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.

The Alevin linger at Lizard Lake

My wife taught Kindergarten for many years. For over a decade, her district offered half-day Kindergarten only. Then the district, partly in response to her urging, began to phase in all-day K. Presumably thanks to her dedication to the change, her’s was one of the first classrooms to make the change. 

As she was preparing for her first full-day class, I was speaking with her about what the extra time meant for her curriculum. Would she add to her existing subject areas or institute additional topics? Her response (paraphrased) - “ You poor, innocent, unwitting soul. I don’t need to add more work to rush through…I need the extra time to do justice to the curriculum I’ve been teaching!”

A similar sentiment applies for Saturday’s Lizard Lake outing. The Blanchard Mountain area in the

Play misty for the Alevin

southern Chuckanuts offers so many opportunities for skills work and play, the mentors fell into the same trap I failed to avoid many years ago; we started up the trail with a long list of options to fill our longer-than-usual seven hour outing. And what happened? 

Rather than a record number of different activities, we did three tried and true: we hiked and explored, we practiced making and tending a fire, and we climbed over boulders and into caves. 

The hike to Lizard Lake was a demanding one. It began on a logging road that rises gently through forest and salmonberry bushes, with pastoral views of Skagit County farmland near Alger. We then turned West into the woods and up switchbacks toward Lily and Lizard Lakes. I had anticipated that we would take time for games along the climb, but we mostly pressed on as the boys were eager to get to the lake.

Log-walking to the far side of the lake

Once there, the Alevin immediately scattered into a frenzy of free exploration. They’d been here before and wanted to revisit prior exploits. The mentors had planned to begin by asking the group to prioritize our planned activities, but decided instead to follow the wisdom captured in our mottos for the day - “It’s about the journey, not the destination.” and “Be here now.” 

The forest was wet this day, as is not a surprise in the Chuckanuts. And, as if to eliminate any doubt about the subject, a shower passed through as the boys were transitioning to lunch and we gathered to plan the day. Unfortunate, given that our skill for the season is fire by friction.

Undaunted, we gathered our tools and our resolve and began with the purest of fire making

Mentor Conor lead the hand drill effort

techniques - the bow drill and the hand drill. Thanks to mentor Conor’s skill and passion for the hand drill, that soon took center stage. Before long, a determined team of four explorers and Conor was generating smoke off their fire board. The attendant excitement proved short-lived, however, as the team actually penetrated all the way through the board a few times without generating the necessary coal to ignite their nest into a sustainable flame. No doubt, the excessive dampness was to blame. 

Ah, but we have more options. Flint and steel was tried next. Again, repeated efforts went unrewarded. Our tinder seemed dry, but stubbornly refused to respond to the spark. By this time, we needed to succeed more than we needed to master backcountry skills, so we pulled out the “Strike anywhere” matches. They proved true to their name as were we quickly able to ignite the nest of twine, fat wood shavings and twigs. As if to validate the challenge the explorers faced on this very wet day, however, we had trouble building the fire into a sustainable inferno even now. 

Frustrating though is was, this effort exposed tangible signs of maturation among the Alevin. They embraced the challenge of mastering a difficult skill under punishing circumstances; they were determined and focused in their work; they were flexible in their approach; they were sanguine in the face of mixed success. Important life skills all! 

It was time for a change: the land offered an excellent option in the caves. When last this group

No Lizard Lake Legend here

clambered over and around these behemoths, they spied porcupines, dared their peers to slither into impossibly small openings and, wait for it…..discovered the reclusive “Lizard Lake Legend”! Of course, it wouldn’t be reclusive if it showed its conglomerated form at each visit, so the legend was strengthened by its absence this visit. Next pop in?

Energy levels waned as we hiked back down the trail and out along the logging road. We held our closing meeting at one of the view points, which made giving thanks a little tough. It can be hard to decide from among the myriad blessings of this land, but the Alevin rose to the occasion before returning, wearily, to their respective rides.

You can find more pictures from our adventure here. Our next outing is coming up pretty quickly. We meet on Sunday, May 15th, from 9:30-1:30pm for our Spring service outing at the Boys E.C. Connelly Creek Restoration Site, Happy Valley Park. Click here for the schedule details.

The Alevin's First Exploration of the Rock Trail

Driving up Cleator Road to the Cyprus Gate Overlook the mentors discussed the possibility of a road closure due to downed trees. Sure enough, pulling up to the upper Fragrance Lake Trailhead there was a gate across the road where we could see a large Douglas Fir blocking any vehicle from passing.

As the Alevin arrived we gathered and explained that our hike to the Rock Trail was going to be extended by a mile or so. The mentors asked the group to track back to Wednesday night and think about the powerful windstorm that had battered the Pacific Northwest. The boys talked about the sound of the wind and a few trees that had fallen near their houses.

Our plan for the day was to have some free exploration on the Rock Trial, being that it was the group’s first ever exploration here, and to find Lost Lake with the intention of having a sit spot and some tea on it’s shore. Revisiting our skill for the season, a continuation of fire by friction, the mentors asked the group if they still had their fire kits from last season. We were pleasantly surprised when most of the boys answered that they still had their materials. Alevin, nice work hanging on to these materials over the winter; they are not that easy to harvest! Next outing we will be headed to Lizard Lake where we will be able to build a proper fire, so make sure you bring your fire kits!

As we hiked up the logging road towards the trailhead Brian let the group know that there were two ways to navigate there. One was to follow the road all the way to the top and the other was to take what he coined “Brian’s Shortcut”. After a little group decision-making the boys decided to try out “Brian’s Shortcut”, which involved leaving the logging road and hiking off-trail directly up the mountain.

The boys sweated and strained as they battled their way up the mountain. Upon reaching the top they decided to never again take “Brian’s Shortcut”. They acknowledged that the cold and chill they were feeling in the parking lot had all but absolved by our route.

Looking to our left we found a healthy Stinging Nettle patch and filled our pot with leaves with the hope of tea by the lake. As we made a final push to the trailhead the group marveled at the sights and smells of spring: the bright colors and rich aroma of Salmonberry and Indian Plum flowers, Big Leaf Maples buds, new leaflets on the Huckleberries and Ocean Spray, and the saucer like fruiting bodies of the Usnea Lichens.

The view of the bay from the Cyprus Gate Overlook was awe-inspiring. As a group we worked on identifying landmarks: Clarks Point, Mud Bay, Lummi Spit, and Locus Beach. The wind over the water made uniform swell lines across the bay. As the clouds sailed by over our heads sun breaks would hit the bay, lighting up the shallow water like a tropical reef.

Proceeding down the Rock Trail signs of Wednesday’s storm were everywhere. Broken Douglas fir branches blanketed almost every part of the forest floor. Arriving at the first staircase the group marveled at the steepness of the wooden steps as we descended down next to a sheer wall of Sandstone that was over forty feet high.

Passing through the seemingly endless sandstone cliffs and ridges we couldn’t help but immerse ourselves in the topography. Stopping to eat some lunch, we found a series of small caves on a cliff-side. A few were big enough to climb in. The group spent some free time climbing around exploring the location. Once we had had our fill we headed down switchback after switchback, eventually arriving at the lake.

Passing through a maze of young Doug Fir and Salal the group navigated to the Eastern outpour of the lake. Following the drainage the group found a thirty-foot waterfall that was really flowing! Feeling the call the boys spread out over the land and settled back into the moss for a sit spot next to the falls. The sounds of cascading water filled the valley as the boys sat still and quiet.

Meanwhile one of the mentors harvested some water and got a pot of nettle-peppermint tea boiling. Calling the group back in from their sit spots we shared apples and thanks as we watch a few Eagles soar over Lost Lake.

Gathering our strength the boys made a huge push back up the rock trail. As we crested the top of Chuckanut Mountain the cool breeze acted like air conditioning, refreshing us all. The boys laughed and joked as we hiked down the logging road towards the gate. The mentors trailed in the back discussing one challenge we’ve faced with the group that we’d like to work on this season. The Alevin’s challenge comes in their ability to recognize transition times between silliness and play and times where we need to bring our focus together. Throughout the season Brian and I will aim to offer the boys more leadership opportunities to experiment with these transitions and model them amongst their group.

The mentors are thankful for a powerful start to our fall season and for the spirit of exploration these Explorers bring to our outings. We look forward to every opportunity to get outside with the Alevin!

For more photos of the Alevin’s Rock Trail outing please visit the photo album from the day.