Meeting up on a chilly morning at Lookout Mountain, the
Salamander Efts and Red Tailed Eyas came together as two of the eldest groups
in Boys Explorers Club. It has been a tradition over the years that two of the
oldest groups of Explorers get together for an outing for an epic games day.
The game of the day would be “Life and Death in the Forest” which teaches us
about the intricacies of the food web through playful embodiment of those who
call the forest home. Herbivores, Omnivores, and Carnivores make up the basic
players in the game with food sources, water sources, and medicine sources scattered
throughout the playing field. The struggle between life and death becomes
surprisingly real when time is running out and the only thing standing between
you and that last food source is a hungry Carnivore licking his chops for a
shot at one last meal. With many of the Explorers having heard about this game
from friends or family, this highly anticipated moment in their Explorers Club
career was about to begin.
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| Gathering together for an opening circle |
As we hiked together up the trail, we were immediately faced
with both life and death in the forest. This time, however, was no game. At a
junction in the trail a dank, decaying aroma crept into our nostrils and made
us all pause. Peering through the foliage was eerie sight to behold, ribs,
rotten flesh, a hoof, and looking right back at us; a skull. This was a perfect
reminder that although for us Life and Death in the Forest is a fun game, for
all of our furry and feathered friends it is a very stark reality. Picking our
way through the underbrush, we investigated further to find the carcass of a
deer. The close proximity to the trail and lack of debris covering the carcass ruled
out any cougar as the culprit. Plenty of game trails came in and out of the
brush where the carcass was likely indicating coyotes had been feeding here,
and perhaps the occasional off leash dog that couldn’t resist a good sniff. The
true killer may never be known, but since the deer seemed young in size and
without much wear on its teeth, natural causes seemed unlikely. With the
droning of cars on Lake Luis Rd still drifting over the hillside, the prime
suspect was unfortunately an automobile.
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| The deer carcass we found in the woods |
Moving on from the deer carcass, we continued along the
trail chatting amongst ourselves when a brown blur sliced through the canopy
overhead. Getting a better angle, we gathered around to observe a Barred Owl
perched up at the top of a Red Alder. It lingered long enough for everyone to
get a good look before silently swooping away, back into the forest in search
of some peace and quiet. Having discovered impeccable instances of both life
and death in the forest it was time to get down to business.
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| Taking a break from the game to test Tinder Fungus as a coal extender |
Traversing off trail we found a good spot to set up base
camp and circle up to talk about the day. Having two groups together meant a
bigger circle than usual, but everyone seemed to hold focus and let the mentors
go over the game plan. With our game set up, the rules explained, and
participants prepped, all that was left was to start. The Herbivores got a head
start to disperse into the landscape and begin stealthily scouring the forest for
food and water. Next the Omnivores were sent off needing to pick a priority of
plant food, water, or hunting to begin the game. Finally, the Carnivores were
let loose much to the dismay of the Herbivores and Omnivores who now flinched
at every twig snapped and fern rustled. Explorers and Mentors alike ran,
crawled, climbed, ducked, dove, scurried and scampered. For over half an hour
the struggle between life and death was all that mattered. This crash course in
survival was graded with a pass or a fail. It didn’t matter how you survived,
no style points were awarded, and whether you charged fearlessly into the
onslaught or crawled quietly around the melee did not matter as long as you
survived. Finally the game was called to an end and despite the mayhem the
majority of us survived to see another day… or at least another round!
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| An unsuspecting Herbivore in search of food and water... |
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| Little did he know it was an ambush! |
Finishing our second round of Life and Death in the Forest,
we gathered up for some informal free time working on bow drill, testing TinderFungus, or just goofing off with friends. Everyone enjoyed some down time after
all the excursion during our games and we soon transitioned into closing
circle. Reminding the boys of the need for strong focus, respectful listening,
and genuine openness we all took a turn speaking from our hearts and sharing
gratitude with the group. Having two of the older groups together for this was
a good reminder for the mentors of where the newer, younger groups are striving
to be. The Salamander Efts and Red Tailed Eyas have set the bar high for the
younger groups through their enthusiasm and energy, thoughtfulness, compassion,
and sincerity for themselves, one another, and the natural world. As the
Salamander Efts graduation from Boys Explorers Club looms on the horizon, the
Red Tailed Eyas are sitting on deck to become the eldest group next fall. We
will miss the Salamander Efts as they move on to the Four Shields program, but
can’t wait to see how the Red Tailed Eyas respond to their new role a year from
now.
Make sure to check out the rest of the photos from our outing here!
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| Gathering together for a closing circle |
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