Townsend's Chipmunks traverse Clayton Beach

With a season of outing cancellations due to high winds the Townsend’s Chipmunks were eager to explore as they gathered in the Clayton Beach parking lot. Our Veterans Day outing turned out to fall and a perfectly sunny calm day bookended by a windy day the previous day and a windy day forecasted for the next day. Once we had everyone we gathered at the edge of Chuckanut drive to prepare to cross the road and head down into the woods below.

We headed straight down alongside the creek to find a good spot for an opening circle. Soon we reached a nice flat area that had enough room for everyone to sit comfortably. We handed out jobs and talked about how we wanted to spend our day. With the sun out and temperatures feeling warm we all decided that heading straight for the beach was the best plan. We took a minute to pull out the map and discuss different routes down to the beach and touch on some of the key concepts of a map we had been learning throughout the Fall Season.

Usually groups opt to head back out and take the main trail to the beach or follow a series of maze like deer trails through the woods that eventually lead to clayton beach; the Townsend’s Chipmunks had something else in mind.

We crossed straight over the train tracks and down a steep bank right to the coastline. To our North we could see Larrabee State Park and to our South we could see a series of headlands and large sandstone formations leading down to Clayton Beach. We all found comfortable spots along the sandstone and took some time to eat food and hydrate. The temperatures were warm and soon most of us were down to t-shirts. As we lounged about a large flock of birds flew in and began feeding in the turbulent intertidal zone. Not knowing what they were a few of us watched them for a while to observe their habits.

As we moved further down the coastline our navigation skills were challenged as we clambered up and down headlands and through narrow spots in rocks. The honeycomb weathering on the sandstone was amazing to look at and provided excellent hand and foot holds for our traverse. We did not see much sign of other people as we made our way down the coast; leaving was with many opportunities to observe wildlife. We dough firs barely hanging onto hillsides cut away by the ocean, lick madrona trees, more mystery birds, and even river otter scatt ontop of a headland.

Eventually we navigated our way down to a smooth sandy beach just North of the main entrance to Clayton beach. Here we all took our packs of to eat lunch and explore. As we explored the beach we found a little ground seep of fresh water trickling out of a sandstone cliff. Right next to the ground seep we found a whole series of River Otter tracks. The boys all came over to look. As we tracked the otter we began to get a picture of what it was doing here. It looked like it had come in at a higher tide to drink from the fresh water ground seep. Of course we couldn’t know for sure, but the mystery of seeing these tracks and all the questions that they opened up was a powerful experience.

Soon we moved down the beach in search of more adventure. We walked down to the main entrance of clayton beach and decided to spread out for a sit spot. Everyone found a place along the shore that they could relax and observe the natural world. Some of the boys took a bit of reminding that a sit spot is supposed to be a quiet activity, but soon enough everyone had settled in. With the sun still shining and warm temperatures we all had time to reflect on the day of mystery and adventure. New traverses, unknown birds, tracking River Otters, and the time spent laughing together in the sun.

Content from a good long day of exploration we packed up and headed up the trail and back to the parking lot. Thank you Townsend’s Chipmunks for your enthusiasm and curiosity to explore as well as your growth as a group over the last few seasons. Parents thank you for your support of our program. Be sure to check our Photo Gallery for more pictures from our adventure!    

Townsend's Chipmunks and Jumping Mice Serve the Land

This weekend concluded our month long stretch of service outings at Connelly Creek. Throughout this time  we have had all fifteen groups (169 Explorers!) come out and give back to the land in a meaningful way. For this final weekend of work our main tool provider and partner in the project, the Bellingham Parks Department, came out to join us. Ray Edwards from the parks department has helped us immensely throughout the course of this project; from providing tools and starts to detailed guidance and instructions on how best to target our efforts. For this outing the Townsend's Chipmunks worked closely with Ray to learn how to use some new tools and techniques for planting species.

In our opening meeting the parks department had the Townsend's Chipmunks do something that was almost unheard of in Explorers Club, they were asked to take a test. The boys hardly flinched and quickly completed a short questionnaire on different species around our area and what it means to participate in Service Work. Leaving Paper and Pencils behind We gathered around Ray as she instructed us on our tasks for the day. That day we had Several different species to plant including; Ninebark, Red Osier dogwood, and sitka spruce. The Townsend’s Chipmunks did an excellent job giving Ray their attention and really engaging with the information.

At This time the Jumping Mice showed up and we all began the work of preparing the ground for planting. We dug Blackberry roots, racked up Blackberry trimmings, and packed it all out in trash cans. While most of us focused our work on the blackberry removal some of the boys worked on putting up a circular wire fence that would protect our new starts from the grazing deer that frequent Connelly Creek.  All the boys worked really hard during this time and we accomplished a lot. After about an hour we were ready to plant. 

Everyone Grabbed the starts and we began digging holes for each start. It was hard work but also very gratifying to see what had been a patch of blackberries turn into the beginnings of a native habitat. It didn’t take too long to plant all the species and get a solid 6” of mulch spread around everything. Standing back we all admired our work.

Throughout the whole outing I was continually impressed by the boys ability to work together as a group and communicate with one another even while doing physically demanding work. It was a really good opportunity for many of the boys to become good leaders amongst their peers and really support one another in their efforts. 

With our time running out we decided to focus the last part of our outing on spreading more mulch throughout the site to leave it in a good place for the next days group. As the Townsend’s Chipmunks Peeled off for their closing circle the Jumping Mice worked to tidy up any loose ends and organize the tools.

Explorers thank you for all of your hard work this weekend. It truly makes a big difference. Parents be sure to walk through this site with your Explorer so they can show you what they have been working on. It is truly amazing what the combined efforts of all these boys can do. We also have more photos from the outing in the Jumping Mice photo gallery and the Townsend’s Chipmunks photo gallery.  

Townsend's Chipmunks practice Navigation

With our first outing of the season being cancelled due to high winds the Townsend’s Chipmunks had jumped right into their Fall with a service outing at Connelly Creek. With this work under their belts it was time for an outing full of exploration, play, and adventure. The sun shone through the trees, but there was an unmistakable fall chill in the air as we moved deeper into the forest.

At the top of the first hill the boys found an excellent spot for an opening circle and got themselves organized to discuss our outing. Since many of the boys were new to explorers club we had a longer opening circle; going over some safety, talking about hazards, introducing ourselves, and finally talking about what it means to explore. All the boys were patient as we went over this information and helped keep each other focused. With the talking behind us we all needed to move and played a few rounds of Hide!. 

This season the Townsend’s Chipmunks are practicing their Navigation skills in order to become comfortable and proficient wilderness travelers. Once back on the trail we pulled out a map and took some time talking about the basics of using a map. What the map key was, how to orient a map, how to read topographic lines, and how to visualize what you are seeing on the map in real life. Many of the boys really took advantage of this time to ask questions and focus on the skill of map reading. After going over some basics we identified a spot at the far end of the 100 aker woods and challenged the boys to navigate us there.

Once hiking a couple boys really too initiative with the map; pulling it out at every junction, identifying our current location, making decisions based on the map, and sharing the information with the group. As we went we played games, explored, and found fresh mushrooms along the trail. The Townsend’s Chipmunks did an excellent job navigating the winding and often confusing paths of the 100 aker wood. After a while we reached our destination and decided it was time to take a break and eat lunch.

After lunch we realized we were in the perfect location to play a group favorite, Eagle Eye. Eagle Eye is half sneaking half hiding and the perfect bridge between playing Hideand Spiders Web. A lush patch of sword fern and salmonberry provided the perfect location and plenty of creative hiding spots. After playing a multiple rounds it was time to pack up and navigate our way back toward the pickup location.

In our closing circle we talked about the importance of navigation. Many of the boys had great insights into what it means to navigate and the opportunities it opens up to feel comfortable navigating through the woods. Beyond their focus and interest in navigation i was even more impressed by how the Townsend’s chipmunks have embraced the change in the group with about a third of the group being new this season. Our new members are fitting in great and our older participants are behaving in an open and accepting way. I am excited for future explorations with the Townsend’s Chipmunks and to watch them grow as a group. Please take a look at our photo gallery for more pictures from our outing!

Townsend's Chipmunks Traverse the Arboretum

The Townsend’s Chipmunks gathered at the base of the Sehome Arboretum for their last outing of the Spring, although the weather could have fooled us into thinking it was midsummer outing. The Sehome Arboretum is a hidden gem in bellingham; offering sandstone cliffs, deep ravines, steep hillsides, and a variety of plant and animal life.

Having all gathered in the parking lot we made our way to the base of the trail and the map displayed there. Since the Townsend’s Chipmunks have been together for a full year now their decision making and ability to work as a group is progressing to the point where they need less help from mentors as they plan their day. We all looked at the map and tried to decide where to go. With guidance from Brian and I the townsend’s Chipmunks were able to effectively make a group decision that everyone felt good about.

 After hiking for only a few minutes we found a steep sandstone formation. Unable to resist the unique rock we all made our way over for further exploration. As we drew close to the edge the Mentors made it clear to the boys that if they wanted to explore close to the edge they needed to have three points of contact (two feet and a hand or two hands and a foot) on the ground at all times. The boys responded well to this, cautiously crawling to the edge to peer down and giving each other plenty of spice as we climbed down the steep hillside adjacent to the sandstone.  

Finished exploring the sandstone cliffs, we headed back to the main trail and all decided to keep moving up. We soon passed a shrub with dark purple berries which some of the boys called edible while others were not sure. As alway with eating wild edibles it is important that you are sure that you have correctly identified the plant, not just that someone told you what it was. This was the perfect opportunity for the Townsend’s Chipmunks to pull out our field guide. A handful of the boys showed a lot of focus and dedication to figuring out what plant we were looking at. We spent some time identifying the major characteristics of the plant and then started looking through the field guid. After many options and some very keen observations from the Explorers we finally identified the plant as Indian Plum (Oemleria cerasiformis). Reading about this plant we found that it was in fact edible (though not eaten in large quantities by the native people here). We all tried the a berry and immediately knew why the native people here did not eat them in large quantities. The indian plum had a bitter and astringent flavor with large pits in the middle.

After all of our focused time with a field guide it was time to move again. Our trip to the towers went quickly and we soon reached the sunny observation tower. With views out over the San Juan Islands and out over Baker and the Twin Sisters range to our East we were quite happy spending some time here. After spending time exploring the tower we decided it was time to head back into the woods. We climbed, slid, hiked and crawled our way down a steep ridge flanked by sandstone cliffs and giant sword ferns seeking as pot forSpiders Web. We were rewarded by our search when we stumbled upon a deep ravine with patches of sword fern that reached 4 - 5 feet in the air. Quickly we set up the game and played with our remaining time. The game was short, but the location and quality of play were phenomenal.  

With our day ending we navigated back toward the upper parking lot feeling tired and happy after completing our traverse of the Sehome Arboretum. Thank you Townsend’s Chipmunks for a truly amazing first year. It has been great to see you grow and strengthen as a group through the course of your adventures together. and thank you parents for your support and dedication to the program! Be sure to look at our photo gallery for more pictures!  

Connelly Creek service site transforming: Gray Wolf Pups & Townsend's Chipmunks

We shoulda taken photos (Check that - we did. Track the history of our service at this site by clicking on the “tag links” below: Connelly Creek). I wasn’t there, but I’m told that when the Boys Explorers first set eyes on the Connelly Creek service site a few years ago, the scene was dominated by Himalayan blackberry bushes and tall Reed canarygrass. Both are invasive, non-native plants that detract from the health of the creek. And, of course, the blackberry brambles hurt! Hidden in all that growth was an equally unpleasant discovery - trash. Apparently, the area had been used as a dump by people with nails, car parts, rusting wire, plastic, concrete and more to spare. The thing is, as an explorers club motto puts it, all things are connected. 

Himalayan blackberry was introduced from Eurasia. It often spreads over the top of other plants and crushes or smothers them. It can root at branch tips and spread from roots (suckers). Birds can spread the berries over long distances. It is a Class C weed in Washington State, which means it is already widespread. And, as the scratches on arms and legs will attest, it has a strong defense against well-meaning service workers.

Reed canarygrass forms dense, highly productive single species stands that pose a major threat to many wetland ecosystems. The species grows so vigorously that it is able to inhibit and eliminate competing species. According to the state department of Ecology, the species poses a significant threat to the state’s wetlands. 

Salmon, of course, need the ecological balance that these aggressive species will eliminate if not combatted. As I said, it’s all connected.

So, once each fall and spring, each explorers club (EC) group spends an outing working at the site to replace blackberries and canarygrass with native species. With guidance from Bellingham Parks and tools on loan from the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association(NSEA), the boys devote their time and energies to clipping and uprooting blackberries and then stomping down canarygrass and covering it with bark mulch to deprive it of the sun on which it thrives. They’ve also planted trees and bushes to shade the area, providing a more permanent solution to the “problem” sun. In this way, the explorers, parks and NSEA are connecting and protecting, another EC motto.

I’ve been through two seasons of service outings now, and can personally attest to scores of bags of brambles and roots (and dozens of scrapes!). I’ve witnessed multiple groups of explorers cutting (which turned out to be the wrong strategy - encourages growth) and stomping down (better approach) canarygrass, and moving dozens of yards of bark mulch in buckets large and small to cover the grass. And I’ve supervised the removal of rusted nails, plastic who-knows-whats, and much more trash. (We shoulda inventoried.) The work was done willingly, even eagerly, as a rule. Despite the occasional bark battle, the irresistible tree waiting to be climbed, and the allure of the creek, the explorers keep at it, demonstrating again the EC motto - many hands make light work. 

So now there are young alders reaching for the sky and native shrubs such as ninebark restoring ecological balance to the area. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Read it aloud - it sounds even better that way...restoring ecological balance. Nice. If you’re interested, check here for information on native, non-invasive plants for your garden. Along the way, we liberated some trees that were being swallowed up and a fence that was hidden in the blackberries. Here’s a panoramic view (pardon my poor photography skills) of the site today. 



Saturday’s was our last service outing of the spring. We’ll be back at it in the fall, again with the collaboration of the Bellingham Parks and NSEA. Your final EC motto for the day - Everyone helps. Your boys are learning the importance of caring for the land. As they return twice a year, they’re excited by the progress they’ve made and can see the change they can affect. Sure, the creek is better off, but no more so that all of us who have the privilege of putting the blackberries and cararygrass in their rightful place. 

Gray Wolf Pup families, click here for the gallery of photos from Saturday’s service outing. Townsend's Chipmunk folks, click here.

The Gray Wolf Pups return to exploring on Sunday, June 7 with a traverse. Click here for further information on that outing.

The Townsend's Chipmunks are also back at it on Sunday, June 7 with a traverse (different place!). Look herefor the outing description.  

Townsend's Chipmunks build shelters

The day greeted the Townsend’s Chipmunks with sunny warm weather for their second outing of the season. The day felt like summer as we gathered next to the glassy surface of lake padden and lush green foliage of the mountains above the lake. The recent warm weather had brought out new foliage from the cottonwoods and big leaf maples making a tapestry of different greens. As we gathered in the grassy field adjacent to the dog park the boys ran and clammered around by the baseball diamond, rejoicing in the warm sunshine.

In the forest we started the day as we always do with an opening circle to set our intention for the day and catch up since our last outing. The earth skills focus for the Townsend Chipmunks this Spring is building earth shelters. We talked about what makes for a good shelter spot and what hazards you might want to watch out for when choosing a location. The discussion soon turned toward what resources we would need to gather to build an effective debris hut. All the boys held the circle really well throughout this discussion and had really insightful observations on what made for a good shelter.

 The circle soon broke apart and it was clear the time had come to move our bodies and explore the land. We moved upward across the steep sandstone folds of Lake Padden legs moving us up the hill toward the further reaches of the park. While hiking we played a few rounds of Hide! to engage with the land and kindle our spirit for play. A beautiful patch of Trillium flowers caught out attention to the side of the trail where we all got down on our hands and knees to investigate the beautiful clusters of flowers and leaves.

At the top of the steep hill we rested for a moment before grouping up to decide which direction we wanted to explore. The consensus was to head off the main trail onto a small deer trail that led down into a valley via a steep hillside. As we walked down the steep hillside the excitement for shelter building grew until the boys were continually talking about wanting to have a shelter building competition. We reached the floor of the valley and hashed out the details of our shelter building competition. The Townsend's Chipmunks decided that it would be all the explorers racing the mentors in a shelter building competition. The boys decided the judging parameters would be; comfort, strength, and weather resistance.  

The timer started counting down for 30 minutes of shelter building work. The mentors got to work throwing debris and laying ridge poles and supporting beams. After 30 minutes we had built a fairly good shelter. We called everyone in to group up for a walking tour of the shelters. We walked over to the Explorers’ shelter to take a look. Their shelter was really impressive especially for such a short time to work on it. After the explorers had toured our shelter and talked about their shelter they were excited to continue working on shelters. We decided to dedicate another 30 minutes to shelter building before ending the day.

The day ended with a great closing circle in the sun and reflections on all the hard work we had done. I was really impressed by the skill and hardwork the Townsend’s Chipmunks displayed while working on their shelters as well as their ability to work as a group. Thanks you Explorers for a great outing and parents for your continual support! check out our photo gallery for more photos from our outing.

Townsend's Chipmunks at Arroyo Park

The Chuckanut mountains are one of my favorite places to explore and it is always such a treat to do an Explorers Club outing in this area. The Chuckanuts have a vastness and wonder about them that is conducive to excitement and exploration.

The day was mild, but the forest still had a damp warm smell from the previous days rains. Signs of Spring were everywhere; from the flowering salmon berries to the excitedly chattering Townsend’s Chipmunks gathering in the parking lot. As we gathered the boys kept eying a small deer trail that led from the edge of the parking lot downward toward the creek. Once everyone had gathered we made the unanimous decision to forgo the main trial in favor of this seldom traveled route. We made our way along a steep bank, crossed a small creek and headed up a steep ridge covered in sword fern and huckleberry. Someone called Hide! and we all clung to the bank trying simultaneously to keep our hiding spot and not fall down the steep hillside.

The perfect spot for opening circle emerged at  the top of the ridge in a small, mostly flat clearing. We talked about our Winters and shared our names since we had a new face in the Townsends Chipmunks. Brian and I  then began to discuss our Earth Skills Focus for the season The Art of Shelter Building.Everyone had a story of building forts and some Explorers even had some shelter building experience. Soon the energy was bursting at the walls of the circle and we knew we had to move. We continued bushwhacking up the Ridge playing Hide!, marveling at woodpecker holes, and observing a large Cedar that had split in half. Our trajectory led us to the main trail where we decided to continue up the mountain instead of dropping on the lower trail toward the creek. Part way up the path we were all halted by a giant glacial erratic that was too tempting a spot to climb to pass up. We spent a while climbing the boulder, eating food, and of course playing more Hide!

After a while we circled up to decide what our next activity would be. The boys all seemed excited to playspiders web so we set off in search of a good location. We moved up the path and soon veered off the trail again to make for a low ravine that looked like an excellent spiders web spot. Since most of the boys had only played Spiders Web once or twice we took a moment to explain the rules and refresh our memories of the game.

The first round went really well. All the boys played with honor and challenged themselves. It was one of those rounds of Spiders Web where even the mentors could get into playing instead of facilitating conflict resolution and clarifying the rules. With the first round smoothly under our belts we decided to gear up for a second round.

We had a great closing circle. All the Explorers spoke from the heart when giving thanks and really listened to each other when they were not talking. It has been so amazing to see this group quickly bond and take to heart the culture of Explorers Club. Our season together last Fall was full of adventure and growth and i am really looking forward to another season of challenges and powers. Thank you Townsend’s Chipmunks and thank you parents for your support and bringing your boys out to explore with us. Make sure to check out our photo gallery for more pictures!  

Townsend's Chipmunks Explore Lake Padden

On an unusually cold November day the Townsend’s Chipmunks gathered at Lake Padden park for their final outing of the Fall season. Frost covered the fallen leaves and the small puddles along the parking lot and trail had a thin layer of ice covering them. We began to gather in the small patch of sunshine playing games and waiting for the other last few explorers to arrive. Finally, we circle up and did some animal forms to stay warm; fishing heron, hunting raccoon, owl with a pellet. Then the boys began to make up their own animal forms; proud pigeon, the crab, happy cat.

Feeling warm and limber we made our way into the forest. Almost immediately, the boys took us on a small deer trail leading up a steep bank. Finding ourselves off trail so early in the day was a great way to start. We hit another path, but the boys crossed it and again began forging their way up a steep hillside through stands of devils club and sword fern. As we made our way upward the hill grew steeper and steeper until finally we were threading our way through large slabs of sandstone. Barely clinging on to the hillside with the help of roots and hardy salal bushes we reached the summit. We were welcomed by a lush valley of sword ferns. Perfect terrain to play Spiders Web!

This is the Townsend’s Chipmunks first season as a group and they have heard of Spiders Web from elder brothers and friends in Explorers Club and have been asking to play all season. They have been practicing their skills of camouflage and stealth through other games and have reached a point where they are more then ready to play Spiders Web. After we discussed the rules of the game we set out to find a suitable place for the Web and the Food Source.

The game began and apart from a few questions to clarify rules the boys disappeared silently into the forest. From my hiding places, I would occasionally hear boys being found or hushed discussion from sword ferns on the strategy of the game. I was impressed by their integrity while playing and their ability to work out their few disagreements with little or no help from the mentors. As we debriefed the game, the boys were very articulate in discussing what they liked about the game, what was challenging about it, and what they would try in future games.

The cold had caught up with us and it was again time to keep moving through the forest. We spotted a sunny stand of hemlocks on the ridge and made our way toward them in search of warmth. We crossed a log bridge and made our way up onto a beautiful ridge overlooking Lake Samish and the Chuckanuts. It always amazes me that even in parks that I feel I know really well I always find myself in new places on these outings. We all sat on the ridge soaking up the sun and marveling at the view. Exploring the ridge, helping each other over hard terrain, finding new plants, looking at mushrooms, laughing in the sun, Hide!, new places, and a true joyfulness at the sunlight we had found.

As we headed back we all kept exclaiming at how fun our off trail trek at been! Being in places that feel so far away from other people really is an inspiring feeling. We ran down a steep hill bounding like deer. We stopped suddenly as we saw the trail far below us. None of us wanted to get back on the trail and put an end to our romp through the forest. We all looked back up the hill at the ridges and valleys we had explored that day then turned around and headed back onto the trail.

Parents, thank you for bringing your explorers to us this season, what a great fall! Explorers, thank you for being such a great group to work with! I hope to see you all over the winter and look forward to working with all of you in the Spring. For only being together as a group for one season you all are very capable and fun individuals to explore with. Make sure to check out our photo gallery for more pictures.

Townsend's Chipmunks Explore 100 Aker Woods

Small winter wrens and song sparrows chatter from the shrubs at the edge of fairhaven park as the Townsend Chipmunks begin to arrive. The first few boys duck into hiding spots in these bushes to await the rest of the group. A few scramble up into a tree catching the attention of a douglas squirrel who had been spending his morning in the same tree. The boys hide for a while but eventually come out as the rest of the boys show up.

They mill around pointing out strange seed pods to each other and discussing whatever soccer games or hikes they had been on that morning. I remember the first outing; the boys mostly quiet, shyly talking to one another, a group that hardly knew each other. Now after only Three outings together these Explorers are becoming quite the group.

Once everyone has gathered we make our way across the open field and up into the forest of 100 Aker wood. This place has a long history with Explorers club and is an exciting and diverse forest to spend time in. Our first task of the day is to have a short sit spot. A sit spot is a really important part of being in the forest and is a great tool to observe the baseline of the forest, to hear the birds, plants, and other animals at their natural rhythm. As everyone spreads out to find their spots small birds from the underbrush chirp short alarm calls and Explorers voices drift up through the canopy. I am surprised when almost immediately the voices of the explorers disappear and after a few minutes the birds come back with song. The boys spend about fifteen minutes at their sit spots in almost perfect silence. When we called them back in they exclaimed at the number of birds they had heard, animals they had seen, and new plants they had observed. The boys excitement was so overwhelming that we all followed each Explorer around for a tour of their sit spot.

 Hiking out from here we began exploring the land with the intention of finding a good location for some games that would challenge our ability to hide and be stealthy. Winding trails led us through mud deeper than our boots, across hillsides, up and down valleys, through forests of Sword Fern, piles of Big Leaf Maple leaves, and finally to one of the most perfect areas for hiding! We set our backpacks aside and prepared to play.

We Played a game called Eagle Eye Which is a great combination of hiding ability and ability to quickly move from hiding spot to hiding spot silently. (Parents ask your Explorers about the details, it is a great game to play while out hiking with the family, but watch out they are all really good!)

I played as the Eagle the first round and by the time I had finished counting the boys had silently become part of the landscape. As they moved in closer to me with each round I began to see a leg sticking out from behind a fern, and arm draped across a fallen Red Alder, or the top of a head just visible from behind a log. We played many rounds of this; taking turns being the eagle and hiding. As with all games issues of fairness and honesty came up. The Townsend's Chipmunks showed a lot of good problem solving and patients when working through these points of friction with one another.

The day flew by and soon enough it was time to start heading back toward the park entrance. We hiked back through the oncoming rain and found a small Western Red Cedar to tuck underneath for our closing meeting.

As we began our closing meeting runners in costume began to run by on the adjacent trail. For a moment we were all distracted by the costume clad runners; once we began our circle of thanks our focus was held despite the zombies, cowboys, and other strange characters running by us. All the boys were very thoughtful and sincere in the closing meeting. They were really respectful of whomever was talking at the moment and would have kept focusing in this circle if our time had not run out.

As we made our way back we played more games of Hide! and rolled down some grassy slopes. It was really exciting to see these boys mature so much as a group after only three outings together. I am excited to continue working with these boys and go on more great adventures with them in outings to come. Thanks to Login and Jordan our two EMAs for the day. Parents thanks for sending your sons out with us and Explorers thankyou for putting such a big smile on my face. For more pictures of our outing check out the photo gallery!

Daredevils Club and Townsend Chipmunks service at Connelly Creek

Our day of service work at Connelly Creek was welcomed with a beautiful Fall day; sunshine, falling leaves, and temperatures that felt like the middle of summer. These service outings are a fun and unique opportunity for Explorers to work with other groups of boys. It is always fun to see two groups interact and work together throughout the day. Having the Daredevils Club paired with the Townsend Chipmunks was very powerful. The Daredevils with many years of exploration and service under their belt provided great role models for the new group of Townsend Chipmunks.

Once we had all gathered in the sunshine adjacent to the service sight the Daredevils Club instructed us on the proper and safe use for all the tools we would need today. The Daredevils talked about blood circles with these tools and communication when working in close quarters. Again having these older boys set an example for the younger boys in the Townsend Chipmunks was really inspiring and gives the Townsend Chipmunks an opportunity to see what a strong group can do. 

After our crash course into using the tools properly Steve walked us through the service sigh to explain what needed to be done. Steve explained that our main goals today were too dig up the last of the blackberry roots, cut down the reed canary grass, and finally spread mulch over this prepared area. The reed canary grass is a non native plant that has been choking out this sight for a while now. It takes out a massive amount of nutrients from the soil so once cut we leave it on the sight so it can breakdown back into the soil.

Everyone was enthusiastic about the work and really took it to heart to work hard during this time. The boys worked together really well to accomplish a lot; both Daredevils and Townsend Chipmunks worked alongside each other to Pull stubborn blackberry roots or tackle a particularly extensive patch of reed canary grass. With so many hands on sight you could really see the land change right in front of your eyes. Plenty of sweat, Dirty hands, blackberry scrapes, freeing trees, cutting reed canary grass, laughing with new friends, and a lot of hard work. After two hours of solid work it was time for the Daredevils to leave.

With the Daredevils departure the Townsend Chipmunks began to reach their edge for focused work. After so much great service to the land they had decided it was time to explore! The townsend chipmunks began to make their way down to Connelly creek with loud shouts of excitement and joy. Exploration is such an important part of Explorers club and it was so good for these boys to explore the land that they had been dedicating so much hard work of service to all afternoon. After about twenty minutes of exploration the Townsend chipmunks were ready to bring it back in for a last push of service. We attacked the mulch pile; some of us filling buckets, some moving these buckets, and others spreading the mulch around the base of trees. This intense hour of service left the land looking really good. It was fun for the boys to finish on a task that left our service site looking so aesthetically pleasing.    

Service is such an important task for these boys We play so much on the land and take so much it is really important to learn to give back to the land as well. It is a good teaching moment for all of us in selflessness and humility. Both the Daredevils Club and the Townsend Chipmunks did really great work and became a solid team. Parents please have your boys show you this spot next time you are out for a walk, it is truly amazing how much good work has been done! As always thanks for sending your boys out with us and thanks Explorers for your hard and dedicated work! Check out our photo gallery for more photos!

Townsend's Chipmunks at Whatcom falls 09/07

 

We met at Whatcom falls park on an unusually warm September day for our first outing with the Townsend Chipmunks. There were still signs of the approaching fall, fallen leaves, nettles that are wilting and dying back , but today felt like summer. This transition from summer to fall is my favorite time of year and ideal for beginning a season of exploration with these boys.

  As boys trickled in a game of otter steals fish began. Diving, crawling and sneaking into the center to steal a fish is sometimes the best way to meet one another. Once all had arrived we made our way into the forest for an opening meeting. Our energy quickly took us off trail and up onto a beautiful forested plateau; a perfect spot for our first circle together as a group of Townsend Chipmunks. 

  It was a lot of sitting for all of us, but after establishing some basics of explorers club culture we were able to explore with more freedom. Crowe calls, group decision making, sticks, hazards, and generally acting as a group were all part of our discussion. We packed up and were immediately faced with our first decision as a group. Which way should we go? Explorers pointed in all directions and the chatter reached such a pitch that even a douglas squirrel decided to join in. finally we were able to reach a consensus, sacrifices were made and it took a while but we all felt good about the collaborative decision we had reached. 

  We played Hide!, camouflaged with ferns and bandanas, ran up and down hills, compared cool hiding spots, found devils club, forged new trails, followed each other, helped get explorers packs down a steep hill, snacked on lunch, and laughed. before any of us new it the time had come to start heading back. We had a closing circle and gave thanks while sharing some crisp apples. 

  The Townsend Chipmunks were a joyful and enthusiastic group. I am excited to see these boys grow and work on their skills as a group. The boys bring so much to the table already and with a little work on their ability to act as a cohesive group they will be well on their way to a great season in Explorers Club. To see more photos please visit our photo gallery! 

BEC: Townsend's Chipmunks traverse Clayton Beach

With a season of outing cancellations due to high winds the Townsend’s Chipmunks were eager to explore as they gathered in the Clayton Beach parking lot. Our Veterans Day outing turned out to fall and a perfectly sunny calm day bookended by a windy day the previous day and a windy day forecasted for the next day. Once we had everyone we gathered at the edge of Chuckanut drive to prepare to cross the road and head down into the woods below.

We headed straight down alongside the creek to find a good spot for an opening circle. Soon we reached a nice flat area that had enough room for everyone to sit comfortably. We handed out jobs and talked about how we wanted to spend our day. With the sun out and temperatures feeling warm we all decided that heading straight for the beach was the best plan. We took a minute to pull out the map and discuss different routes down to the beach and touch on some of the key concepts of a map we had been learning throughout the Fall Season.

Usually groups opt to head back out and take the main trail to the beach or follow a series of maze like deer trails through the woods that eventually lead to clayton beach; the Townsend’s Chipmunks had something else in mind.

We crossed straight over the train tracks and down a steep bank right to the coastline. To our North we could see Larrabee State Park and to our South we could see a series of headlands and large sandstone formations leading down to Clayton Beach. We all found comfortable spots along the sandstone and took some time to eat food and hydrate. The temperatures were warm and soon most of us were down to t-shirts. As we lounged about a large flock of birds flew in and began feeding in the turbulent intertidal zone. Not knowing what they were a few of us watched them for a while to observe their habits.

As we moved further down the coastline our navigation skills were challenged as we clambered up and down headlands and through narrow spots in rocks. The honeycomb weathering on the sandstone was amazing to look at and provided excellent hand and foot holds for our traverse. We did not see much sign of other people as we made our way down the coast; leaving was with many opportunities to observe wildlife. We dough firs barely hanging onto hillsides cut away by the ocean, lick Madrona trees, more mystery birds, and even river otter scatt on top of a headland.

Eventually we navigated our way down to a smooth sandy beach just North of the main entrance to Clayton beach. Here we all took our packs of to eat lunch and explore. As we explored the beach we found a little ground seep of fresh water trickling out of a sandstone cliff. Right next to the ground seep we found a whole series of River Otter tracks. The boys all came over to look. As we tracked the otter we began to get a picture of what it was doing here. It looked like it had come in at a higher tide to drink from the fresh water ground seep. Of course we couldn’t know for sure, but the mystery of seeing these tracks and all the questions that they opened up was a powerful experience.

Soon we moved down the beach in search of more adventure. We walked down to the main entrance of clayton beach and decided to spread out for a sit spot. Everyone found a place along the shore that they could relax and observe the natural world. Some of the boys took a bit of reminding that a sit spot is supposed to be a quiet activity, but soon enough everyone had settled in. With the sun still shining and warm temperatures we all had time to reflect on the day of mystery and adventure. New traverses, unknown birds, tracking River Otters, and the time spent laughing together in the sun.

Content from a good long day of exploration we packed up and headed up the trail and back to the parking lot. Thank you Townsend’s Chipmunks for your enthusiasm and curiosity to explore as well as your growth as a group over the last few seasons. Parents thank you for your support of our program.