Mt. Baker Snow Day-- 2/21/16

At one point in the day, Laura and I looked at each other and said, "This is our job!"....But I'm getting ahead of the story.

We boarded Moose (our trusty Wild Whatcom bus) and were driving away from Bellingham at 8:08 AM.  Shout out to all the parents for being so prompt.  Loaded with sleds, backpacks full of hot cocoa and hand warmers, it was east on 542 to our gem of a winter playground.  The girls were very excited but still able to have a couple of important conversations.  Laura led the girls in creating the community they wanted to have for the day; and what each girl was committed to bringing.  As Mt. Baker came into view the discussion shifted to forecasting.  This would become a touchstone for later conversations.  The excitement built as we drove the final few miles, flanked on either side by tall banks of snow.  Once we parked, the girls pulled on jackets, hats and mittens, grabbed sleds and headed for the first snowbank.

No time wasted!  By the time I got myself all put together they were well into the joys of sledding.  I asked if anyone had thought to S.T.O.P. the activity. "Of course, we need to be aware of cars!" Mindset in a good place.

We set off to the south, into the sidecountry.  At the ski area boundary ropes we stopped to have a talk about transitions, and the seriousness of traveling "out of bounds".  Mindset ready; and we were off to find a base camp.

As we hiked along talking about weather (and observing this weather on our bare-skinned faces) the girls had the task of selecting a camp.  Laura had presented a few important tidbits about snow conditions, and avalanche terrain and I had started a conversation about the ways we lose heat in the cold weather.  We had also been discussing what activities they wanted to do, so that was a part of the selection process.  They found a great spot that was somewhat protected from the wind, had some good terrain for snow cave building, and of course, more sledding.  Again, no time wasted!  Soon a sledding hill was being designed, snow caves were being built and a living area dug out.

Snow cave production area!

Lulu digging out seating in the living room.

A good hour or more was spent designing and refining snow caves.  There were good lessons learned when failures happened; as when a roof collapsed because it was too thin.  Near the end of our day we all looked at each cave, tried them out, asked questions and gave the builders feedback on functionality and creativity.

Amelia snuggling in her snow cave.

There was eating of course too and everyone was happy to have the cool seating...but not TOO cool as we talked about heat loss through conduction.  Yay for sleds and camp chairs and pads to sit on.

Opal and Kat enjoying some lunch.

Luna cozy in the snow.

Laura gave a lesson on reading the story of snow layers and the girls were super into this.  They asked great questions about different colors and touched and poked to try to figure out what they layers meant.  

And yes, there was lots of sledding!  They probably talked about that part...

We had such a fun day.  There was a lot of information and I invite you to ask about any of the following:  forecasting, snow layers and other avalanche signs, heat loss in the winter, how to build a snow cave, how to build a living room, how to get along!, and any other lessons they may have learned.

To see all the photos, view our photo album here!

Night Exploration Traverse 2-6-16

As the sun set over the Salish Sea, adventurers gathered at Larrabee State Park for a night of exploration and edge stretching.  We played a round of the Native Wildlife Guessing Game as we waited for everyone to arrive and check-in.  Each girl was secretly given an animal native to the Pacific Northwest and had to figure out who she was by asking other adventurers for clues.  This led to a rousing discussion of diurnal and nocturnal animals and what characteristics allow them to live successfully during the day or night.  After several minutes of helping each other discover our animal identities, we tried deciphering the Bandanna Challenge that Susie had for us.  See if your explorers remember the trick!

Once all of our adventurers arrived, we circled up to learn more about each other before heading out into the night.  The girls shared their names and an action showing how they felt about the plan for the evening.  While some were feeling low energy, there were positive vibes all around and an excitement to hit the trail!

We began our traverse with a different mindset than other Wild Whatcom explorations.  Instead of following our usual motto of “It’s about the journey, not the destination”, the girls and mentors talked how this hike was about moving from the starting point of Larrabee State Park to our destination of Clayton Beach.  The mentors invited exploration and questioning throughout and discussed with the girls how this outing was a chance to delve into some nighttime travel strategies.  We asked how the group could support each other during some potential edge-stretching moments.  Though this was this group’s first time together, it seemed like they’d been adventuring together for years, based on the compassionate and supportive conversations that happened throughout the night!

We headed down the stairs at Larrabee and ended up by the water just in time to witness a beautiful pink and gold sunset. We followed the path through Salal and Pacific madrone trees with the Salish Sea by our side, and eventually scrambled our way down near the train tracks.  As the last of the light filtered through the Douglas firs, Lauren shared a new word for describing animals that are most active at dusk and dawn- crepuscular!  The girls realized that they already knew several crepuscular creatures such as cougars, deer, bats, and mice.  With a heightened awareness of who was out and about, we continued along the tracks until an opportunity for a group decision arose.

As the night progressed and the light faded, we had two options- continue along the clear path near the train tracks for an early arrival at our destination or turn off into the woods for a trickier and longer path to the beach.  The adventurers opted for a scramble up a hill and some route finding in the forest, which now looked very different in the dark.  With lots of giggling and encouragement, we made it up the hill in record time!  Now about three-quarters of the way through our traverse, we stopped for a snack after crossing the bridge on the trail to Clayton Beach.  While digging around in our bags for food and more warm layers, the girls wondered if we could use our headlamps and flashlights.  Susie and Lauren talked about the effect of bright lights on our developing night vision and how cool our eyeballs are with their rods and cones!

We hit the trail once more, sliding down rocks and crossing streams to finally arrive at Clayton Beach! The air was cool, and stars filled the clear night sky.  The girls pointed out constellations and satellites while Susie fired up the camp stove for some hot drinks.  Lauren Hurst (our awesome volunteer!) shared a poem from Wendell Berry:

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.

To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,

and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,

and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.

This sparked some insightful conversation among the adventurers on what it means to trust yourself in the dark and see familiar places in a new way.

After some well-earned dinner, the adventurers scattered across the sand to see what wonders the nighttime beach held.  Though we wished we could have stayed on that beach all night, we had a little more traversing to do in order to meet up with families at the end of the trail.  We found our way back up the rocks, through the Salal, and across the stream to the base of the stairs at the Clayton Beach Trailhead.

We gathered together one last time to share our feelings on how the traverse went, and then rejoined our families with a new perspective on the night!

Games, Games, Games Day! 2/7/2016

On a blustery day in February, a group of spunky girls and two child-hearted mentors met for a day of games.... entirely games! Rain was in the forecast, and thankfully, these girls were prepared (thanks to parents for reading the Be Prepared Checklist ahead of time, and supporting your daughter in her quest for preparedness). Our group was a great mix of older and younger girls,  GEC girls and newbies. Thanks to everyone for creating a great community.

We started the day playing "Squirrels", a fun game of thievery and strategy. Our young squirrels did their best to keep the food in their nests protected, while at the same time, foraging for more food. Squirrels is a game of trickery, no doubt, which also teaches us lessons of fairness, strategy, and prioritization.

After some snack time (always a favorite), we played a team challenge game, "Where's My Moose".  Thanks to Ansley for providing the moose :-)

This game can be both exciting and frustrating as the team tries to outsmart the person guarding moose. On this day it was Rebecca; and she is hard to beat... The girls worked together over and over, refining their strategies and cooperation until they were successful.

After a chatty lunch together, Holly pulled us together for some rounds of "Bat and Moth".  What a fun duck and evade game! The Bat is blindfolded, and with her sense of echolocation, tries to blindly find her scrumptious bugs for snacks. The bugs' job is to not be eaten, so they have to move quietly and effectively around the space.

The rain grew bit more persistent, so we took off for a walk.  As we explored new buds and other signs of emerging spring, another game was born.  We formed partnerships and took turns hiding pipe cleaners for our partners to find.  Mara stumped Rebecca many times!

We ended our day walking the labyrinth.  The girls ran the first time through; with all the innocence and abandon that defines children.  We then spoke about the significance of a labyrinth as a meditation tool.  We invited the girls to walk through again, slowly, meditating on something for which they felt grateful.  At the end we all sat around the inner circle and picked a stone in the middle that we identified with...and helped us think of those feelings of gratitude.  And, of course those who felt ready, shared.  

Thanks again parents for supporting the interests and passions of your girls.  We love hanging out with your kiddos!

Wildlife Walking & Watching: Tracking and Eagles on the Nooksack 1-10-16

We started at the beginning, as we all do. On this beautiful sunny day we met potential friends at Samish Woods to load up on Stubbs. Except Stubbs was out getting tanked up for our journey and wasn't in the parking lot, so we stood around a little awkwardly in our group talking about our winter preparedness until we decided to play a quick game of hide to play a trick on Tim. Quickly, the children scattered behind trees, fence and stone. Lots of giggling ensued. Tim pulled up in the bus and Holly loudly proclaimed that she had no idea where everybody was! What? There is nothing like a little fun and games to dispel the social awkwardness of not knowing each other. Play is unifying. And with that, we hit the road out for our adventure together.

Out at the Eagle Park we picked up two more adventurers, and had a discussion about tracking, what animal "sign" is, and what evidence animals leave behind as clues. So of course, we talked about poop. Technically, scat. A story of "consider the bore hole" came out when we discovered some scat and contemplated how big the animal might have been that left it behind. For an entertaining conversation, ask your explorer what a "bore hole" is. We delved into animal prints, animal gaits and how animal's legs move when on the go. This lead us to several races in our animal selves. Pretending to be bears, raccoons, deer, rabbits and cougars was a fun way explore animal movement!

Now we were ready to explore the riverbed of the Nooksack. Down the steep bank we scrambled, smack into a shallow rivulet of a stream frozen in time. We could have stayed here for hours as we marveled and explored the beautiful, interesting forms captured for those moments in the sunshine. We mentors underestimated the draw of cracking and stomping ice. These explorers had so much fun playing with the ice! Eventually, we moved on to the sand and headed towards the river in search of tracks and making "paw prints" with the plaster of paris.

The sandy riverbed provided tons of examples of animal sign. On our way out to the river we stopped many, many times to peer intensely at tracks and chewed branches, pondering what family the animal was from. We found evidence of dog, weasel, rodent and bird families. Tracking is about keen observation of the tiniest details, and learning how to read a landscape for clues. We practiced observation skills and found beaver evidence and mole tracks, as well as loads of foot prints. See our photo gallery for loads more pictures of what we found!

And then, we found the biggest snack log of all time! Best place to have lunch, ever. We spread out, enjoying the sunshine and each other's company and let the conversations take over while we nourished our bodies. The sunshine and good company warmed us through and through. 

After lunch we continued our quest to find the river. We looked up and over the brushy layers of shrubs on the riverbed to see where we should head, and then a Bald Eagle soared over us, as if to point the way. We followed, right to a braided section of the Nooksack. These relatively shallow streams flow rapidly downstream and spread out where the substrate and slope allows. The shallowness makes for a great Eagle buffet as they can easily see and forage for their supper, the spawning Chum Salmon.

However the shallowness is relative, and still too deep and dangerously fast and cold for us humans. We played on the riverbank, chucked rocks into the river, splashed in the rivulets, watched Eagles, and played sink or float with driftwood. And then, a few explorers got "Explorer Fever", and headed off on a journey a little too far for comfort, as they would be out of earshot. Tim rallied these folks, had a serious chat about what risk management looks like when exploring in a group and the importance of staying in a group. Taking care of a group can be a tough challenge for folks who think that leadership means being first and out in front, and is an important skill to foster, practice and encourage in this world. Cooperation doesn't mean getting people to do what you want them to do. It means involving all parties, and in Explorers, it may mean compromising your personal interests for the benefit of the group. We are all still learning this one.

We came together to learn how to make plaster casts, which is harder than we thought! We watched Tim demonstrate the whole process, and then struck out on our own to find a paw print in the sand that might work. That alone was challenging considering how much detail we wanted to capture and how weathered most of the tracks were from a week of rain.

Some folks found the casting activity as a fun experiment, and tried casting paw prints and their own made up track.  A few others found it very challenging physically and emotionally. Turns out perfect prints and plaster casting don't always match up and it was harder than we expected to accomplish the goal of a perfectly cast track. We mentors watched these children make several decisions as this conflict arose. We can give up and go backwards on your heels when faced with a blockage, keep flowing around the obstacle, find a new channel, and keep heading downstream until you finally find what you are looking for. Learning how to be resilient when our perceived ideal faces a disappointing reality, is a life lesson that need lots of opportunities to practice. Funny what you can learn from a river. : )

The light falling around us, we quickly gathered our plaster casts and hiked back to our bus in the parking lot. This was a much quicker trip than our leisurely wandering mode from the morning. Given our different individuals hiking speeds and need to be in front, the emphasis was on keeping our group together and maintaining awareness/accounting for everyone in the group. Lots of opportunities to practice this care.

Our circle of gratitude gave voice to our thanks for water, sunshine, river, ice, animals that made tracks, and opportunities for personal growth while exploring the land. We popped back into the bus for snacks and laughs on our way back home. We pulled Stubbs into the school parking lot with a bunch of smiles from our sunshine filled day of exploring, much dirtier and wetter than when we left!

Please see the full gallery of our outing here. 

Tim and Holly
Explorers Club mentors