The anticipation was palpable, the venerable elephant in the room. The Alevin Explorers were headed to their first “night” outing.
We could feel it as we rode “Stubbs” down I-5 to Squires Lake. There was more than the usual ration of high-energy interplay. It could’ve been the experience of riding in the bus we love to mock, but my money is on nervous energy over the prospect of being in the woods in the dark.
We could sense it as we hiked up the steep Squires Lake access trail - at double time.
We couldn’t avoid it as we had our opening meeting near the waterfall that would be a key milestone of our journey out. We set the marker in our minds - if we’re able to navigate our way to the welcome sound of the waterfall, we’ll know we’re just a scramble down that access trail back to Stubbs.
Amid the anticipation, we held our opening meeting not far from that waterfall. Our Tribal Elder led us in a process to decide how we wanted to structure the outing. Under his guidance, we decided to head to the beaver pond, where we would prepare for the darkness. In fact, as we hiked to the pond, we practiced group hiking in the dark. Key to our preparation were two strategies Steve taught us: the count-off, when each group member counts in turn to ensure we have everyone, and the shrew walk, in which we walk in a line holding the backpack of the person in front. On this part of the hike, we practiced the count-off; the shrew walk would come later. The mentors also worked with the Front and Back Scouts, who practiced keeping the group in tight alignment. 
Anticipation turned into action when we reached the beaver pond. It was time to prepare for the fire we planned to have later, so the explorers followed Steve up a hillside to harvest dead Western hemlock branches (they remain dry inside even in heavy rain). The sky, clearer than we had expected throughout the afternoon, now began to darken, with a steady increase in the anticipation level in the group. Time to calm things and quietly observe nature’s transition to darkness.
The boys spread out along the shore of the pond and, after some restlessness, settled into a wonderful sit spot. As the serenity of the setting seeped into our souls, we began to blend into the scenery, emboldening the “residents”. Ripples in the water – beavers? That flapping sound – a small flock of ducks flying low. The sweet song wafting across the pond – local birds chatting. A great tonic for these anxious boys!
Getting dark now. We hiked a little ways to a better spot for a fire, where Steve demonstrated fire by friction, a skill the Alevin will learn in due time. Likely a little light-headed from providing oxygen for the fire, Steve brought light to our gathering. Around that light, the boys told stories that had all the hallmarks of stories told by boys this age!
The fire doused, we looked around to realize it was fully dark. Time to try our hand at navigating without artificial light. Here it was, the moment we’d been anticipating. We decided to Shrew walk toward the waterfall. This activity was, understandably, a challenge for a few boys. Walking blindly with a lake, a forest, and, who knows, a bluff perhaps? nearby can be disconcerting. Stepping into the 
dark requires trust in your group mates, calls for leadership from those who feel the call to step up, and depends on discipline and skill from everyone. The mentors were hopeful we could keep up the walk for a while; the boys exceeded our expectations! We hiked for the better part of a half hour until we heard the sweet sound of water falling – we had made it back to the top of the access trail! High fives all around! Oh, and headlamps and flashlights on for the scramble down to Stubbs – a site beautiful beyond its physical attributes.
dark requires trust in your group mates, calls for leadership from those who feel the call to step up, and depends on discipline and skill from everyone. The mentors were hopeful we could keep up the walk for a while; the boys exceeded our expectations! We hiked for the better part of a half hour until we heard the sweet sound of water falling – we had made it back to the top of the access trail! High fives all around! Oh, and headlamps and flashlights on for the scramble down to Stubbs – a site beautiful beyond its physical attributes.
The boys were anxious as we embarked on this adventure and jubilant over their success as we departed. We gave thanks in the bus on the way back amid continued excited chatter. The Alevin had met the challenge of their first “night” outing. A good day.
For more pictures from the outing please visit the Alevin’s photo gallery
