On a gorgeous spring day the Salamander Efts met up for
their final outing of the spring season. After gathering together and catching
up we hit the trail and trekked up into the horse trails behind Lake Padden.
Stepping off the trail in a clearing we had our opening meeting and discussed
our skills focus, where we’ve gone so far this season, and what we wanted to
spend our time doing on our outing. With some time spent this season on
Tracking and Bird Language, we began shifting to our skills focus for the fall;
The Art of Surviving.
Reviewing “The Rule of Threes” we discussed how someone can
live three minutes without air, three hours in inclement weather, three days
without water, and three weeks without food. The first pertinent skill we felt
like focusing on was building a shelter. Although our clothes are our first
line of defense against bad weather, our ability to construct a shelter to keep
ourselves warm and dry could be the difference between life and death.
Trekking straight up the hill we got far enough off trail to
find a location that could handle the impact of constructing a shelter. First
we spent some time scouting the area to see where would be best for building a
shelter. Taking into account hazards, resources, and convenience we picked a spot
and got to work. Well, we tried to get to work. Tossing a few big sticks up on
a couple of logs, the boys thought they could just stack up a shelter and be
done. Not so. The Salamander Efts seemed to really struggle with coming up with
a legitimate structural plan for their shelter beyond building a “fort” in the
woods. After letting the boys struggle for a while, and seeing a pretty low
level of motivation to get things rolling, the mentors stepped in.
Re-assessing our situation we started from square one. First
we got a structural plan in place, next we took inventory of our resources and
began sawing out Y-Sticks and ribs out of fallen branches and downed trees. Despite
more structure and planning, the work ethic and motivation was just not there.
It became clear that these Salamander Efts will need a more realistic survival
scenario to spark a sense of urgency to fuel them to exercise a quality work
ethic. This was unfortunate after a strong service outing of quality work ethic
and leadership with the younger group.
With the mentors stepping in, things started coming
together. Utilizing cedar roots as cordage, the shelter grew into a solid
structure that could support a strong roof with sufficient debris for
waterproofing and insulation. Running out of time it was clear if this was a
survival situation we would be in trouble. The shelter did not get completed
and the boys didn’t seem to really care. As they grow older they will begin to
understand that practice is what will make or break application of these skills
in a real situation. 
Finishing up we debriefed our shelter building, ate some
food, and hiked back down the hill away from the swarming mosquitoes and down to
the lake. Along the way we found a variety of edible berries that we munched
on. Red Huckleberry, Salmonberry, and Indian Plum were all on the menu. Finally
we got to the water for a quick swim before returning to the dog park for pick
up. All in all this was an outing that was challenging for the mentors and a wake-up call for the boys that we have a ways to go before they could
comfortably survive an emergency in the woods. This will be a great outing for
us to revisit in the fall as we begin our true journey into the Art of
Survival. 
Not only will these Salamander Efts be trying to learn the
primal skill of survival, but the Salamander Efts will be one of the eldest
groups in Boys Explorers Club this fall. They will be embarking on the journey
of becoming Explorer Mentor Apprentices where they will have the opportunity
to come out and volunteer with younger groups, learn from the mentors, and get
a chance to practice what they learned about mentoring with the younger group.
This opportunity will further emphasize the importance of the Salamander Efts
growing, maturing, and not only having a strong work ethic for themselves, but
to lead by example and demonstrate to the younger groups what a work ethic
looks like and why it is important. Perhaps this incentive will help provide
the push to get the Salamander Efts focused on what it means to buckle down and
learn a skill, do some service, or just take advantage of the five hours, once
a month, four times a season, where they get together and explore the land and
learn from the mentors. Only time will tell, but the future holds a bounty of opportunity
for these boys and we all hope the Salamander Efts take full advantage.
Make sure to check out the rest of the photos from our outing here!
Make sure to check out the rest of the photos from our outing here!
