Salamander Efts Take Cover at Clayton

What a way to welcome in the Fall season; wind, rain, dark clouds, and a damp, dreary forest. Perfect for a salamander, potentially challenging for a Salamander Eft. Good thing we are learning The Art of Camping this season and more importantly this outing, the various methods and uses of tarp shelters! Before we can explore, however, we took a moment to chat about our summers and welcome a new member to the group; Cedar. With everyone present, accounted for, and acquainted with one another it was time to get into the woods and the cover of the canopy. First things first, we decided it was important to jump right into our skills focus for the day. An ever increasing down pour gave us extra incentive to hone our tarp shelter skills.

With many experienced explorers in the Salamander Efts, and seasoned outdoorsman, the mentors decided to let the group work together to set up the first tarp shelter. This would shed valuable insight into where everyone was in terms of knowledge and experience, as well as offer a great opportunity to work on teamwork and inner group communications. Expectedly, the Salamander Efts were a bit stumped at where to start and quickly got side tracked as they explored for a shelter location. The mentors quickly reined them back in and discussed how to pick a site, accounting for widow makers, deciduous trees that drop limbs, slope of landscape, accessibility to usable trees, direction of wind, pre-existing canopy cover, etc. With a bit more focus in mind, the boys went back at it and quickly decided on a location and type of tarp shelter. Overcoming some difficulties with communication, the Salamander Efts rigged up a relatively decent tarp shelter, all be it with some unique rope work, but would definitely get the job done in a pinch. Taking a moment to debrief while eating lunch, there was a shared sense of inability to effectively communicate ideas amongst the group and upon further reflection everyone realized a more efficient process would incorporate a quick circle and group decision making process on location, strategy, tarp shelter design, and designation of tasks. This just goes to show that even a simple task like a tarp shelter can quickly turn into a wonderful mirror to reflect the strengths and weaknesses of a group. Luckily, this is exactly what Explorers Club is all about and we have many adventures in our future to continue our growth as a group.

With some strong focus, it was time to reward the Explorers with some free time. The mentors took this time to rig up their own example of a tarp shelter that incorporated a variety of different techniques that can be utilized from a couple of beneficial knots like a Truckers Hitch, or an example of how to stake a corner down if you’re lacking appropriate trees to tie off to. There truly is no limit to what you can do with a tarp and some cordage. Calling the boys back in with our good old crow call, everyone was taught a couple of knots, instructed on why the mentors set up the tarp the way they did, and  shown a few alternative options that could have been utilized in a similar situation.

As the mentors finished up their little tarp demo, they felt good about the progress that was made and decided to let the Explorers use their remaining time to explore the wonderful little ravine we were in and have some quality nature free play. Activities varied from trying to dam up the little creek, to roaming around the area in small groups letting their imaginations lead their journey, or even work on building a great little debris shelter as one of our Explorers decided to do. During this free play the mentors set up shop under the tarp shelter and boiled up some water for hot cocoa to keep everyone warm for closing circle. Finally it was time to end the day. Circling up under the tarp, sipping hot cocoa, munching on apple slices, we all shared our gratitude for the day and reflected on a solid day of skills work combined with adventurous free play sessions. All in all a good outing, and a great way to kick off the Fall season.

Make sure to check out all the other photos from our outing at the Salamander Efts Photo Gallery!

Salamander Efts Take Shelter at North Galbraith

On a damp drizzly Sunday afternoon, the Salamander Efts had their third outing of the fall season. This was truly salamander weather and the boys were going to have to tap into their inner amphibian to make it through this outing. As the first couple of boys showed it up at the North Galbraith Trailhead a light sprinkle slowly picked up. Thereafter it seemed like each boy that arrived brought out more and more of the rain. By the time the last Salamander Eft showed up it was a complete downpour; perfect weather to inspire a solid day of shelter building.

We began the day with a sense of urgency. It was wet, cold, and dreary and all we could do was start moving to make sure we stayed warm. The first task was to find a place to have opening meeting. The Salamander Efts have been around long enough to know what to look for. Remembering back to their first season studying the Art of Shelter we all were keeping our eyes out for nice big cedar trees, preferably a small cedar grove growing close together so their canopy of J-shaped branches could provide us cover from the rain. Unfortunately no matter where we looked it was inevitable, we were going to be getting wet. A quick hop off of the trail and we found a sufficient location for our meeting.

The opening meeting was a quick one. It was clear the priority here was shelter. Nature has a funny way of teaching, and today nature was forcing our hand. It almost felt like an exam. These boys knew enough about shelter building from past seasons, but today their skills were going to be put to the test. We continued along the trail looking for promising locations. Dry(ish) level ground, decent canopy cover, and abundant resources were all on the check list for where to set up shop. After a few minutes we came upon a promising location and got to work.

It took awhile for these boys to grasp the situation. It was cold, it was wet, it was miserable for some. These boys are reaching an age where they will begin to learn that sometimes they themselves are the only ones that can improve their situation. The mentors made it clear that it was no time to dilly dally, stand around, or complain about the elements, yet a good handful of the boys seemed to not know where to begin. The mentors split up to two locations and decided to give the boys a little help. One group dropped down to a cedar grove and the other went just up above the trail. Each boy was left to decide which group they wanted to join and soon it was clear the lower group had the majority of the boys and only three or four decided to go to the other location. Perhaps this would be an opportunity for the boys to see the motto “many hands makes light work” but alas there was still trouble finding motivation and compromise in how best to build the shelter.

As the lower group planned out a large shelter for their larger group, the upper group was still having difficulty deciding how best to approach the situation. As one of the boys from the lower group got frustrated with lack of effort and cooperation from his comrades, he decided to move to the upper group where his ideas were openly accepted and a shelter began to take form. The boys quickly realized that making a shelter in adverse conditions is no easy task. Even deciding which type of shelter to construct was rather confusing. So many great ideas just didn’t seem to work out in actuality as it did in their thoughts. After some trial and error, the lower group built a large framework that would have plentiful space for the whole group. The upper group decided to develop a cozy debris shelter.

As the shelters grew and took form, so did the boys morale. Although some boys had to take a break to warm up running along the mountain bike jumps, most of the boys finally got some good shelter building in and soon realized the work kept them warm, their minds occupied, and the time passing relatively quickly. One of the boys found taking shelter in the nearly complete debris hut kept him warm and dry. Although the couple of boys gathering the rest of the debris were only mildly amused by this notion, it provided ample evidence of the insulating properties of all the Big-Leaf Maple leaves we were piling up on the shelter.

Soon enough the rains began to let up. As the clouds lifted, so did the boys spirits. Boys were laughing and scurrying around playing various games with one another. Some of the boys found an excellent muddy hillside primed for sliding down after all the rain. Other boys were still highly motivated to finish the shelters. After a short discussion, the boys decided to spend the rest of the time putting the finishing touches on their shelters and enjoying the scattered beams of sunlight breaking through the tree cover instead of playing any games. Both mentors found a lot of maturity in this decision and were proud of the boys for wanting to finish what they started.

By the end of the day the boys had been through a lot. The elements did their best to make things miserable for them, but on the hike back to the parking lot any passerby would have had no idea. Everyone was laughing, cracking jokes with one another, and playing the whole way back.  When we finally broke through to a posse of anxious parents, it was clear there was some relief to see the Salamander Efts in high spirits. It was certainly a trying day, but the boys came away with a whole new appreciation for warmth and dryness. The Art of Shelter may not be the most glamorous, but these boys further solidified their knowledge, ability, and mastery of a skill that could one day save their lives, or at least keep them a little more comfortable in inclement weather.

Salamander Efts Take Shelter at North Galbraith

On a damp drizzly Sunday afternoon, the Salamander Efts had their third outing of the fall season. This was truly salamander weather and the boys were going to have to tap into their inner amphibian to make it through this outing. As the first couple of boys showed it up at the North Galbraith Trailhead a light sprinkle slowly picked up. Thereafter it seemed like each boy that arrived brought out more and more of the rain. By the time the last Salamander Eft showed up it was a complete downpour; perfect weather to inspire a solid day of shelter building.

We began the day with a sense of urgency. It was wet, cold, and dreary and all we could do was start moving to make sure we stayed warm. The first task was to find a place to have opening meeting. The Salamander Efts have been around long enough to know what to look for. Remembering back to their first season studying the Art of Shelter we all were keeping our eyes out for nice big cedar trees, preferably a small cedar grove growing close together so their canopy of J-shaped branches could provide us cover from the rain. Unfortunately no matter where we looked it was inevitable, we were going to be getting wet. A quick hop off of the trail and we found a sufficient location for our meeting.

The opening meeting was a quick one. It was clear the priority here was shelter. Nature has a funny way of teaching, and today nature was forcing our hand. It almost felt like an exam. These boys knew enough about shelter building from past seasons, but today their skills were going to be put to the test. We continued along the trail looking for promising locations. Dry(ish) level ground, decent canopy cover, and abundant resources were all on the check list for where to set up shop. After a few minutes we came upon a promising location and got to work.

It took awhile for these boys to grasp the situation. It was cold, it was wet, it was miserable for some. These boys are reaching an age where they will begin to learn that sometimes they themselves are the only ones that can improve their situation. The mentors made it clear that it was no time to dilly dally, stand around, or complain about the elements, yet a good handful of the boys seemed to not know where to begin. The mentors split up to two locations and decided to give the boys a little help. One group dropped down to a cedar grove and the other went just up above the trail. Each boy was left to decide which group they wanted to join and soon it was clear the lower group had the majority of the boys and only three or four decided to go to the other location. Perhaps this would be an opportunity for the boys to see the motto “many hands makes light work” but alas there was still trouble finding motivation and compromise in how best to build the shelter.

As the lower group planned out a large shelter for their larger group, the upper group was still having difficulty deciding how best to approach the situation. As one of the boys from the lower group got frustrated with lack of effort and cooperation from his comrades, he decided to move to the upper group where his ideas were openly accepted and a shelter began to take form. The boys quickly realized that making a shelter in adverse conditions is no easy task. Even deciding which type of shelter to construct was rather confusing. So many great ideas just didn’t seem to work out in actuality as it did in their thoughts. After some trial and error, the lower group built a large framework that would have plentiful space for the whole group. The upper group decided to develop a cozy debris shelter.

As the shelters grew and took form, so did the boys morale. Although some boys had to take a break to warm up running along the mountain bike jumps, most of the boys finally got some good shelter building in and soon realized the work kept them warm, their minds occupied, and the time passing relatively quickly. One of the boys found taking shelter in the nearly complete debris hut kept him warm and dry. Although the couple of boys gathering the rest of the debris were only mildly amused by this notion, it provided ample evidence of the insulating properties of all the Big-Leaf Maple leaves we were piling up on the shelter.

Soon enough the rains began to let up. As the clouds lifted, so did the boys spirits. Boys were laughing and scurrying around playing various games with one another. Some of the boys found an excellent muddy hillside primed for sliding down after all the rain. Other boys were still highly motivated to finish the shelters. After a short discussion, the boys decided to spend the rest of the time putting the finishing touches on their shelters and enjoying the scattered beams of sunlight breaking through the tree cover instead of playing any games. Both mentors found a lot of maturity in this decision and were proud of the boys for wanting to finish what they started.

By the end of the day the boys had been through a lot. The elements did their best to make things miserable for them, but on the hike back to the parking lot any passerby would have had no idea. Everyone was laughing, cracking jokes with one another, and playing the whole way back.  When we finally broke through to a posse of anxious parents, it was clear there was some relief to see the Salamander Efts in high spirits. It was certainly a trying day, but the boys came away with a whole new appreciation for warmth and dryness. The Art of Shelter may not be the most glamorous, but these boys further solidified their knowledge, ability, and mastery of a skill that could one day save their lives, or at least keep them a little more comfortable in inclement weather.

Salamander Efts Explore the Old Growth at Mile Marker 44

What a beautiful day to kick off the Fall Season for the Salamander Efts. The clear, sunny sky held promise for our first outing of the season. Boys trickled in one-by-one and before we knew it Stubbs, our Wild Whatcom bus, was loaded and ready to roll. We chugged along to the IGA on Mt. Baker Highway to pick up the remaining explorers before continuing on to Mile Marker 44 and the wonders of the old growth forest.

Finally, after a lengthy drive, we made it to the pull out and unloaded. The beautiful old growth forest was a relief for the mentors and some of the boys after a noisy bus ride. Just a few yards down the trail and we were all in awe of a massive old growth Douglas Fir that took both the mentors and eight of the boys holding hands to wrap all the way around its trunk. We were truly now in the presence of giants.

After checking out some more of the old growth, we found a nice place for opening circle. The Salamander Efts were reunited once again, but this time there was a new face that we had the pleasure of welcoming to the group. Not only did a new face bring new thoughts and inspirations to the group, but this also gave the boys a chance to reflect upon the culture we’ve built over the seasons as we shared it with our new Salamander Eft group member. The old growth was calling to the boys so we quickly wrapped up our meeting and got out exploring the pristine ecosystem.

Some of the boys ventured down a trail and found a massive downed tree that was ripe for shelter building. A couple of other boys explored back in another direction and found a wonderland of mushrooms of all sizes from as big as a bullfrog to as tiny as a tadpole carpeting the forest floor. The boys also spent some time during this exploration period to build a couple miniature shelters with one of the mentors to show the other boys a few new ways to construct different types of shelters beyond the tried and true debris huts we learned to build in previous seasons.

While some of us were working on mini shelters, the rest of the group was hard at work constructing a full scale shelter that incorporated the downed old growth tree. There was so much potential with this shelter site that some of the boys had differing opinions on what kind of shelter to build and who should get to make the decision. There were some difficult moments as some of the boys felt they had more of a right to do what they want because it was “their” shelter site because they “found it first.”

While these boys were working out their differences, it left them hyper-focused inwardly and on their immediate situation. Little did they know that the other group of boys was sneaking up on their flank with one of the other mentors. The sneak took the boys in a long looping path around the southern flank of the squabbling shelter builders. It was rather easy to track where they were because they could hear the other boys chattering away. Along the sneak, they encountered numerous fungi of differing shapes, colors, and textures. They navigated through dense Devils Club, over (and even under) giant old growth nurse logs, and snuck in close just to the east of the rest of the group. It was truly an epic sneak, but before we could get any closer our time for exploration and free play came to an end.

Back near where we had our opening circle, one of the mentors shared the mini shelter creations with the rest of the group where we discussed the pros and cons of the different types of shelters and discovered how quick, easy, and resource efficient it is to practice your shelter building skills by building mini shelters. Not only can you build them anywhere there are some sticks, dirt, and other natural materials, but it gives the boys an opportunity to practice all their fantastic shelter building ideas on a smaller scale before they attempt them on a full scale shelter. Towards the end of our discussion a pair of small black and white woodpeckers with red heads decided to join us. We stopped and watched for a short time before gathering for our closing circle.

At closing circle we reflected upon the day, and finally had an opportunity to discuss the issues and negative impacts on others that can arise when individuals are overly possessive. The boys re-visited the concepts of escalation and were given a few insights into conflict resolution by the mentors. However, as we were trying to give thanks to wrap up the day, some of the boys weren’t giving the proper respect to others which was especially troubling to one of the mentors. Although we were already running late, it was important for the boys to understand the significance and meaning of reflection and gratitude for the beautiful day, magnificent location, and strong brotherhood we had on this outing. Being a bit late was well worth it as we found the significance behind thankfulness and reflection before scurrying to the bus, loading up with smiles on our faces, and heading back to meet the parents. What a day, full of peaks and valleys, but also such growth, graciousness, and good times shared by all.

Shelter & The Storm

Gray skies, the threat of rain, the promise of learning the art of shelter, and two eager mentors greeted the Salamander Efts and their families at the Galbraith lane parking area. Eagerly, we carried our belongings into the forest to find a suitable place for opening meeting. Explorers were eager for jobs and a chance to share stories since the last time we met. 

The weather provided the perfect backdrop for shelter building.  Gray skies, cold wind, and rain were important for illustrating the need for good shelter.  Dave led the boys to a place where the Boys Explorers Club has been practicing the art of shelter building for several seasons. After seeing the shelters, the boys scattered to begin work on their own. Mentors roved around, offering help and advice regarding the importance of where a shelter is located. These were questions like: Is the ground well drained?  Is it exposed to wind or hazards like rotting snags above?  Is it near easily available shelter materials? 

The Salamander Efts' energy towards building shelters was incredible!  Mentors began construction on a classic debris hut to illustrate a reliable way build a shelter in any wooded area. The boys cycled through the classic hut, helping to find all the parts necessary to building and insulting it. During construction an important event occurred. The Salamander Efts found Ensatina eschscoltzii, a salamander species that is common in our forests, yet elusive due to its small size and effective camouflage.  This particular Ensatina demonstrated an effective defensive measure by severing its own tail, which thrashed about next to the salamander.  Finding the namesake of this group of explorers is an exciting marker as it speaks highly of the Salamander Efts ability to pay attention to the landscape and notice even the smallest of its inhabitants.   

As Explorers’ energy began to lull, mentors brought in some magic to shift the days events. Suddenly,  boys transformed into cougars and Greg transformed into a fleeing deer! After hiding carefully from his pursuers, the deer was stalked and captured by Connor!  Back together after the hunt, the Explorers headed further up the trail, climbing up every old growth stump along the way. 

The wind demanded our attention when we were on the trail.  Dave twice attempted to set up a game of Spider's Web, a wonderful game of sneaking and stalking, but the weather demanded that we could not play. While we were all disappointed to not learn how to play Spider's Web, there was no denying that the wind had increased as evidenced by healthy branches that were falling nearby. Without a safe place where we felt comfortable playing in this part of the forest, Explorers held a meeting to determine the next course of action. They decided that the best plan would be to head back to the shelters and spend some more time working on them and exploring that part of the forest. 

Before we resumed work on the shelters we held closing meeting. This was a chance to share with the boys how mentors had been assessing the weather throughout the day. We shared that a wind storm in September is tricky because the Maples, Alders, and Cottonwoods all still have their leaves. Thus, these deciduous trees catch the wind more than they would in November through January, when we typically have our largest storms. And this turns them into huge sails, making them vulnerable to losing branches. We concluded our meeting in our typical fashion of offering gratitude and sharing something we learned that day.  Many boys were thankful for a safe day in a windy forest and a chance to learn the art of shelter building.  Mentors were thankful for the opportunity to have another day afield with these boys.  Thank you Salamander Efts Families!

Despite the rain, the Mentors remembered to get out the camera and took a number of pictures during the outing that you can find in our Salamander Efts photo gallery located here. Our next outing is at Connelly Creek and it is an opportunity to do some service and meet another extraordinary Mentor Tim Massey. We will be working to restore balance to the landscape with the goal of repatriating salmon to this part of the watershed. This will be a great opportunity for Explorers to strengthen their connection to the land by giving back in the form of habitat restoration. See you then!