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.

Alevin Learn the Art of Fire by Friction at Clayton Beach

The Alevin arrived at Clayton Beach to find the mentors mulling over a pile of Alder, Cedar, and Vine Maple. Once everyone was present the mentors called a circle and informed the Explorers that they would spend a good portion of the day delving into the skill of fire by friction. Needless to say the boys were excited! The group agreed to put their full attention towards the task, recognizing that this was our first and last chance to practice our seasonal skill.

Fire by Friction is a culmination of many of the previous skills these boys have been working on. It requires local knowledge of the flora and fauna, an eye for harvestable materials that are just the right shape and size, advanced carving techniques, knot tying skills, and above all patience and focus.

In an effort to try and align the flow of the outing with the boys natural energy cycle the mentors have switched to focusing on skills at the start of the outing and then delving into more free time and exploration as the day goes on. We find 10:00 o’clock to be the prefect time; the boys are not distracted by hunger or sleepiness and are not in the post-lunch food coma or ready to take a siesta. Our aim is to provide the best opportunity possible with our limited time together to help the boys learn these crafts.

Gathering our supplies the group motored down the trail to Clayton Beach where we found a secluded cove to practice our skill. The boys turned their attention to a mentor who had pulled out a bow drill kit, passing it around the circle. He explained that a bow drill kit is made up of five components: a top rock, spindle, bow, fireboard, and tinder nest. Making fire is a hard skill to wrap your mind around until you see it in action. Once the group was oriented to the components of a fire kit they gathered close as the mentor demonstrated the process. Slowly through friction of the whirling spindle against the fireboard, a small coal started to form and the smell of smoke rose into the air. Dropping the coal into a Cedar bundle the mentor gently blew the coal into flame. There was a resounding “awe” around the circle.

At this point the group couldn’t contain themselves any longer, anxiously awaiting the chance to start working on their own fire kit. Passing around pieces of seasoned Red Alder the Explorers started to carve away on spindles and top boards. It was inspiring to watch the Alevin work. They put in a solid effort of struggling their way through working with the Alder. Initially when the Alevin were learning to carve they started off with Red Cedar because of it’s softness, and although great for utensils it makes poor spindles and fireboards. A few hours and a whole lot of blisters later the boys had some excellent straight and circular spindles carved. Using their spindles they practiced with the mentors fire kits, finding the actual process quiet difficult.

It’s amazing how much our knowledge of and experimentation with Earth Skills can teach. While the mentors coached the boys they reiterated over and over again our motto, slow is fast and fast is slow. Although none of the boys started a fire a few saw smoke starting to rise off the fireboard.

Checking the clock it had been two and a half hours since we started our skill focus and it was time to pack up and head down the beach. As we traveled the rocky shoreline the boys scavenged for top rocks for their kits until we came to a beautiful spot for a sit. Sending the boys out to find a peaceful place they sat staring out at the ocean and listening to the land. Our sit spot was incredible, there was a Bald Eagle sitting in the tree next to us and a Yellow-Billed Loon calling out as he foraged the Eelgrass beds for food.

With the tide on its way out the mentors called the group back together and we spent the rest of the day investigating the intertidal region of the beach. Clayton Beach’s old pillars and rocky breakwater provide the prefect habitat for all sorts of gastropods, anemones, and crabs. As we explored one of the boys called the group over to try and identify a mysterious creature. Sure enough it was a Hooded Nudibranch and as we looked we saw more and more of them. It was fascinating to watch the Nudibranch dance and flutter through the eelgrass as it searched for zooplankton and jellyfish. 

Calling the group together we shared a circle of thanks on the beach. The boys gave thanks for the ability to work on fire by friction, for the weather holding out so we could have uninterrupted skill focus, for Clayton Beach and all the mystery that lived there, and for quiet time and sit spots. Before breaking our circle the mentors reminded the group that fire comes with a great responsibility and it is our job to pass down this ancient skill from generation to generation. Fire has allowed humans to make tools, cook, purify water, warm our shelters, regulate landscapes, and provided a hearth for us to gather around. It demands focus and attention, and if we let our guard down or allow ourselves to get careless we have the potential to do great harm.

Heading up the beach we were stopped for yet another nature moment, finding a decomposing Harbor Seal in the high tide line. Flipping it over we examined its bones structure before returning it to its originally resting position. What an amazing day for wildlife at the beach!

Parents, if your Explorers have any questions about the process of fire by friction or the materials and techniques involved please don’t hesitate to send an email or give us a call. This skill takes time and we will be working on it for multiple seasons to come. For more photos from our outing please visit the Alevin’s photo gallery.

Alevin Explorers Hike Blanchard Mountain to Lizard Lake

The Alevin arrived at the Upper Lily and Lizard Lakes Trailhead followed by a cloud of dust from the dry, bumpy logging road. Once the boys were grouped up and the dust had settled they handed out jobs and gathered round to look at the Chuckanut Recreation Topo map. Orienting the map to the cardinal directions the group determined that we had a 2.5-mile hike with roughly a 1000 feet of elevation gain.

Shouldering our packs we headed up the logging road toward the Alternate Incline connector. After a half mile the group stopped to take a quick break at a clear cut which over looked Alger Alp and Mt. Baker, what a view! A few of the boys commented that they had never see Mt. Baker from this side and had no idea how much lowland wilderness there was before it. Hiking on the boys feasted on the dense Salmonberry thicket that grew along the sides of the road. It’s wonderful to see these boys really know the land; their ability to identify edible plants and track their seasonality does so much more for these boys than just providing them with a delicious trail snack.

Veering off the logging road we began our ascent up Alternate Incline Trail.  The trail is not only beautiful and well engineered, but a wonderful piece of natural history. Tracking the land the Explorers found rusted logging ties, pieces of train tracks, pots and pans; all evidence of the Blanchard Mountains long history of logging and mining. The boys also tracked that every old growth stump in the forest seemed to have burn marks. In 1925 what was left of the old growth on Blanchard Mountain caught fire in a major burn. What an amazing restoration and growth this track of land has had.

After a long climb we reached the junction to Lizard Lake and the boys were thankful to give their legs a rest and eat some cupcakes baked by Terri Van der Vlugt for her son Rhys’s birthday. Thanks Terri! Sitting at the Lizard Lake campsites we made a plan for how we would best use the rest of our outing. The group decided that they’d explore around the lake for an hour and then head to the caves underneath Blanchard Mountain’s North Butte. Mentors told the boys that as long as they stayed near the shore of the lake they would be able to hear the crow call and were free to wander. The lake was a wonderful container for the boys to spend time wandering.

The group dispersed and investigated the mysteries of Lizard Lake: Pacific and Spotted Salamander egg clutches, deer bones, Bog Cranberry, and a fully functioning beaver lodge. Click here to read more about the symbiotic relationship between Spotted Salamanders and green algae. The boys found the beavers of Lizard Lake to be quite active, creating a jungle-gym like maze of fallen logs at the east end of the lake. The boys practiced their balancing techniques as they navigated around patches of Devil’s Club while trying not to fall into the lake. They also spent some time tracking which trees the beavers preferred felling, coming to the conclusion that they would really liked Alder, but would take about anything.

After the group had decompressed we climbed the steep drainage out of the lake basin and over a ridge into field filled with large boulder and caves. Naturally the group scattered like Mountains Goats, bounding and scampering from boulder to boulder. Looking up, Blanchard’s North Butte towered above, beckoning us to climb higher. It was at this time the mentors called the Explorers together to have a conversation about awareness. With some of the boulders as tall as 30 feet the boys needed to show more self-directed risk assessment and attentiveness towards the inherent safety risks of this location. For the Alevin, finding the balance between following their excitement and energy for what is happening in the moment and being able to think preventatively towards their own safety is an edge. As mentors we aim to cultivate this outdoor leadership tool in each one of the Alevin so that we can offer them more freedom and autonomy as we venture further into the wilderness.

Breaking our circle the boys climbed back up the boulder pile and stumbled across a large female porcupine. The porcupine immediately ran under a rock overhang. As the boys crowed around the mentors told them to only approach from one side. When animals feel cornered they will either attack or defend, neither of which is pleasant from a porcupine. Once the boys found a safe distance we sat and observed it. It was truly a magical moment as the boys marveled at such a large and mysterious creature.

Giving the Porcupine some space we put on our headlamps and crawled down into a cave. As we descended in the rocks and air got damp and cold. Finding some light shining through on the other side we emerged a good distance from where we started.  A few of the Explorers claimed to have seen a creature swimming in one of the cave pools. From their description the creature had a beaver like body and tail with porcupine legs and arms and head shaped like a Salamander. Some skeptics in the group thought it to be just a log, but never the less the story of the “Lizard Lake Legend” will live on each time the Boys EC visits Blanchard Mountain’s North Butte.

Packing up we headed back to the Lizard Lake Campsite for a closing meeting. Gathering creek water in a pot and a few armfuls of Western Hemlock twigs we made a fire in one of the designated pits and boiled some water for tea. Going around our circle the boys recounted their adventures of this season and shared apples and thanks. What a powerful closing outing for our spring season.

Neither the Alevin’s energy level throughout the outing nor their enthusiasm to explore over the next ridge waivered throughout the outing. These boys are hungry for adventure and ready for the challenges that Big Wilderness experiences demands. For the boys the rewards of these experiences will be a newfound sense of identity and self, both inner and outer fortitude, autonomy, self-affirmation, maturity, leadership, wisdom, decrement, and responsibility. Brian and I are excited to continue this journey with the Alevin in our summer WE: Wilderness Experiences and in fall with an extend exploration in the Mt. Baker alpine.

Parents, thank you for your continued support and care for the boys and the program, it is a pleasure the mentor your sons. For more pictures from the outing please visit the Alevin’s Explorers photo gallery.

Alevin Art of Fire at South Lake Padden

Learning how to build and tend a fire is a very old skill.  It is seemingly simple, yet it can be exceedingly difficult to learn. Where we live and explore in the Puget Sound Lowlands means we often have challenging conditions for fire making. Our forests are damp from September to June, and it is often raining, making the task fire lighting very difficult. 

With rain and wind in the forecast for the day, the Alevin met mentors Greg and Matt in the busy parking area of South Lake Padden. While the parking at this spot is difficult, the forest in the south end of the park is a perfect place to learn fire making. Once all the explorers had arrived, we began our opening meeting. We welcomed a returning explorer, Henry, back to the Alevin, and also Liam from the Red Tailed Eyas group.  After a round names, and the distribution of jobs, we headed down the trail to a promising spot for deepening our skill with fire.

After a round of HIDE!, the boys discovered a branch with a fascinating mystery. Matt led the boys through many questions and helped them look deeply at the marks on the branch to figure out who had made them.  So again who made them?  Can you remember what fascinating purpose they serve, which of course is much more interesting than the name of the creature who made the holes in the first place?  Challenge your family to open a field guide and find the answer!

With the excitement of the mystery solved, we left the muddy trail and followed a faint deer trail deeper into the woods.  The forest floor was mossy and damp, and a light rain was falling.  Perfect conditions to learn about fire! Greg held a brief circle and asked boys to give a rating from 1-10 on their fingers about their confidence for fire making.  He asked questions that range from “Can you make a fire in a woodstove with dry split wood, kindling, and newspaper?” to “With no tools other than a sharp rock can you collect materials to make a bow drill and start a fire in these conditions?”  The Alevin lack no confidence!  Most answers were in the 7-10 range, but a few boys were less confident in the 3-5 range.  With that, it was time to jump into fire making.

The Explorers first task was to divide into groups of three. The groups would have 10 minutes to gather materials and prepare a fire with matches Greg and Matt provided.  In an effort to create a little urgency and focus, Greg told the Boys “OK, let's pretend that Matt has just fallen in the creek and is a bit hypothermic. We need to get a fire started.  GO!” The boys raced into action gathering all kinds of interesting material they thought might aid them in starting a fire.  After ten minutes had passed one group had managed to get a fire to briefly light before it went out.  With the full appreciation of the challenge of fire making in our perpetually damp forest they boys circled up to learn a few tricks.

The art of fire requires some basic tree identification in our forest.  The Western hemlocks often go unnoticed in our forest, but they are a fantastic tree to know for fire making.  The lower branches of these trees are a key fire-starting tool.  Most hemlocks will have many lower branches that are dead and free of needles, but still attached to the tree. Since they are not on the ground they are usually reasonably dry enough to make the perfect fine kindling to get a fire going. The wood is also resinous, which further helps it to combust. The mentors and boys gathered a large armful of hemlock (a hugs worth) and created an initial bunch to light. With the aid of a couple shavings of fatwood gathered from a nearby stump, we lit the bundle and then started a small fire with very little fuss in the drizzle.

The boys were eager to use the remaining time to try again on their fires and they set out to gather materials.  After getting enough hemlock to get a fire started they circled up for the lighting of their fire.  Cole provided a small box of matches and we all quickly discovered that the gentle breeze made the simple task of lighting matches very difficult for the boys. Greg gave a quick lesson on lighting matches so as to guard them from wind, but even with that knowledge the explorers struggled to get the fire from the match to the bundle.

Before the fire could be lit, it was time to have our closing meeting.  We gathered and shared something we learned and a gratitude for the day.  A special treat was a pot of Douglas fir tip tea that had been simmering on the small fire that Greg built. Cups were emptied and tea was poured. Explorers shared they were thankful for the forest, for learning about fire, for hemlock trees and for finding lost knives. The boys shared that they learned that there are many small, but important, steps in getting a fire to light on a typical day in our wet forests.  With that in our hearts we walked back to the parking lot filled with parents eagerly awaiting stories. 

A big thank you explorers for stretching your edges and sticking with fire making for so long.  Your energy and desire to learn this skill will lead to your success.  Another thank you to the parents and family members of these boys. We couldn’t do this work without you. It is a gift to have the opportunity to share the knowledge of fire making with your boys!

Alevin Exploring Racehorse Falls

Waiting.  Anticipating.  This is the state of mind that the Boys Explorers Club mentors live in as the spring season approaches.  What events have unfolded and shaped the lives of these boys we are waiting to see?  Starting with a journey out to Racehorse Falls is a fantastic way reunite and begin our Spring season. 

The Alevin were short four boys this outing, a testament to the busy lives that they lead.  We missed those who were absent, but we look forward to seeing you all at our next outing!  Our opening meeting was humming with energy.  There were so many stories to tell and much to catch up on.  Matt and Greg held a brief meeting and those explorers that had previously been to Racehorse Falls shared numerous bits of trail beta to the whole group.  We quickly boarded our faithful bus Stubbs and headed out.

Our bus ride provided the boys a chance to chat and catch up about the winter, we parked Stubbs piled out, and had our opening meeting. Mentors handed out jobs took an opportunity to refocus our eyes to the emergence of Spring.  Much like our explorers, plants in our forests are busting with energy after patiently waiting for the lengthening of daylight and a chance to bloom.

Following a brief discussion we headed out on a boot beaten path and into the lush forest festooned with moss and lichen.  Abruptly the trail met a huge logjam which we scrambled over and onto the large cobbled banks of Racehorse Creek.  Here the ground is littered with fossils of ancient plants.  Their forms are distinct enough to identify.  There were palm fronds, grasses, deciduous leaves and ferns.  Fossils were hiding in almost every rock.  The boys were lost in the pursuit of ancient plants and quickly a log became an impromptu museum.  Matt and Greg were also head down and marveling at the abundance of ancient plant life.

After looking at our fossils, the mentors led a discussion about the ethics of taking fossils.  Should we take from this place?  How many is too many?  What should our intentions be when we collect these things?  It was an interesting discussion and we agreed as a group that one or two taken with deep respect was appropriate.

The challenge of our outing was finding a suitable creek crossing.  The waters of Racehorse creek are shallow, but deep and swift enough to make wading a poor choice.  Fortunately a pair of Western Red Cedar trees were recruited by the stream and provided a narrow bridge across the cold water.  Matt gave the explorers a brief primer on keeping backpack straps unbuckled incase of fall into the creek and stepped lithely across the log to a point where he could assist the boys should they need an extra hand for balance.  One by one the boys mustered their concentration and carefully crossed the creek.  After a quick stop for a snack we charged upstream eventually finding the deer paths that were much more efficient that the ever narrowing bank.  At a broad gravel bar interspersed with Red Alder saplings and enormous tangles of splintered tree trunks we dropped our bags.

Matt led the explorers up to the falls while Greg prepared for a brief skills lesson on fire.  The boys and Matt reveled in the magic and power of the cascading water, and after a brief stay returned to the gravel bar where Greg was waiting to share some fire knowledge.  The river’s abundant supply of large cedar logs made fire making materials very easy to obtain.  Greg briefly demonstrated how to properly baton splits of cedar into smaller and smaller pieces.  With a small pruning saw and a knife we transformed a huge splinter of cedar into beautiful firewood.  Greg also demonstrated using his knife to shave paper-thin curls of wood off of a cedar stick and create “feather sticks”.  By now the weather had shifted and a steady rain was falling.  With the help of a little stick of “fat wood”, Greg was able to start a small fire with the sparks cast from a ferrocium rod (often incorrectly called a flint and steel).

We basked in crackling cheer of our very small fire and discussed the fire journey ahead of the explorers.  We extinguished the fire and scattered the soggy ashes so that like the deer we could disappear back into the forest.   Mustering all of our focus we doggedly hiked back to stubs executing another flawless stream crossing.  Once at Stubbs we circled for our closing meeting and gave thanks for another chance to be together and share these rich experiences in wild places.

Thank you Alevin Explorers for another fantastic outing.  What a tremendous way to begin a season exploring together!  Another thank you to you Parents, we certainly could not do this important work without your support!