The Art of Harvest with the Alevin Explorers: Tools & Medicine

The warmth of summer lingered long enough for the Alevin Explorers to start the fall season warm and dry.  Excitement built at the edge of the parking lot where Drew and Greg welcomed the explorers and their families to the beginning of a new season. The Explorers were eager to ramble in Fairhaven Park once again as were the mentors, so opening meeting was called. It was also an important moment for the boys to reconnect with each other and celebrate the bond of this group. Additionally, Greg was eager to connect to the boys and hear what skills and knowledge they wanted to build this season. The arts of carving, tracking, shelter building, and tree climbing emerged as the favorites.  

Once in the forest we had a brief huddle on the trail to discuss some tracks and an interesting scat. These woods have so much to teach us about animals tracks and signs! After consulting with our front scout the boys decided to leave the main path and follow a smaller, less used side path that led us to a large coppice of Ocean Spray. Many of the Alevin were eager to harvest, for it is revered by Explorers for its extremely hard wood useful in making a wide variety of tools. Drew and Greg decided to let go of shelter building and follow the energy of the group into the art of harvest and carving. 

As mentors, we have such gratitude for plants like these that captivate the boys for they help us to share the art of harvest with the boys.  After a brief lesson in the use of a pruning saw, we gathered to deepen our knowledge of ethical harvesting. We strive to take only what we need from the landscape, and only when such things are in abundance. Our guiding principals are to only take 10% of what we find in a given area, and no more than 25% from an individual plant. Fortunately, there is an abundance of Ocean Spray in Puget Sound and especially in the 100 Aker Wood. This is a principal that we look to throughout the season as the Alevins are eager to hone their carving skills and are always on the look out for a suitable piece of wood. 

“Hey there’s somebody stalking us!”  There is nothing like realizing that somebody is sneaking up on you to get your blood flowing! The Alevins spotted the Daredevil's Club Explorers using their stealth to try and sneak up on our group. How quickly the tables can turn! Drew climbed up in to the low branches of a Douglas Fir tree to help spot the sneaking older group and Greg led a group of boys to sneak up on their crafty mentors, Dave and Steve!

An encounter with an irritable wasp brought more lessons in the Art of Harvest for the Alevin.  Riis encountered a cantankerous wasp that managed to sting and bite him, but medicine was close at hand. Drew took Riis to harvest two important plants: Broad-leaved Plantain and Narrow-leaved Plantain. These wondrous plants can be quickly turned to medicine that quickly alleviates the inflammation from the venomous stings of bees and wasps by means of a topical spit poultice. 

The afternoon finished with a round of Spider’s Web and a brief introduction to one of nature’s best wet weather fire starters--fatwood. Our closing meeting was full of gratitude for the land, medicinal plants, and stealth! As we look to our future outings we will return to the art of shelter building. The rain and wind will show us where to look for natural shelters and provide motivation to create warm dry places to lay comfortably in the worst of weather.  Thank you Explorers for following your interests and passions. What a great start to another season of adventure! Parents, thank you for supporting our program this fall! 

Earth Skills Journey with the Alevin Explorers at Fairhaven Park: WATER

Alevin Explorers showed up on time to Fairhaven Park, ready to explore and learn. We immediately made our way towards the 100-Aker Woods for introductions. This was the first outing for Andrew and Rhys who fell into place throughout the outing by participating fully and getting active. Welcome to the Alevin!

It didn’t take long for Explorers to remember their knives and they carved in every free minute. Mentors introduced the Earth Skill for this spring: Water. This is one of the four crucial elements needed for outdoor survival. We would not be able to thrive without this important resource. As such, the Explorers had their first taste of trying to find water… but no one drank any of the findings!

Matt told a story about Swimmology. Please ask your Explorer if he can remember the story. The moral of the tale is that we can study to prepare ourselves for anything but that the real work comes when we have to act. This reminds us of the motto, The Only Way Out is Through.

As such Explorers began their journey to learn about water by getting their feet wet. We practiced carrying our water as a treasure, trying not to spill a drop. When we do not have access to the convenience of a running tap, it is vital that we safeguard our potable water. Explorers took the first steps in learning the importance of water conservation and protection through an obstacle course activity in the hawthorn trees and low-lying shrubs.

During this exercise, the Alevin also learned about ropes and leverage. Ask your Explorer who won the tug of war competition between them and the team, Dave + tree.

Though we were inclined to bask in the sunshine the forest beckoned us to play. We stopped in a clearing to talk about collecting water. Mentors gave Explorers five minutes to gather water they deemed to be most potable. During this Earth Skills Explosion, boys got water from a number of locations in the immediate vicinity.

Sources included a bath tub, mud pools, and a small rivulet. After this experience, Explorers saw a demonstration of how water collects in a watershed. They observed how water pools in lakes but were quick to point out that water isn’t always best to collect at the bottom of watersheds. Sometimes, it’s best to go as close to the source as possible.

Steve discussed what to do with the water once we’ve collected it. In order to make it safe, we have to boil, filter, and take precautions that prevent us from ingesting harmful bacteria and other microorganisms. Explorers have a lot more to learn about this, but we will be working with water throughout this season to deepen our understanding.

We made our way further into the forest when we reached a fork in the road. Boys were exactly split 6-6 about which way to go. Organically, and much to the mentors’ surprise, Alevin began to brainstorm a solution that would make everyone happy. They manifested the EC motto, Collaborate and Compromise, and made a plan that was unanimously ratified in less than five minutes. Impressive work, guys!

Well into the darker understory, we introduced Rhys and Andrew to Spider’s Web and scattered in every direction. How wonderful it was to crawl around in the sword fern again! Following the game, some boys embarked on an important Rite of Passage while the rest of us participated in a Circle of Thanks. While sharing apples together, we practiced our motto, Attitude of Gratitudeand gave thanks for our experience together.

The day ended in the sunshine, just like it started. Thank you Explorers for your energy and ambition to seize the nice weather. Parents, thank you for your support and encouragement of your Explorers and this program. We’d like to remind you to check out the photo gallery and peruse the website to be prepared for the next outing on April 21st. See you then!

Shelter Building with the Alevin Explorers

Fall was in the air when the Alevin gathered in Fairhaven Park. Interspersed sunny and cloudy patches eventually settled into a comfortable grey blanket in the sky. In similar fashion, explorers were excited for the new season and eventually found a comfortable rhythm in 100-Acre Woods.

Explorers were happy to whittle much of the day, diligently abiding by the motto of Safety First in ensuring that no one else was in their blood circle. Some explorers even learned about safely passing a tool to someone else using verbal commands along with careful handing. The boys manifested their focused intents into sharp spears and crafted branches! We remembered the motto: A tool is an extension of the body.

We didn’t waste anytime getting into the forest. A game of Hide reacquainted everyone with the area

 and put on our camouflage eyes-lenses. Afterwards we were ready to eat snack and found a perfect opportunity to consider how we would gather or harvest a snack if we didn’t have any with us. And being blackberry season we found ample possibilities! We learned the history of the “King Berry” and looked for sunny patches to find the sweetest berries.

Kai led us into the woods as the lead scout and our mission was to find a place that we could build earth shelters. We found a place to hunker down and explored the area looking for the best shelter places. As Tribal Elder, Cole led the Alevin in a vote to determine that we would play Spider’s Web before learning about and building earth shelters. So, the group played a couple of rounds making each successive round more challenging for the flies!

When the game was over we discussed the differences and similarities of forts and shelters. Though seemingly close, we decided to define a shelter more for survival. And then Matt showed us the technique of building a solid frame by choosing two Y-branches and a long branch to act as a spine. About four groups made shelters and added

appropriately-sized sticks to make walls.

This was a good time to recognize the motto: Slow is Fast and Fast is Slow. It was hard to find the right sticks for Y’s and for walls. And sometimes we put the sticks on too quickly and knocked over other ones accidentally. Though some frames looked more complete than others, no one finished entirely.

Before we could collect the requisite three feet of debris for shelter insulation, time was up so we ran out to the field for Circle of Thanks. After practicing anAttitude of Gratitude we were done for the day. Not surprisingly, some explorers went right back to whittling before going home!

Written by: Dave Strich

Don't forget to check out our photos in the Photo Gallery.