On a beautiful blue, crisp November morning the Salamander Efts met up at Samish Woods Montessori to load up into “Stubbs” our Wild Whatcom bus. From the moment the mentors met up before the outing it was clear this was going to be a great day. Not only were there no clouds to be seen, but we had the fortune of an extended eight-hour outing that would allow us to maximize our time up at Lizard Lake near the summit of Blanchard Mountain. With the bus full of Explorers and eager energy we hit the road and drove along the back roads to the trailhead. Twisting and turning through the forested highway and skirting alongside the eastern shore of Lake Samish was a perfect segue to the beginning of our outing.
At the trailhead the eager energy made coming together for an opening circle a bit of a chore, however, the eager energy would be a persistent theme throughout the outing create some great opportunities to grow as individuals and a group. As much as the boys wanted to hit the trail the mentors made sure to take the time to hand out jobs for the day and set a strong intention for what was to be accomplished this outing. Despite a jittery focus, we managed to lay out a game plan to hike up to the lake, practice some skills, then spend the rest of our time exploring and interacting with the land.
The hike up to Lizard Lake takes a logging road for a little over a mile, past an old quarry, and up the Alternate Incline Trail all the way to the lake. While passing the quarry the boys took a moment to admire the snowy peaks of Mt. Baker and peruse the rocks for what they believed to be petrified wood. It was difficult to pull these eager beavers away from the rocks to get back on the trail and headed toward our destination, but once we did we made good time. Hiking up the Alternate Incline trail we paused from time to time to re-group, adjust our layers, and drink some water. Each break we made sure to discuss the importance of setting a good pace for the entire group and making sure we stick together even if that means hiking a bit slower or faster than usual while maintaining a constant awareness of where everyone in the group was.
At the trailhead the eager energy made coming together for an opening circle a bit of a chore, however, the eager energy would be a persistent theme throughout the outing create some great opportunities to grow as individuals and a group. As much as the boys wanted to hit the trail the mentors made sure to take the time to hand out jobs for the day and set a strong intention for what was to be accomplished this outing. Despite a jittery focus, we managed to lay out a game plan to hike up to the lake, practice some skills, then spend the rest of our time exploring and interacting with the land.
The hike up to Lizard Lake takes a logging road for a little over a mile, past an old quarry, and up the Alternate Incline Trail all the way to the lake. While passing the quarry the boys took a moment to admire the snowy peaks of Mt. Baker and peruse the rocks for what they believed to be petrified wood. It was difficult to pull these eager beavers away from the rocks to get back on the trail and headed toward our destination, but once we did we made good time. Hiking up the Alternate Incline trail we paused from time to time to re-group, adjust our layers, and drink some water. Each break we made sure to discuss the importance of setting a good pace for the entire group and making sure we stick together even if that means hiking a bit slower or faster than usual while maintaining a constant awareness of where everyone in the group was.
Finally, we arrived at our destination of Lizard Lake. A few other groups of hikers were relaxing beside the lake and the mentors made sure to have a quick chat about respecting others ability to enjoy the peacefulness of the icy lake as it glimmered in the sunshine by giving them space and keeping our voices down. Soon the hikers continued along their way and allowed us the opportunity to get some skills work in. Revisiting our first outing of the season, the Salamander Efts were left with the task of setting up a sturdy tarp shelter. The mentors made sure to provide a time to revisit some of the knots, but for some reason only one explorer seemed interested in a refresher on how to tie which knot. This was a missed opportunity because once the Explorers started putting up the tarp they quickly realized they did not remember the knots nearly as well as they thought they did.
Giving the Explorers half an hour to set up the tarp seemed like ample time. The mentors stepped back and focused on a project of their own in starting a fire. As time passed by it became apparent that only a handful of the boys were actually setting up the tarp and the rest of the group was much more intent on throwing rocks and sticks into the lake in an attempt to break the ice. After some time the
mentors realized the tarp was far from satisfactory and stepped in to harness the group’s focus for another attempt. This time, however, the handful of boys that were doing all the work were not allowed to tie the knots thus requiring those who were more focused on breaking ice to be the ones to do more of the work. Yet again, the eager energy that persisted from the beginning of the outing to the end, compromised the group’s ability to focus on a simple task. What should have taken fifteen minutes took well over an hour and left no time for further skills practice in some of the other camping skills like pumping water, using a camp stove, and setting up a bear hang. Somewhat disappointed the mentors made sure the boys were at least going to learn a lesson from this debacle. Gathering up, the group discussed the importance of taking the time to do the job right the first time. The BEC motto of “Slow is fast, and fast is slow” came to mind and was exemplified in the tarp challenge. If the boys had come together as a group, taken the time to find properly distanced trees and tie the knots right the first time, they would have had nearly an hour more of exploration time at the lake.
mentors realized the tarp was far from satisfactory and stepped in to harness the group’s focus for another attempt. This time, however, the handful of boys that were doing all the work were not allowed to tie the knots thus requiring those who were more focused on breaking ice to be the ones to do more of the work. Yet again, the eager energy that persisted from the beginning of the outing to the end, compromised the group’s ability to focus on a simple task. What should have taken fifteen minutes took well over an hour and left no time for further skills practice in some of the other camping skills like pumping water, using a camp stove, and setting up a bear hang. Somewhat disappointed the mentors made sure the boys were at least going to learn a lesson from this debacle. Gathering up, the group discussed the importance of taking the time to do the job right the first time. The BEC motto of “Slow is fast, and fast is slow” came to mind and was exemplified in the tarp challenge. If the boys had come together as a group, taken the time to find properly distanced trees and tie the knots right the first time, they would have had nearly an hour more of exploration time at the lake.
Despite the rough go at setting up the tarp, the boys all learned a valuable lesson of what it means to work together as a team to accomplish a task and how to harness their focus to take a bit more time to do the job right the first time. After debriefing our experience and lessons learned we gathered around a toasty fire to warm up on a chilly day. The boys had a great time chatting and joking around the fire before a nice sit spot along the shores of Lizard Lake. Although the Salamander Efts struggled with their focus on this outing, their eager energy demonstrated a passion and excitement for exploration and adventure that is great to see. As they grow older they will continue to learn how to harness their focus and accomplish the tasks at hand. This outing was a great learning experience for all and an opportunity for growth as individuals and as a group. On the bus ride home the laughter and smiles made it clear that everyone had a wonderful time. It was great to see the Salamander Efts wrap up their Fall 2015 season with an extended outing full of powers and challenges that demonstrated room for growth while maintaining an undying eagerness and energy that embodies what it means to be an Explorer.
Make sure to check out the rest of our photos from this outing in the Salamander Efts Photo Gallery!
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