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.