Townsend's Chipmunks Learn to Sharpen Knives at Lake Padden

The Townsend’s Chipmunks arrived at Lake Padden to a chill in the air and frost on the field. Finding a sunny spot the group circled up for an opening meeting. Making a plan for the day the boys decided they would like to explore the off-leash dog trails, play a round of Spider’s Web, and spend some time carving and learning to sharpen knives.

After sitting for ten minutes the group started to get cold so we headed down to the field to play and generate some heat with few rounds of Tail Tag. The Explorers dodged and weaved as they tried to pull each other’s bandanas off. The whole group engaged in this activity and played with honor in the spirit of healthy competition. The boys used the frozen ground to slide towards one another and make dynamic evasive maneuvers, what fun!

Feeling a little warmer and in high spirits we headed out in search of a spot off-trail to engage in some skills. Crossing over Padden Creek the Explorers noticed lots of dead trout floating in the water. The Mentors explained that there was a recent toxic blue and green algae bloom on the North side of Lake Padden that made it unsafe for humans and pets to swim in the lake. From the looks of it the algae had either come from the creek or traveled up it, killing the fish that lived there.

This was a great time to discuss the importance of protecting our freshwater systems and the impact humans can have on lakes and streams by polluting them with common household products that we might not be aware of until we experience first hand.

Finding a sunny and quiet spot off-trail the boys ate their lunch while the mentors demonstrated how to sharpen a carving knife using sharpening blocks. A few of the Explorers really took to sharpening their knives. Running the knife blade at an angle along the blocks, the boys went through successional sanding grits starting at 320 and ending at 2,500. The whole process took 300 hundred focused and controlled passes along the sharpening blocks and the mentors were impressed with the boys attention to detail and commitment to the process.

The Townsend’s Chipmunks group dynamic and energy is unlike many other BEC groups. These boys have a heightened sense of awareness and care for one another and their role within the group all while holding a strong ability to focus and be present on outings. These traits benefit the group because it allows mentors to pass along skills that require a high degree of patience and concentration, as well as making group decision-making processes smoother.

After a solid hour and a half of working on knife skills the boys reached their saturation level and called for a game of Spider’s Web. Circling up the group set a time limit for the game, laid out a plan for the rest of their day after the game, and then got to setting up the course. The boys ended up making the game course quite challenging for themselves and the spider took full advantage of this, further increasing the level of difficulty.

Throughout the game the boys began to get frustrated with the Spider and by the end of the allotted time for the game group members were beginning to blame one another which signaled to the mentors that we were in need of some interpersonal work. The mentors reminded the boys that the point of Spider’s Web was to have a good time and that it was important to play with honor, which meant accepting whatever challenges the game brought and keeping a positive attitude while doing it. Our aim as mentors is for these lessons and experiences on outings to transfer into tools and values that the Townsend’s Chipmunks can use to approach issues that arise in their own lives moving forward.

I don’t know if it was the chill in the air or energy level of the group, but the boys were slow to pack up and had trouble sharing the trail with the myriad of mountain bikers, runners, and dog walkers that passed by. Stopping the boys on the way back to the parking lot Tim reminded them of why it was important to share the trail and be respectful of other parks users, and that we represented our organization while on outings. In Explorers Club we are slowly building the foundations of community awareness and participation in our Explorers and moments like these help our participants understand how they are connected to others and that their actions matter.

Circling back up on the frozen field we shared apples and our thanks for the day. As mentors we are grateful to work with these maturing Townsend’s Chipmunks and for the unique energy and opportunity their group brings. We are also thankful for the trust and support we receive from our wonderful families, which allows us to engage in this transformative work. We wish all our families a wonderful holiday season filled with laughter, joy, connection, and restfulness.

For more photos from the outing please visit the Townsend’s Chipmunks' photo album from the day.

Townsend's Chipmunks Delve into Shelter Building

The Townsend’s Chipmunks kicked their fall season off at North Galbraith Trailhead with a full outing of shelter building! Welcoming a few new members to the group, we were all present and accounted for and hit the trail. Cruising down past the dirt jumps we followed a logging road back to search for a long time favorite spot of past Explorers Club groups who built shelters that withstood the test of time. Immediately it became apparent that the logging operation to clear the forest had stepped things up. As far as we could see there were vast swathes of cleared trees, brush piles, and sporadic Big Leaf Maples left standing all alone. For most of the group, they had never seen this place before so it was all new to them. However, for the mentors who had spent many outings playing in these woods sharing countless memories of shelter building, games of Life and Death in the Forest, and unforgettable outings with groups now graduated into the Four Shields program, it was a little tough to swallow. After trying to get our bearings on the freshly altered landscape we gave up our search for the shelters of past Explorers and decided to start fresh.

Taking a turn down a new bike trail, we found a nice clearing under some cedar trees to have our opening circle. Before we could even begin, we started unearthing a variety of small bones from within the layer of duff and decaying leaves on the ground. Dropping everything and beginning a mini excavation we discovered a dozen or so bones; vertebra, limb bones, and even a skull! Our C.S.I. skills determined it must have been a medium sized rodent like creature with large hind legs. Perhaps you or your Explorer may have a guess? After sanitizing our hands we got back to our opening circle where we welcomed a few new members to the group and discussed our Earth Skills Focus for the season: The Art of Shelter Building! But before getting into any skills work, we needed to get some play time in so we revisited the rules for HIDE and played a few rounds. The new group members were impressively good at hiding for newbies to this game and it was a sure sign that they were in the right place.

With some games out of the way, we jumped into skills work. Starting with mini-shelters is a great way to grasp the basics of structural design without using too many resources or taking too much time. We learned about “Y-Sticks” and how they can interlock to support a “backbone” in a tri-pod like structure. Placing more sticks along the backbone we add enough “ribs” to round out the skeleton of our shelter (perhaps the skeleton we found was a sign of things to come!). Next we can add a layer of brushy material that will support the insulating layer of debris. The debris layer is often overlooked as the last step, but usually takes the most time to get sufficient amounts of debris like downed leaves, old sword fern, duff, or anything else you can find to insulate and water proof your shelter. With the basics under our belts we felt ready to re-locate and build a full scale shelter together as a group.

Before we could head out, we had to decide if we wanted to take the left or right fork in the trail. In most groups it would be easy; just vote! But not in Explorers Club. Instead of using a majority rules method, we make sure to take the time to work together as a group to collaborate, compromise, and come to a consensus. This often means spending a long time in circle, but many indigenous cultures based their societal decisions around consensus decision making instead of a majority rules model. With a consensus, everyone can believe in the decision and come together as a unified group to act upon the decision together as a whole. We ended up having one Explorer not want to budge despite everyone else in the group wanting to go the other way. In this situation we remind the group of our motto; “We not Me” and talk about the many ways a compromise may manifest itself. Despite the struggles that the Townsend’s Chipmunks had today learning how to collaborate, compromise, and come to a consensus, they showed great progress and all took away a fresh perspective on how to come together as a group and make a decision that makes everyone happy. It is important that we learn how to collaborate effectively and begin understanding what it means to compromise one’s personal desires for the greater needs of the group. Just imagine how differently our current election process might look if we all had to collaborate, compromise and come to a consensus! Now that would be a sight to see.

Back on the trail we trekked along until we found a good location for a shelter. Abundant resources nearby, a reasonably flat area to construct the shelter. We were closer than would be ideal to a Big Leaf Maple and an old snag, but for the sake of our outing, we discussed why not to build near deciduous trees and widow makers that drop their limbs in wind storms. With that out of the way we found a couple sturdy Y-Sticks and a solid backbone and got to work on getting ribs and latticing for our shelter. Running short on time we didn’t get around to piling on all the debris, but for our first attempt at a full size shelter we felt pretty good about the fruits of our labor. With just enough time left to have a closing circle to share some gratitude and munch on apple slices the mentors were impressed at the thoughtfulness and focus this group brought as each Explorer shared something they were thankful for with the rest of the group. Hiking out through the logging land, back to the dirt jumps, and finally arriving at the parking lot, a posy of dirty Explorers with smiles on their faces was a welcome site for the parents. For some Explores this was their first outing and what an outing it was. Shelter building, skeletons in circle, and plenty of exploration. I would call that a successful way to kick off our fall season.

Make sure to check out the rest the photos from our outing here!

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!