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!
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