Storm Wolves Traverse from Larrabee to Clayton

On a gorgeous, sunny, summer-esque day the Storm Wolves arrived at Larrabee State Park. We would be traversing southward toward Clayton Beach. After a quick opening meeting we hit the trail and were immediately rewarded with a multitude of Salmon Berry to munch on and a small fuzzy creature on the ground. Investigating further we found a small rodent, perhaps a baby mouse that appeared to be dead. Upon further inspection it was clearly breathing. As its awareness grew to our presence it stirred and slowly walked off to take shelter under a rock. Despite how adorable this creature was, it was a reminder in tracking and the importance of taking context and applying it to the situation. Clearly it is not natural behavior for this mouse to be sleeping out in the open, moving slowly, looking sleepy at 10:00AM on a sunny day. We concluded that it was likely sick or injured and probably not safe for us to get too close to or touch.

Moving on we got further into the woods, just far enough to play a game of HIDE! This game always gets Explorers immersed in their environment and scanning their landscape for nooks and crannies to hide in, ferns to peak through. With our mindset adjusted to moving through the forest we set off towards Clayton Beach. Along the trail we were able to gaze out at the San Juans and even see the snowy peaks of the Olympic Mountains all the way out on the peninsula. We truly live in a stunningly gorgeous place and although the boys may not have fully appreciated this at the time, it was a treat for the mentors to see this magnificent view as the backdrop to our outing.

Further along the trail we arrived at a wonderful ravine full of sword ferns, a bubbling brook, and even a few small waterfall. This ravine is a classic Explorers location and always ripe for exploration. The boys were immediately lost in scurrying up and down the creek, climbing around the waterfalls, and playing in the creek. This evolved into free play where the Storm Wolves got lost in imagination and groups of boys snuck around spying on other groups, one boy switching teams to become an undercover agent, only to truly join the second group and become a double agent. Soon everyone was spying on this group or that and no one knew who was who. Time for Spiders Web.

Eating some lunch the Storm Wolves were called upon to harness their focus and set the game up on their own. With a few gentle nudges from the mentors the boys were able to pull it together, pick a web and food source, decide who would be the spider, and get the game going. The expansive landscape and varied terrain made for the perfect location for Spiders Web. The game went on and on, slowly but surely the flies maneuvered the food source back to the web for a controversial finish. Luckily the spider today was very mature and let the flies revel in their victory despite a bit of stretching the rules to win.

Packing up we trekked down to the beach. At Clayton Beach it is impossible not to get lost in the expansive sandstone and scurry up and down the rock faces. The Storm Wolves looked completely in their element and their nimbleness and agility was impressive. Although we could have spent all day clambering on the rocks, the outing was coming to a close. We had just enough time for a sit spot at this beautiful location gazing out upon Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands. Afterwards the boys returned for a closing circle.

We set aside extra time for our closing circle because we had a lot to talk about. Not only did we want to reflect on our season and all we did, but we also were going to think about where we wanted to go in the fall and what skill we wanted to focus on. After going around and each boy shared a bit, we transitioned to some other news. Peter took a moment to share with the Storm Wolves that this would be his last season as a mentor. 

The boys weren’t really sure how to handle this news and were a little bummed out that Peter would not be back next season. Peter explained that he has had such an amazing time working for Boys Explorers Club and getting to explore with all the groups he worked with. It has truly been a blessing and a big part of his life that he cherishes and holds close to his heart. The Storm Wolves in particular have been a big part of this experience and feel especially important to him with all the experiences we’ve shared over the years and all the wind and rain we’ve weathered together. Peter hopes to come back from time to time as a volunteer or substitute mentor so perhaps this won’t be the end of the road, but at least in his official capacity as a mentor, this is the final season.   

As with all things in nature there are seasons that come and go, life and death constantly spiraling in perfect balance. There are so many great memories and experiences to look back on that I think we all will appreciate everything Peter has brought to this organization and this group in particular and thank him for his time and dedication to being the best mentor he can be. We have so many fond memories that we can all look back on our times together and smile for what was while we transition to all the possibilities for new memories and experiences in the future. 

All in all this was an awesome season with so much to look back and remember. This was the year that the Grey Fox Kits became the Storm Wolves and stepped into their new name with purpose, intention, and a maturity that proved they were worthy of such a powerful name. This group continues to be incredibly strong, resilient, and compassionate towards one another. Each outing is full of fun and excitement and leaves everyone looking forward to what is in store for this fall.

Make sure to check out the rest of the photos here!

Daredevils Club, Storm Wolves, and Barred Owls Help Clean Up Connelly Creek

Meeting at our new park and ride drop-off location the Daredevil’s Club were finally all present for their last service outing as a group. With plenty of sunshine to accompany us, we walked over to the service site to take inventory of what had been done by previous groups, what was left to do today, and how we would make the most of our time. We also talked about the importance of setting a good precedent for the younger groups, and leading by example and emphasizing safe tool usage, proper technique, and strong work ethic. At first it took the group a little while to get going, but after taking a quick snack break and drinking down some water the Daredevil’s kicked it into gear and got down to business.

As the Daredevil’s Club finished constructing a make-shift fence around a recently discovered bees nest the next group, the Storm Wolves, arrived. After taking some time to walk through the service site with the Daredevil’s Club the Storm Wolves had no hesitation and jumped right into cutting back the blackberries and digging up root balls. It was great to see these two groups get together after both groups found plenty of enjoyment discovering one another’s shelters during previous explorations this season. Each group continued developing the other’s shelter, one at Galbraith and the other at Clayton Beach, and created some pretty impressive structures despite having never met the other group (until now!). As the outing progressed the groups intermingled and found that they actually had quite a bit in common. Watching the Daredevil’s Club working alongside the Storm Wolves, the mentors took note of their maturity and impressive role modeling. Coming from a group that can sometimes get side-tracked with goofiness, these older Explorer’s really stepped up today and were very impressive.

While the Daredevil’s Club and Storm Wolves were making solid progress, everything was kicked up a notch when the Barred Owls showed up. After getting a demonstration on proper tool usage from the Storm Wolves they get right to work. Talk about a bunch of motivated Explorers! Half of the group took on the extensive bramble of Himalayan Blackberry that has been choking out a willow grove for years while the other half grabbed shovels, began digging up blackberry root balls, and clearing out an old drainage ditch. This by no means is easy work and the whole day the mentors never heard a peep of complaining out of any of the Explorers.

With lots of solid work getting done the service site began to transform. The once tall Reed Canary Grass lay flat, stomped down by Explorer’s feet. The ground churned from shovels digging up massive clumps of blackberry root. The willow grove once choked out by blackberry finally stretching out to absorb the sunshine that was previously getting all sucked up by the broad leaves on the climbing vines of blackberry. Despite not having any mulch today, the site has been prepped for the next group to get a thick layer of mulch down. Vast tunnels have been slashed through the massive blackberry bramble allowing the Explorers to divide and conquer the remaining patches the formidable thorny plant. Not only did these boys fill numerous garbage bags full of Himalayan Blackberry, but they did a great job of taking the next step towards really establishing the natural stability of the Connelly Creek service site.

With the Padden Creek Daylighting Project well underway downstream all of our hard work is suddenly taking on a new perspective. Not only are we working towards eradicating invasive species alongside Connelly Creek, creating natural habitat with native species,  and developing a self-sustaining native habitat, but we are creating a piece to the proverbial puzzle. With salmon able to swim up Padden Creek for the first time in in over a century the Explorers are creating an optimum habitat for them to return to Connelly Creek to spawn and continue their prolific and dynamic influence on our region. For now it may seem like hacking at blackberry and shoveling mulch, but the impact these boys are having on their community is one that will last for years to come. One of the Explorers on this outing actually mentioned this and said he dreams of one day being able to pull a salmon out of Connelly Creek with his hands. Now that is a vision we can all appreciate and thanks to all the hard work from the Daredevil’s Club, Storm Wolves, and Barred Owls that dream may one day become a reality. 

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

Storm Wolves Take Advantage of a Storm-Free Day at North Galbraith

Storm Wolves - N. Galbraith Mountain Trailhead - 03/20/16

Finally a day without wind for the Storm Wolves to get out and explore! Meeting up at North Galbraith Mountain Trailhead we made sure to make the most of this rare occasion. With the group eager to get into the forest we hustled down the trail, past the many bike jumps, and down onto a freshly paved logging road. For a long time this road was just a small trail that followed a creek bed and led to many rolling valleys and ravines at the foot of Galbraith Mountain, but recently some development has begun and the impact to the landscape has been quite incredible to witness. Using the wide, gravel road we were able to cover a lot of ground quickly and head off trail to a long-time favorite location of Boys Explorers Club. Going down into valleys and up over ridgelines we cut our way through sword fern and salmon berry to our destination.

Arriving at our location, the Storm Wolves immediately dropped their packs and began carving sticks. The mentors had planned for an opening circle, but after observing a keen focus and highly motivated group of Storm Wolves that were already formulating plans for exploration and play amongst themselves, the mentors realized that their guidance was really not all that needed. A few of the boys took a moment to admire a sturdy debris shelter that was constructed by an elder group during the fall and found inspiration to continue working on gathering debris and eventually constructing a debris shelter of their own. While the rest of the group finished carving their sticks for the day and developing an elaborately imaginative game, the remainder of the group worked on constructing debris shelters. This, of course, was not on the mentors docket for the day, but how could they interrupt the joy, inspirations, and motivations of these weather tested Storm Wolves who are finally getting a peaceful day of forest exploration.

Sitting back and observing the boys lost in play and constructing debris shelters, the mentors realized that this group of veteran explorers and dear friends could probably run an entire outing on their own! It is truly impressive to witness these boys peacefully and efficiently resolve any conflicts that arise before they get out of hand, organize games and activities for themselves, and have an absolute blast while doing so. Feeling the call to let these boys pursue their inspirations for the day mentors fell in line and took on the role of a couple of big explorers. Gathering debris for shelters with a couple of the Storm Wolves the immediate challenge came that in spring time there is not a lot of fallen leaves or other debris readily available for us to gather. Scouring the landscape we found Douglas Fir branches scattered on the forest floor from some of the recent wind storms. This sparked an idea to take advantage of the recent development going on along the new gravel road. Dozens of trees had been felled in order to clear the way for the big gravel road so off we trekked with our limbing saws to harvest Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar branches for our shelters. It is not often that such an abundant resource is available to harvest so we took advantage. In no time we were able to gather armfuls of debris for our shelters. Of course it is very difficult to come to terms with such destruction to a place where explorers have frolicked and had profound connections to the natural world, but sometimes you just have to make the best of a situation, and with so many trees cut down and available to harvest from we were able to build a shelter in a fraction of the time that it would have taken if we had to scour the landscape for bits and pieces of debris and other shelter building materials.

Finishing up our shelters the Storm Wolves organized a couple of games of Spiders Web. Again, the mentors realized that these boys could pretty much run the show. Even introducing one of our new group members to this game, the Storm Wolves quickly and efficiently laid out the ground rules, talked a little bit about the strategy behind the game, designated a Spider and set up the Food Source and Web in under fifteen minutes. In no time these boys were off scurrying through the foliage and lost in play. As most of the boys tried to take the direct approach to the food source their efforts were abruptly thwarted by the Spider, but little did the Spider know there were a couple flies out flanking him up along the northern ridgeline and a couple more down in the creek bed. The mentors were impressed at the skill and strategy the Storm Wolves played this game with and it was clear that years of sneaking through the woods and playing games like HIDE, Eagle’s Eye, and Spiders Web had honed their skills and knowledge of reading the landscape and moving through the forest undetected. Wrapping up the game we had just enough time for a closing circle and brisk hike out to the trailhead.

Sitting in circle, it took a bit of time for the group to settle down enough and suppress the silly energy from earlier in the outing in order begin our circle of gratitude. The mentors revisited what sort of focus, energy, and mindset goes into giving gratitude and reminded the boys of how fortunate we are to have beautiful forests to frolic in all day right in our backyards! Passing around the apple slices, each of the Storm Wolves shared something they were thankful for with the rest of the group. Whether it was the nice day with no wind, a bounty of downed trees to provide branches for a debris shelter, or just some time to play games with old friends, everyone shared in a thoughtful and insightful tidbit of thanks with the rest of the group while everyone listened with a keen focus. These moments of reflection and introspection display the well-rounded personalities and thoughtfulness that accentuate the playful and friendly personalities that make up this group. It is always a pleasure for the mentors to work with this group and they truly enjoyed witnessing these boys get a chance to enjoy themselves without having to weather the wind and rain. Time and time again the Storm Wolves impress with their resiliency, enthusiasm, and compassion for one another. This group has been through a lot together and had no hesitations taking advantage of the calm weather to get a full, fun, and satisfying day of exploration together.

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