The Jumping Mice adapt to stormy weather conditions

One of our mottoes in Explorers Club is the following: It’s About the Journey, Not the Destination We describe that classic adage this way - The point is to awaken to what’s around us, to revel in discovery every moment, not to arrive to a particular place. We are where we are going!

Apropos for the Jumping Mice’ last outing of their first season together as we first changed our planned

We haven’t lacked for weather this fall, have we? Wild Whatcom’s first day of outings this season was cancelled and the outings rescheduled due to high winds and the storms have been pretty persistent since. This outing was no different. With high winds forecast, we decided to play it safe and switch from our planned exploration of North Galbraith to a trek through Whatcom Falls Park to the relative safety of the open fields ofBloedel Donovan Park. We also recruited the explorers to track the weather. Awareness of the vicissitudes of our natural surroundings is a key component of self-reliance in the outdoors.

We were living in the moment as we continually made decisions with a literal eye to the surrounding treetops. Decisions are difficult in the best of conditions; factor in the age of the boys and add in the fickle weather and the decisions get trickier. A greatexample was the conversation we had about weather the “spider” for our Spider’s Web game should be a mentor, our Explorers Club Apprentice (EMA) Xavier, or one of the explorers. Underlying the conversation if the question of weather the Jumping Mice were up to the challenge of being the spider. Stepping up to that role is a bit of a rite of passage in Explorers Club; the Jumping Mice are just finishing their first season together. We discussed; we voted; we made suggestions; we voted again. This went on for 20 minutes or more. Frustration started to set in. Our circle got less and less circular. With no resolution in sight, nature stepped in as the tips of the conifers were seen to sway more dynamically. We decided not to decide, but to move along to be closer to Bloedel Donovan Park. The boys might understandably see it as time not well spent; you and I know the boys matured a little in that half hour as their edges were stretched in their common effort.

Another Explorers Club motto, The Trail is the Teacher, states: “On the trail, as in life, the lessons emerge as we walk our individual and collective journeys. Everything that appears and unfolds along the way – whether happy or sad, joyful or difficult – is a teacher. Lessons are often unexpected (and sometimes unwelcome) but we learn to use them as opportunities to learn and grow.” Frustrating and inconclusive as that experience was, the lessons it taught were apparently fresh in the boys’ minds when we soon stopped at a crossroads to address another question: Do we go left to our stated goal of Bloedel-Donovan or right, which promised better Spider’s Web locations? This decision we reached in about two minutes when an explorer suggested we might be able to play the game and then double back to the park. So, to the right we went in pursuit of the game we’d been anticipating for a few hours. Spoiler alert: we never doubled back!

Unfortunately, our reward proved elusive once again as our search came up empty and it began to feel like we were going to go home frustrated. Showing admirable resilience, the boys opted to play a few games of Fire in the Forest in the grassy area near the fish rearing ponds. It was following those games that mentor Finn came to the rescue by suggesting we could play Spider’s Web in the trees behind the toddler playground, a classic case of mindful attention to place. To be honest, the playing area for the first game proved inadequate, so we pivoted the course deeper into the trees. Our next game lasted just a few minutes as the spider (mentor Brian) forgot where the “food source” was! Hmmmmm. The third time proved to be the charm as all players turned it up a notch, with much darting through the trees and even some slow, steady progress as the Jumping Mice starting catching on to the natural advantages of camouflage and stealth. By this time, the rain had begun again (note: the wind never was a significant factor) so our walk back to the N. Galbraith trailhead was true to the saying on Wild Whatcom apparel: It’s raining, it’s pouring, let’s go exploring!” A fitting end to the Jumping Mice’ first season together.

As I plan the spring season, an exploration of N. Galbraith is top of mind. For now, it’s time to bring a close to a fun first season. Over the next few seasons, I expect the Jumping Mice to morph from a collection of individuals looking to play and learn in the outdoors to a cohort of mindful young men. Unfortunately, they’re going to have to do that without mentor Finn, who has moved on to full time work with the Department of Natural Resources. My thanks to Finn for his naturalist knowledge and dedication to the explorers.

Don’t forget to check out our slate of winter outings here. And look here for the rest of the photos from our Dec. 5 outing.

The Jumping Mice and Whatcom Creek run through Whatcom Falls Park

Upon reflection, it’s clear to me that Sunday’s Jumping Mice outing was a scarcely manageable tangle of ebullient energy.

According to Wikipedia, “Common energy forms include the kinetic energy of a moving object, the radiant energy carried by light, the potential energy stored by an object's position in a force field (gravitational, electric or magnetic), elastic energy stored by stretching solid objects, chemical energy released when a fuel burns, and the thermal energy due to an object's temperature. All of the many forms of energy are convertible to other kinds of energy, and obey the law of conservation of energy which says that energy can be neither created nor be destroyed; however, it can change from one form to another.”

The Jumping Mice experienced and exhibited all manner of energy atWhatcom Falls Park on Sunday! Our rainy, overcast November took a breather, resulting in an increase in radiant energy - the sun came out! Gravitational force pulling ferocious Whatcom Creek over the falls for which the park is named thundered at all times in a persistent reminder of the power of nature’s energy - it was loud! Mentor Steve taught us that the water in the creek is colder than the Pacific Ocean water at the surface, which combined with the raging and heavy surge of the water required constant vigilance on the part of both mentors and our first time EMA (Explorers Club Apprentice) and Vespula Veteran explorer, Xavier. It was nature in all its glory and we tried to soak in as much of it as we could in a few hours.

Of course, central to our interest is the Jumping Mice explorers. How was their energy, you might ask? Well, in just under 5 hours, we:

• played a name game so Xavier (and the mentors) could get to know who was who,

• checked out the juvenile salmon and trout in the rearing ponds,

• played a game of Cougar Stalks Deer,

• had lunch in the sun,

• launched sticks into the creek and watched them tumble over the falls,

• worked through the rules for Spider’s Web for a half hour or so,

• played Spider’s Web and Hide!,

• gave thanks in our closing circle, and

• checked out the raging creek one more time from the famous stone bridge.

Along the way, we learned about how to properly harvest licorice root, the qualities of Yew trees, the job of the Tribal Elder in Explorers Club, the importance of sitting in a circle when collaborating as a group, and marveled at the power of the creek.

Whew! Plenty of energy of all forms at Whatcom Falls Park for our outing. Of course, as long as no one gets hurt, on the inside or the outside, lots of energy is exactly what we want.

By no means is it our sole focus, however. We do things because they’re fun, energetic and exciting; we do things so the boys can learn and grow; we do things that combine the two. For example, most of our explorers love the game called Spider’s Web. It’s a capture the flag type game that emphasizes strategies that are often used by creatures in the wild, most notably stealth. Boys new to the game tend to run through the forest to get to the flag (or “food source” in our parlance) which more often than not leads to detection by the spider and a free trip back to the “web”, from which they need to start over. With greater experience, the boys are more inclined to sneak through the ferns and approach their prize stealthily. So, while playing a game, they’re learning about survival in the natural world.

In fact, before we begin a game of Spider’s Web, we discuss the ground rules for the day. This often involves meeting in a circle (so everyone can participate equally) to work through particulars such as how far the Spider needs to stay from the food source (to minimize “puppy guarding”). Or, as was the case on Sunday, how far away from the web a “fly” needs to be to free captured flies by waving them off. Our discussion was led by one of our explorers, whose job for the day was Tribal Elder. He did excellent work ensuring that all points of view were considered and consensus was reached. This takes a different kind of energy - a discipline on everyone’s part to listen, consider other’s input, suggest resolutions, and the like. The Jumping Mice are new to these Explorers Club expectations and get understandably antsy after a time in circle. On Sunday they showed great promise as they hung in there, mostly, for the better part of a half hour. It was great to see.

Two games of Spider’s Web and a round or two of Hide! and we were ready to call it a day. We have one more outing (Dec. 5 - check here for the details) in the opening chapter of the story that will be the Jumping Mice group experience. I can’t wait to see where their energy takes them.

Click here for more photos from our day at Whatcom Falls Park.