The Salamander Efts kicked off their fall season with a
cam pout up at Lizard Lake. Ever since our first trip to Lizard Lake as a group,
the Explorers have persistently asked; “Can we do an overnight here!?” and alas
their wishes came true. Loading up the
bus at Samish Woods Montessori, we cruised out along the shores of Lake Samish
towards Blanchard Mountain. Reaching the trailhead we unloaded our gear and for
the first time the Salamander Efts were able to enjoy the timelessness of a
camp out. With no deadline to get back to parents for the rest of the day, we
took our time divvying out group gear, getting our packs loaded up, and taking
a moment to discuss expeditionary behavior and what we all need to bring with
us physically, mentally, and emotionally in order to be safe and efficient
wilderness travelers. Preparing for this camp out as though it were a backpack
enabled us to get an idea of what it will take if anyone ever wants to
participate in a summer backpacking trip with Wild Whatcom.
With our packs loaded up and on our backs we hit the trail.
Passing by the quarry, we took some time to investigate the changes since our
last time out here. There was a massive amount of stone missing from the
hillside and clearly we had found where the logging companies had supplied
themselves with the gravel to lay down fresh logging roads on Blanchard.
Pushing on, we continued up the old logging road until we hit the trailhead for
the Alternate Incline Trail that would take us up to Lizard Lake. Some of the
boys wanted to play a game of HIDE, but we realized our new mentor, Jedidiah,
didn’t know how to play! We taught him and played a few rounds before trekking
up the trail. Along the way we stopped for a few rest breaks and took time to
investigate that natural history mysteries that were all around us; an old
moldy wasp nest, funky fungus, Western Yew Trees galore, and tons of old metal
relics lying beside the trail as reminders of all the logging that took place
over a century ago on this landscape. Pushing on we soon arrived at Lizard
Lake.
Upon our arrival, we made sure to jump right into setting up
camp before we got too relaxed and lackadaisical. First we pitched our tents,
though one of the tents was more challenging than the other due to the fact it
had the wrong rain fly! We turned problems into possibilities and made it work
with a little creativity. Next we got a bear hang up that would keep our food
safe while we were camping out. Although the odds of running into a bear where
we were at was slim, it’s always good to practice proper wilderness travel
principles, not to mention bear hangs work pretty well to keep mice out of your
gear too! Finally we got our water filter set up, refilled our water bottles,
and were ready to hang out and enjoy the rest of the day. 
Hanging out in camp, we kept ourselves busy practicing
survival skills like starting a fire with a ferro rod, carving, creating make
shift fishing hooks out of a twig and some old fishing line salvaged from the
dirt near camp, and even brewing up some tea out of various edible plants and
berries we found around camp. With night approaching we decided to get started
on our Thanksgiving Dinner of instant mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, turkey
jerky, and dried cranberries. We had plenty to go around and stuffed ourselves
full of food before hanging out around the fire for the rest of the night. It
was great to get some time for the Salamander Efts to bond with one another
around the glow of the fire the way boys their age have for thousands of years.
One by one we all got tired and felt the call of our cozy sleeping bags so we
headed to bed for the night for a well-deserved rest after a long day.
Waking up the following day, we discussed our plans for the
day while munching down some Explorers Club Oatmeal. Since we spent most of the
previous day in camp, we decided to trek up to the North Butte for lunch and to
play some games in the woods just to the south of the butte. Packing up our
gear we put together some day packs and stashed the rest of our gear in a tent
before heading out. The hike up to the North Butte was a pleasant meander with
light packs and feeling fresh after a good night’s sleep. At the top of the
North Butte we were greeted with gorgeous views out to the San Juan Islands. On
the eastern face of the butte we could just make out the foothills of a socked
in Mt Baker. Finally, resting upon the northern face of the butte we gazed
northward at the rolling Chuckanuts and beyond to Bellingham and into Canada.
Breaking out our lunches and water bottles we re-fueled before trekking back
down off the butte and into the tree line atop Blanchard Mountain. Here we had
just enough time for an epic game of Spider’s Web in a matchstick forest of
young Doug Fir and Western Hemlock. Finally, running out of time we scurried
back down to camp to pack up and hike out.
After losing track of time up on the butte, we hurried to
break down camp and get our gear together. Doing one final sweep of our
campsite to ensure we weren’t leaving anything behind and to pick up any bits
of trash we could find (always leave a place better than the way you found it!)
we got back on the trail. The hike down was much easier than the hike up so we
all were able to enjoy plenty of conversation amongst one another that made the
hike fly by. Before we knew it we were back down on the logging road and headed
for the bus. Loading up the bus with all our gear we cruised on back to Samish
Woods Montessori just in time to be reunited with parents. Smelling of
campfire, a bit dirty, and with a few bumps and bruises, everyone was full of
smiles and ready to head home for a shower and home cooked meal. There’s nothing
like roughing it for a night in the woods to make one appreciate the simple
things like fresh potable water out of the tap, a hot shower, or all the yummy
food we get to eat every day. Without a doubt the Salamander Efts first camp out
was a success and we all can’t wait for the next one!
Make sure to check out the rest of the photos from our
camp out here!
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