Persistent Problem Solving on the Nooksack with the Alevin

Meeting at Samish Woods the Alevin climbed aboard our bus Merkel and we headed out to find a stretch of river bar along the North Fork of the Nooksack. We aimed to find a spot where we could spend some time plaster casting and tracking. As we rumbled along Highway 542 the boys spotted a Trump sign and the conversation was immediately directed towards what had transpired on election night. We decided as a group that we were thankful to be able to spend some time out in the wilderness where we would be able to think, process, and decompress.

Arriving at the Deming Eagle Preserve the group scouted multiple ways to get across a waist deep side channel of the Nooksack that stood between the main gravel bar and us. After almost soaking our feet a few times the group circled up back at the bus and brought our minds towards plan b. The mentors reminded the group of our motto turning problems into possibilities. Explaining to the group that although it was not safe to access this stretch of river we still had plenty more spots where we could find a place to explore.

The boys were presented with two options. We could drive north on the 542 and explore up Canyon Creek or we could take Mosquito Lake Road and explore near the area we had our campout at Racehorse Falls. The group unanimously decided to head up towards Canyon Creek.

Hopping back on the bus we rallied twenty minutes further arriving at the Glacier Springs community. We walked to Canyon Creek and found amazing views of Mt. Baker, Heliotrope Ridge, and the Glacier Creek drainage. Pushing our way up the valley the banks of the creek started to steepen and it was clear that navigating the creek bed was not ideal. Scouting the forest above the creek and a less than ideal log crossing the group decided to bag our idea.

The group was feeling hungry by this point so we relaxed by the creek and enjoyed the crystal clear water and fresh mountain air. A few of the boys started to throw rocks in the river, trying to splash their fellow Explorers. The mentors were quick to remind the group of what happened at our campout and that our skill focus for the day was tracking. Tracking is not just limited to animals and landscapes; through tracking we learn to read ourselves and contemplate our actions. Tracking promotes accountability and reflection.

Hiking back to the bus the group looked discouraged and not very excited about finding another location. The mentors however still had another idea up their sleeve. Heading to a pullout along the 542, just before the Glacier Guest Suites, we finally found our access point.

Crossing over a deep but slow moving side-channel the group made their way onto a large river bar with a variety of substrate. The mentors cautioned the group to tread lightly in the gravel, sand, and mud because they might ruin the tracks that they were about to cast. Exploring the river bar the group found both deer and elk tracks. From what the group knew about elk they liked to munch on tree saplings. Scanning the bar they made the connection of the abundance of small Alders and Cottonwoods because of the seasonal flooding and the ideal travel corridor with abundant for large ungulates that it creates.

Circling up the mentors demonstrated the process of mixing the plaster to the right consistency and making sure that the plaster seeped into the “mold created by the track”. Once the demo was finished the group spread out trying to find their own track to cast. Over the last few outings the mentors have noticed a challenge in the Alevin’s leadership and focus. As mentors we often set the intention/inspiration for the day and then leave it up to the group to engage in encouraging self-directed leadership. Whether it has been coal blowing, tarp shelters, camp chores, plaster casting, etc… the group tends to squirrel out and ends up talking amongst themselves and not engaging in the place/project they set out to explore/work on.

Half of the group got to working on casting their tracks while the others wandered the river bar aimlessly, tossing a Gatorade bottle back and forth that they had picked up. Once everyone who wanted to had a track cast the mentors gathered the group together to debrief. After some dialogue the mentors decided that a sit spot would be the perfect opportunity to immerse in the landscape. Spreading out over the river bar the Alevin were asked to think about three questions while on their sit spot: What is one natural history question you have about something you observed or are curious about? What is one concern or issue that has been on your mind? What is one thing that you are thankful for?

Once the group was quiet the sounds of the wilderness grew louder and louder. American Dippers and Killdeer buzzed low over the misty river feasting on insects and macro invertebrates. Bald Eagles soared overhead calling out while the swift flow of the Nooksack rumbled in the background. It was a powerful close to our unexpected day.

Circling up we shared the answers to our three questions prompted from our sit spots while sharing apples. They boys were truly grateful to learn a new skill and spend time out on the land. Their thanks and questions echoed the sites and sounds of our sit spot and their concerns were ones revolving around the uncertainty with the state of our union, concern for civil liberties and marginalized peoples, disenfranchisement, the unknown, and embarrassment. As mentors we offered the group some encouragement; letting them know that these things have existed in our country for years along with some amazing accomplishments and advancements in equality, social justice, and the environment. That it was their job within their local communities to be someone who advocated for all humans and the land.That our time in Explorers Club was what prepared them for moments like this: Building Bridges not Walls, cultivating honesty, genuineness, caring, compassion, listening to one another, and working as a community towards common goals.

I speak on behalf of the rest of the mentors when I say that I have the upmost faith in our Explorers to rise to the occasion and cultivate community right here in our hometown. Our day had been one of persistent problem solving and I believe that is a great take away for the Alevin as they become increasingly more self-aware of the challenges we face as a community and with our Earth.

For more photos please visit the Alevin’s photo album from the day. 

The Alevin Lead the way to Cedar Lake via Chuckanut Mountain

Arriving at the Pine and Cedar Lakes Trailhead the Alevin gathered in circle, ready to get on the trail. Before heading out the mentors called for an opening meeting as they recognized that much of our typical BEC core routines were not practiced the previous outing due to some location logistics. The mentors wanted to hold the group to these routines and encourage the Explorers to formulate a plan for the entire day. Mentors explained that we were willing to drop our plan for the day and follow their inspiration as long as they were actively engaging as a group and with the environment they were in.

We nominated a Tribal Elder and the mentors stepped back to let him lead. After the group came to a consensus the Tribal Elder reported back to the mentors that we were going to hike to Pine Lake and find a place to play Spider’s Web. After the game the group would spend some free time exploring around the lake while some of the group worked on their carving projects. The mentors agreed with the plan and added in a long sit spot at the Lake.

As we hiked up the steep trail the boys immediately peeled off their layers and aligning their mindset for an uphill battle. Pressing on the group started to recall all the different switchbacks along the trail. It is great to see the elder Explorers coming to understand the lay of the land. This would mark their third journey up to the lakes and the boys were excited to look at the Sundew plants that grow on the Sphagnum moss covered logs that float in the lake. These connections represent the deep sense of place the Alevin have for our reoccurring outing locations.

Our boys must have been halfway up the trail before any of them thought to have a sip of water. Staying hydrated on the chilly November explorations is tough, but necessary, for the body’s regulation of its internal core temperature. Luckily none of the group seemed to be struggling with the cold at that moment!

Hiking up the trail the mentors kept checking in with other hikers coming down to see how strong the wind was at the top of the ridge line. The mentors explained to the group that it was important on days where the wind and weather conditions were moderately risky but still manageable for the group to have forethought and awareness toward environmental hazards and recognize changing weather conditions.

After an hour or more of climbing we arrived at the ridgeline and were greeted by an amazing trail map that had been installed over the summer. The Explorers mulled over the map and it was clear that climb took more effort than the boys anticipated. Some members of the group called to amend the plan and hike to Cedar instead of Pine Lake. The Explorers looked to the mentors to solve the decision, but we looked back at the boys and reminded them who was in charge of the plan for the day. Through some collaboration the group decided to go a shorted distance to Cedar Lake and save their energy for exploring.

Hiking along the ridge the group started to get chilly in the wind as the sweat we had worked up cooled rapidly. Arriving at the lake we bundled up and the group immediately ate lunch and transitioned naturally into free exploration. After some decompression time the mentors called the group together and asked the boys how their plan for the day was working out. The group recognized that they had strayed from their plan and wanted to continue their free exploration of the lake. Putting on our mentoring hats we encouraged the boys to set time limits on their free exploration so that we would not have a reiteration of our time spent squirreling out and not focusing on our skills work like the last outing.

Setting a limit the boys got exploring. It was fascinating to observe the group dynamic. The boys spent a majority of their time talking amongst one another and goofing off rather than immersing themselves in the ecology of the location like they had talked about. Reflecting on this recent phenomenon on our outings our mentors feel that the group is in the full fledge of adolescence and have become hyper-aware of their relationships with others, where they fit in in the group, how they’re perceived, and are dissecting and processing their own culture and beliefs. This could explain our struggle as mentors to balance the time for the group to bond and talk with providing skills, activates, challenges, and adventure in which everyone is engaged.

A few minutes before we transitioned out of free exploration the mentors noticed that one of the explorers had made a very concerning symbol out of sticks on the forest floor. The context around the steps leading up to the symbol being made and the motivations behind the making of the symbol is still unknown to the mentors. It could have been an unethical joke, it could have been a careless action, or it could have been the participant’s exposure to the recent publicity in the media from certain extremists groups within our country. No matter the context it was very important at that moment to call the group together to talk about it. 

The symbol that was quickly disassembled by the embarrassed Explorer was one whose history was co-opted from a peaceful symbol into an emblem of violence, hatred, oppression, genocide, and tyranny. We asked the group what the symbol represented and what it would feel like to be someone who experiences daily bigotry, hatred and/or oppression and to see that symbol while out on a hike.

The Alevin looked visibly uncomfortable and responded sheepishly: fearful, disheartened, angry, sad, humiliated, scared, despair, uncared for, targeted, etc.…  The boys learned a few extremely valuable and humbling lessons that day: that symbols and actions that might not hold a lot of meaning or context to them have a very real power to affect others around them and cause harm, that our minds are wilderness and if we let them run wild and compartmentalize and rationalize too frequently we can override our moral compass and ethics, and that we must not run from the shadow side of the world. We must face it, name it, and learn how to overcome, heal, and grow from our experience with it.  

With that heavy debrief the group was ready for a sit spot, but not before reading a poem entitled A Poem for Hope by Wendell Berry. Spreading along the lake’s edge we marveled at the tall stand of Cedar and Doug Fir that outlined its shore. The gust of wind sent ripples out over the lake and we settled into the peace of the place as the brisk temperature set in.

After the sit spot we had a check in and shared what we had contemplated on the sit spot.  Sharing some apples we held of circle of thanks and thought about the first half of our 2016/17 year together. Brian and I are excited to continue the journey with the Alevin this January and would like to thank parents for all the support you provide your Explorers and our organization.

Look for date and locations for the last five outings of the year to be posted on the Alevin’s group page by December 5^th.

For more photos please visit the Alevin’s photo gallery from the day.

The Alevins' First Overnight at Racehorse Falls

The Alevin Explorers arrived at Cascades Montessori in a whirlwind of energy and immediately started a Fir Cone war. Looking about the mentors were unsure that the group was ready for the responsibility of an overnight. Loading up onto the bus we waved our goodbyes and were off.

Arriving at Racehorse Falls the group was anxious to pull their packs off the bus, but the mentors held the group, reminding them we needed to focus on the We before the Me. Heading down the path to the falls the group navigated over a massive log jam and wondered how they would carry the group gear over the obstacles.

Hiking along the creek the boys found a perfect site that could fit five tents and raced back to the bus to grab the group gear. Feeling their hunger they struggled to set up the awkward tents and quickly learned that their desired tent locations might not have been the greatest place to drive in tent stakes, and that a rain fly needs to be taunt in order to work. When our tents were at last pitched we ate lunch by Racehorse Creek and settled into the land.

The boys asked the mentors if they were fine to freely explore and the mentors encouraged the group to make a plan for the day. They reminisced on their last summer’s backpacks performing backcountry living tasks in the fading light. The group circled up and decided to head up to the falls to freely explore until mid-day and then head back to camp to get all logistics in order.

Hiking up to the falls the group turned over rocks finding all types of fossils revealing palm frawns and sticks embedded in the shale.

On January 5, 2009 a ‘pineapple express’ storm smashed into the Pacific Northwest from the subtropical Pacific and began delivering a deluge of rain and warm temperatures to the deeply snow-covered foothills of Whatcom County. The accumulation of water in the saturated snow and heavy runoff resulted in hundreds of debris flows and slope failures across the region. The largest landslide occurred on the afternoon of January 7th in the Racehorse Creek drainage. Unlike virtually all other landslides associated with this weather event, the Racehorse Creek landslide involved deep bedrock failure, releasing around 500,000 cubic meters of rock (akin to more than 20,000 dump-truck loads of rock and timber). The slide left behind a 90-foot-high vertical wall crosscutting bedding planes in Chuckanut Formation sandstone and shale.

Debris from the rockslide tumbled 800 feet down to the south valley wall of Racehorse Creek and temporarily dammed the stream. Two debris flow slurries were spawned at the base of the landslide; these entered Racehorse Creek below the debris dam. A flood of water, ice, rocks, and logs scoured the channel of Racehorse Creek and left a slew of fossils and debris in it wake.

Reaching the waterfall the group marveled at the horseshoe like shape of the riverbed and the cascading falls. The boys climbed and explored to their hearts content and decided that the overcast day did not lend itself towards a swim in the pool below the creek.

After making the push back to camp the boys scattered and it was time to bring some focus to the rest of our day. Circling up we appointed a tribal elder, who with the groups help, determined that we had five tasks to complete before night fall: setting up a kitchen, digging a sump, getting our smellables in order, harvesting water for dinner and drinking, and clearing a fire pit as well as harvesting dry Cedar off the river bank. Once the tasks were delegated the mentors sat back a waited for the group to engage.

All in all we would say the boys efforts were quite varied, but over the course of three hours they managed to get it all done. Calling the group together a few of our appointed chefs got dinner going and revisited stove usage and kitchen safety. The mentors reminded the group that a campout is quite different from a day outing. On day outings we play quite rough and there is a real need to scale back on overnights because of our proximity to definitive care.

Circling up we gave some thanks and ate our delicious “thanksgiving meal”. About half-way through dinner the boys started to feel rain. It is a gift to get out on the land with boys who are so in tuned with the natural world. Immediately the boys ran back to their tents, grabbed their rain layers, zipped up their rain fly’s, and got their gear in order. It’s moments like these that let the mentors know that the boys are ready for bigger adventures.

Once our dishes were washed and our kitchen was put away the group worked to split the strait grained Cedar we had harvested to create a tinder bundle for our fire. Leaving it up to the group the

Alevin were able to get the fire going with a flint and steal. We circled up around the fire it to work on some skills. Coal-blowing is a technique used to make anything from spoons and bowls to dugout canoes. Taking small coals out of the fire the boys pressed them against the Cedar blanks gently blowing and igniting the wood. Moving the coal away the boys scraped out the charred wood, leaving a depression that would make the scoop part of their spoon.

After some focused skills work the mentors asked the group to put away their projects and bring their focus inwards towards the fire. The mentors explained that this upcoming year would be one of transition for the group, and when it came to a close in June 2017 the boys would no longer be the Alevin group but instead would transition into the Four Shields program.

Part of this new Four Shields experience would be engaging in a process the mentors call Council. Council is simple; it is a time to openly and genuinely engage with one another. It is a time to share stories, wisdom, and to process. There are three rules of council: speak from the heart, listen from the heart, and get to the heart of the matter. The mentors explained to the group that life is a dance between the sacred and the profane. The group asked what profane was. The mentors explained that profane moments in our day were the times we spent playing games, making fun of each other for doing something silly, and the time spent squirreling. Council on the other hand is ancient and sacred.

Our focus in council for the evening would be two-fold. The first would be to remind the group of their opportunity to serve their younger BEC community as EMA’s. This is the work we do for our community and how we get outside of ourselves and give back. It is also a great way to reconnect with the loss of childhood that many of the Alevin are experiencing as their lives shift and change in middle school.

The second topic was regarding what our mentors call the cultivation of the scared male. The mentors asked the group what their experience in middle school was like and to reflect on how males treated each other in their day to day lives. Not surprisingly the group reflected that there was a lot of ego, disingenuous behavior, bullying, and engagement in a culture that promotes violence, assimilation, mistreatment of women, and power grabbing.

Our goal as mentors for the Alevin is transitioning them into arriving adults who are able to walk forward in life with genuineness, care, integrity, peace building, and a tool kit that helps them navigate what mentors call the cultural wilderness. One mentor shared a story from a middle school experience where he had to make an extremely tough decision that he didn’t feel he could go to his parents to help him make. He elaborated that life in the front country is a culture wilderness and often one that we wander alone or with our peers. The decisions and challenges we face in this wilderness are not always black and white, and it takes a great deal of strength and fortitude to navigate these hurdles with integrity and honor.

After Council the boys were exhausted and tired of holding the strong focus in the rain. The group settled into their tents and we listened to the sounds of the Coyotes in the distance and rainfall against our tents as we drifted off into sleep.

Waking the next morning we broke camp, made breakfast, and reignited our fire for another focused coal-blowing session. We spent the rest of the day on the creek exploring and ended our day with a nice long sit spot and a circle of thanks before heading back to the bus. We had every intention of swimming at the falls, but an event where a rock that was skipped carelessly ricocheted off a larger rock in the river hitting an Explorer in the ankle prevented us from navigating back up the creek. It was an important reminder of the scaling back that mentors mentioned in the previous day. Our mentors are extremely grateful for the time we spend out on the land with these boys and look forward to a great 2016-17 year with the Alevin Explorers.

For more picture from our overnight a Racehorse Falls please visit this photo album.

Alevin's Introduction to the Explorers Mentor Apprenticeship Program at Lookout Mountain

The Alevin arrived for their first ever exploration of Lookout Mountain Forest Preserve excited to spend some time together. Circling up the mentors introduced the boys to our volunteer for the day Ben Saari. Unbeknownst to the Explorers, Ben had been hard at work over the last year as Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association’s volunteer coordinator. On behalf of the mentors we would like to thank Ben for his work supporting the Explorers at their service site.

After handing out jobs we revisited our skill for the season, Fire by Friction. Pulling out a shopping bag a mentor passed around a surplus of project wood for the group; Cedar and Red Alder for making fireboards and spindles, Cottonwood root and Salmonberry stalks for hand drill kits, and Vine Maple for bowdrills and tent pegs. The boys compared and contrasted the types of woods and were able to acquire some missing pieces from their fire kits.

Unlike most Explorers Club outings, which practice circular leadership, the mentors on this day were a bit more triangular with the group in terms of the plan for the day. Our aim for the outing was simple, hike roughly a mile and half and find the fire pit, start a fire without a match, and then decommission it from further use. 

After they had the parameters for the day the Alevin asked, “why we would have a fire in the pit if we were going to demolish it”?  The mentors told the boys that our fire would mark an important transition for the group within the Boys EC.

Packing up we pushed up the logging road feasting on Salmonberries and anxiously licking our chops at the Thimbleberries, which were not yet ripe. The road afforded us a wide birth which allowed for some great conversations. As we walked the Swainson’s Thrush and Robins followed us, calling out and alerting the forest of our presence while eating the mosquitos trailing at our heels.

We stopped for a moment to take in a view of Lake Whatcom and Stewart Mountain. Pointing out the North Lake Whatcom Trail, a previous outing location, the boys began to orient to the land. Turning our focus back towards Lookout Mountain we ascended up the flanks and through the vast track of logging land above a tributary of Austin Creek. Veering off the trail we hiked through a crowded stand of Douglas Fir and Cedar and found the fire pit on the next rise.

Taking a moment the group ate some lunch and hydrated. Examining the fire pit the mentors explained that is was ill kept and unsightly. A large rock ring had been assembled around it and countless fires had been left unfinished leaving layers of ash coal that in dry conditions could reignite and cause a disaster. Working together we problem solved and dug a second pit in the forest floor to redistributing the coal and ash. The boys then scattering the rocks while a mentor dug the pit down to mineral soil.

With a usable fire pit now in order it was up to the boys to figure out how to create it with the natural resources and knowledge they had. They did an excellent job remembering some key details. A combo of fatwood shavings, a tinder nest, Western Hemlock branches, and split cedar would give them what they need to spark a flame with a flint and steel.

Over time mentors have come to realize that as the Explorers age in the program they often diversify in their interests for specific skills. Our mentors find it challenging to engaging all the participants at the same time in the same skill. We often finding it more fruitful to provide a specific skill lesson and then open up the space for them to practice a variety of skills. For the boys the possibilities are endless during these skill sessions, we do however enforce that the boys at least be engaged with something constructive. A few of our Explorers spent their time demolishing stumps with sticks and were challenged to be more engaged and think about their impact on the land.  

It took the group roughly forty minutes to get the fire going.  In their first few attempts they got the tinder bundle to spark, but found that their kindling was stacked much too high and their tinder nest was much too small. It was their combination of teamwork and skill that led to their success.

In our debrief at the end of the day Ben reflected how much he enjoyed the boys ability to teach him Earth Skills and show their leadership. During our outing a few boys led Ben on a natural history walk through the forest while to harvesting fire materials. Parents, next time you are out on the land with your Explorer ask them to show you how to harvest fire materials, it’s really something!

Sitting around the small but hardy fire the boys roasted apples, salami, and even a Snickers bar on sticks, reveling in their accomplishment. Asking the boys to bring their focus to the transition that the fire had now marked, the group was informed that with the graduation of the two eldest groups the weekend prior, they were now the eldest Explorers Club group. With this transition come new opportunities in the form of seasonal campouts and longer explorations, as well as asking for the boys to take a deepened responsibility and role amongst their younger Explorers Club community.
Parents, starting this fall the Alevin will be eligible to sign up for our EMA: Explorers Mentor Apprentice Program. Mentor apprentices join younger Explorers Club outings in addition to the their regular group outings and are encouraged to work with the same groups over time. Click here for more info about the about our EMA Program.  

Before we closed our circle the mentors asked the group to recall their service outings with the younger boys and use it to answer the question, “What does it mean to be a mentor”? The boys replied:  “a guide” “role model” “listener” “teacher” “encourager” “and “safety watcher”. Starting this fall the Alevin will begin their journey and through their experience define and highlight in them what it means to be a mentor and what gifts they have to give to their community. 

Before leaving we doused what few coals were left and gathered handfuls of soil from particular loamy spots in the forest floor, filling the pit then covering it with moss. To the passerby, you would have never known we were there.

Back on the logging road the group circle up and gave thanks before heading back. The mentors thanked the group for marking their transition and for their service to the land and commitment to our culture of fire safety. Parents, thank you for another great season and opportunity to mentor your boys. It is your continued support and faith in our program that allows us to walk along side your boys as they make the transition into adolescence and as elders amongst their Explorers. 

For more photos from the day please visit the Alevin Explorers photo album from the day.