Salamander Efts Traverse Chuckanut Ridge

For this outing the Salamander Efts met on Cleator Road, alongside blooming Coltsfoot, to make the trek along Chuckanut Ridge to Arroyo Park. The morning was chill, but sunny, and after a long winter the weather was refreshing. We would be doing a traverse for the first time since fall and this was also refreshing in a way. Many of our exploratory outings are relatively unstructured and going for a hike to a known destination is therapeutic in a way; it gets the circulation up and removes any burden of decision, allowing us to sink into the land a bit, enjoy our surroundings, and make conversation along the trail.

Taking in the view over the islands.

Nearing the end of their final season with Explorer's Club, the Salamander Efts are now a relatively small group. With only four Salamanders out, however, it is easier for us to delve into the natural history of this beautiful region. As we traversed the ridge we had ample time and opportunity to stop and investigate the flora and fauna we passed. The spring season delivered us the new growth of plants and song of birds. We brushed up on our tree identification, discussing the differences between Red Alder, Big-leaf Maple and Cottonwood. We saw and smelled fresh Skunk Cabbage displaying its brilliant yellow flowers from the mud. We walked through groves of blooming Salmonberry and took the time to notice the butterfly shape of its leaves. We even found a salamander while poking around for signs of life beneath a log on the forest floor.

An Oregon Ensatina found beneath a moist log.

Reaching the ridge with the sun overhead we stopped to have lunch and take in the view. With swallows, Ravens, and a pair of Eagles floating in the early afternoon updrafts, we surveyed the landscape with binoculars. Chuckanut ridge, which runs roughly north-south provides sweeping vistas to both the east and west. With this in mind, we took a moment to revisit the orientation and navigation skills we learned when still new to Explorer's Club. Looking at the position of the sun, the ocean, mountains, and local terrain features we determined which direction we were heading down the trail. After lunch we took off along the ridge until we came to a trail junction. At the intersection of the trails there was a checkpoint map and we stopped to look at it and compare what we had determined by observation to the information on the map. We came to a decision about which direction we needed to go to get to Arroyo Park, but also discussed what we we would do if we lost our way and there was no map.

Digesting the view with our lunch.

We ended our traverse with time to spare at Chuckanut Creek in Arroyo Park, a long time Explorer's Club favorite. We decided to spend the remainder of our time along the creek, exploring up and down its length and enjoying time with friends in the sun. Winding down the day, we looked back at our time with Explorer's Club, but also forward to the end of our season and graduation, and although our day was relaxing, we didn't forget our goal to master Fire by Friction. After service, our next outing will be an overnight campout at Racehorse Falls and our goal is for each of the Salamander Efts to get a coal and flame with the Bow Drill.

Enjoying the Creek

Be sure to check out the rest of the photos from this outing here.

Salamander Efts Build A Shelter While Building Work Ethic

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!