some basics of carving and coal-blowing spoons. 

Our initial circle ended up taking a bit of time to get started as there was just too much energy in the group. Clearly these guys are used to hiking in a bit before hunkering down and working on skills that require patience and focus, so we took some time to enjoy ourselves and catch up with fellow Storm Wolves before getting into things. Not surprisingly, the Storm Wolves were off searching out adventure and whether it was tossing Douglas-Fir cones over the sheltered area or working together as a team to retrieve a Frisbee from the other side of a fence, everyone was able to get their wiggles out and more importantly have a lot of fun doing so.

Sometimes the best team building activities are organic

Transitioning to our focused skills work, the Storm Wolves gathered up around the fire ring to review the basics of lighting a fire. Luckily they have had plenty of experience on their prior outings utilizing Western-Hemlock to make a kindling bundle that they were able to light with a single match, so this was a walk in the park… so to speak. However, Tim decided to switch things up and demonstrated how to use Western Red-Cedar bark to make a fuzzy tinder bundle that was lit with a ferrocerium rod (also known as fire steel, “flint and steel”, etc.). Not only is it important to know how to create your own flame from a simple spark, but honing these skills will aid us when we finally take on fire-by-friction and need to use the very same tinder in order to blow our bow-drill coals into flames.

Using a ferrocerium rod to start the fire

After getting a fire going and demonstrating the importance of preparation, intentionality, and anticipation to properly process and organize your fuel it was time to transition to coal-blowing. With our initial “spoons” taking shape due to some expansive carving time, we were ready to transition to making the concavity. Being careful with our coals and remembering to be aware of those around us, the mentors extracted coals from the fire for the Storm Wolves. Placing the red hot ember on the wood and using a stick to press down on the coal, the Storm Wolves each began blowing steadily on the coal to increase the heat and transfer the heat into the spoon. After a few seconds the wood of the spoon began to heat up and become an ember in itself. After exhausting their coals, each Storm Wolf took some time to scrape out the charcoal on the concavity of the spoon and before they knew it their spoon was taking shape. This process must then be repeated until your concavity is sufficiently shaped to the coal-blower’s specifications.

Transitioning to free time, some of the Storm Wolves continued to work on their spoons while others reverted back to games of tossing the Fir cone over the shelter or playing with the newly retrieved Frisbee. Only a few of us got to complete our spoons, but the mentors were grateful to hear the Storm Wolves each exclaim how cool it was to learn this skill. Despite the requirement for preparation, patience, and strong focus the group was able to ebb and flow between focus and play with impressive ability. Although there were a few times where some of the group members began transitioning to play during circle or while a mentor was talking, the other Storm Wolves kept them in line before the mentors needed to stop and ask for refocusing. Seeing this group mentor themselves, fluctuate between play and focus, and most of all get excited about an ancient skill made this a very rewarding day for mentors and Storm Wolves alike.

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

Learning alongside a friend always makes things better!

 

Grey Fox Kits and the Importance of Shelter at the 100 Aker Wood

The Grey Fox Kits arrived at the 100 Aker Wood ready for adventure. It was amazing to see the comradery and relationships that are building within this group. We said goodbye to the parents and the boys found a cozy little mossy patch surrounded by a stand of Doug Firs to hold the opening meeting.  It is amazing how many times we can explore the 100 Aker Wood and still find locations that we have not yet been to. With a few seasons under their belt, the Grey Fox Kits are settling into the Boys Explorers Club culture. During our meeting, we checked in with each other about our summer adventures. It was so great to hear that the Grey Fox Kits are getting opportunities to adventure inside and outside of the Explorers Club. We greeted our new mentor, Tim Massey, who would be exploring with us. He had the great idea to have everybody say their name since there were a few new boys in the group. After some introductions, Tim and I turned the meeting over to our volunteer Mentor, Soren Brotherton.

            Soren is part of the Explorers Mentor Apprenticeship or the EMA Program. The EMA Program is part of our program for arriving adults called the Four Shields Program. When the Grey Fox Kits reach thirteen years old, they will transition into the Four Shields Program.  A mentor apprenticeship holds the opportunity for the Four Shielder’s to deepen their connection to mentoring and service. It was really wonderful to watch the former Explorer lead an opening circle. Soren’s leadership skills really showed as he gave out jobs and helped the boys flush out the day’s safety concerns.  The EMAs are truly enriching the Explorers experiences during outings. They are offering the boys a window into the Boys Explorers Club cultural history. EMAs connect with the Explorers in a way that the older Mentors cannot.  These arriving adults approach challenges, debriefs, and group dynamics with different opinions and insight. Mentors would like to thank the Grey Fox Kits for accepting Soren into their culture, and Soren for mentoring with such acceptance, care, and patience for these boys.

            As we discussed safety, the group started to become aware of a change in the weather. The boys' body postures started to droop and Mentors noticed they were getting cold. During our fall season, staying warm and dry is one of our biggest safety concerns. Mentors stressed the importance of ourmotto, LIBK- Let It Be Known. In order to stay safe as a group, the Explorers must learn to be able to communicate when they are starting to feel cold. In Explorers Club, we learn how to read the climate of our group both physically and mentally.  By the time we were finished discussing safety, Mentors were getting a lot of calls to play Hide, but we knew that the group needed to get their blood pumping in order to stay warm. Heading into the 100 Aker Wood, the Grey Fox Kits had no idea what adventures and lessons were in store for them.

            The Mentors searched for a place to have an energetic opening game. The Grey Fox Kits scouted a steep hill and decided that this would be the perfect landscape to get our blood pumping.  We played Hungry Hungry Martin on the big incline of Doug fir, Cedar, and Sword Ferns. As we played, we ran, crawled, and hid up and down the hill. In this game, one Explorer is a martin and the rest are squirrels. The squirrels try to escape the martins teeth by making it to a marked tree. It was fun to watch the martins getting into their role experiencing the predator mind as they watched the other 11 squirrels draw nearer and nearer. Often times when we play games in our outings, they call the group to engage in decision-making. Our Tribal Elder of the day, Lachlan, along with the help of the group, facilitated a beautiful example of group decision-making and our motto Collaborate and Compromise. After playing a round, some Explorers wanted to make an adaptation to the game and have two martins. Lachlan called the group to circle up and started the process by asking the group for a vote of either one martin or two. The two martin option proved to be the most popular by a seven to five vote. The Tribal Elder then asked the Explorers who advocated for one martin why they held this opinion. After Lachlan had heard their opinions, he turned to the Explorers who advocated for two martins. The group Spoke Their Truths and recognized their need for collaboration. The Tribal Elder then suggested that the group play one round with two martins and then the next round with one martin. He then asked if there were other suggestions, and if anyone was not okay with the decision. This whole group process took about five minutes and went really smoothly. To watch this group process as a Mentor is so rewarding. These boys are on their way to becoming leaders and understanding what it means to be part of a community.

            After playing one more round, we circled back up again to discuss the days skill, the Art of Shelter Building. We started our conversation of shelter by recognizing the four survival needs. Every Grey Fox Kit should be able to tell you what these needs are. Of the four needs the most pressing need for survival is shelter. Mentors passed around Tom Brown’s Field Guide to Wilderness Survival, which is one of the best resources for guidance with shelter building. Mentors modeled an earth shelter by making a mini replica while talking about the important first steps, knowing where to set it up. Understanding how water flows through the landscape of a potential shelter site and the potential hazards are the keys to staying warm, dry, and safe while sleeping in an earth shelter. After some lunch, the Explorers set out to find a place for the perfect spot to build their shelter.

            As we pushed on into the 100 Aker Woods, the wind started to pick up and the rain started to come down in sheets.  As we searched for a sheltered location, the boys stumbled upon some other earth shelters. The Grey Fox Kits decided that this would also be the spot that they were going to set up their shelter. The boys chose their spots with intention. They scouted for widow maker limbs and found a high, dry, and flat area with lots of building resources close by. 

            That’s when it happened, a cherry tree 60 feet tall and a foot and a half wide blew down in a large gust of wind with a resounding crack and a boom shaking the earth beneath our feet. The tree had only landed thirty feet away and the Explorers panicked, but Mentors directed them to stay put. This was one of those situations where Mentors had to model triangular leadership and be more directive. The group used their eyes to scout the tree line again and for any widow makers in the proximity. After scanning we still felt solid about our shelter spot, however we could not safely harvest any materials without endangering ourselves. In the Boys Explorers Club, we work in partnership with the landscape to teach and learn. We used this teachable moment to again reiterate how important it was to build your shelter in a hazard free location. The group had chosen wisely, this is a lesson that the Grey Fox Kits won’t soon forget. As we finished our discussion, the wind blew even harder and we decided that it was time for a change in location.

            As we headed out of the woods, some boys tried to get ahead by running the short distance back to the trail. Once the group was together and the situational risk was lower, Mentors discussed how important it was to stay together as a group and be just as aware of the trees in our travel to the next location. We, as Mentors, must model appropriate group behavior even in times of high situational risk. The trail we had come in on had turned into a river and afforded us the opportunity to see how water moved through the landscape in times of heavy rain. Again the 100 Aker Wood was teaching us about the Art of Shelter Building. 

            We nestled under a Cedar tree and some of the boys began to shiver. We hunkered down and playedThirty Second Freak, moving our arms and stomping our feet as fast as we could. Even with the warmth that we generated and the shelter of the Cedar, we still could not get comfortable. The rain was coming down in sheets. Soren and I set up a tarp shelter while the boys played many games of Everyone’s It. Once completed, we sat under the tarp shelter and sipped hot drinks as Mentors told stories about dealing with the elements. I told the group a story about the importance of insulation from Tom Brown’s Field Guide to Wilderness Survival.  Tom's story talks about watching the squirrels build their nest in order to understand how to build shelters with insulation that functions well. The group discussed the human bodies need for insulation and how we could use our layered clothes in the same way.

            Sitting under the tarp, we revisited the Grey Fox Kit’s outing history of weathering storms. In their first fall season, the boys weathered a cold and rainy day much like this outing at Whatcom Falls Park. As the Grey Fox Kits group develops, they will start to build a strong culture derived from shared experience. The Grey Fox Kits called for Mentors to incorporate elements of falling trees and rain storms into their new name and indeed it will. Hopefully, at the end of this fall season, these Explorers will emerge with a new name representing the resilience attitudes that they have been cultivating. Their name will be created by the group and represent strength as a community and perseverance.

            We ended the day on a lighthearted note, playing a silly game called Screaming Toes and sliding down a trail that got very muddy. Soaked to the bone and covered in mud, we rejoiced in the weather and learned how to play regardless of the season. In our closing circle, we gave thanks for: food, shelter, warmth, for having the opportunity to explore, for the weather being our teacher, for tarp shelters, for free-spirited play, and for finding our strength in our connection to the group and ecosystem. At the end of our meeting, Tim pointed out that there was not one complaint the whole time. Attitude is everything and this skill will transfer to all aspects of the Explorers lives as they grow and mature.

You can check out more pictures from the outing in the Grey Fox Kits photo gallery