Tracking, discovering, playing: The Jumping Mice command Lookout Mountain

They’re closer than we realize, watching us as we amble through their space, being careful that we’re not there to do them harm. Mostly, we don’t notice them. But if one slows down and observes carefully, it’s quite possible to see the signs of their presence. 

The deer had clearly climbed this hill, so
off the Jumping Mice went to learn more.

We wanted to finish up our Tracking and Bird Language season strong, so Mentor Joey and I decided to stack our outline with activities (mostly games) that involved the “Six Arts of Tracking” (from Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature). 

The Jumping Mice are learning that "Fast is slow and
slow is fast" (BEC motto). That is especially true with
tracking.

When we detect signs of a deer, squirrel, salamander, etc., asking Who, What, Where, When, Why and How (The Six Arts of Tracking) is our template for successfully learning more. Thus, the outing outline focused on these six questions and related activities. 

We talked about naming the ravine we
found, (Jumping Mice ravine). It appeared
that it'd been some time since the last
Homo Sapiens had been by. 

Well, I’m here to tell you that we didn’t do a single one of those activities! And for all the right reasons. Our first objective was to find a track, after which Joey and I would talk about the questions to ask and…..blah, blah, blah. What happened when we found the deer tracks in the mud was SO-O-O much more valuable! The Jumping Mice immediately began following the tracks up a hill and along a ridge. They were on fire with curiosity and questions (some of which actually mapped into the Six Arts). The mentors had trouble keeping up with the Explorers’, both physically and intellectually. It was fun and, for me at least, memorable. And when a person experiences with his or her whole being, the lesson is more likely to be internalized. 

Down we went, amid mosses, a stream, and lots of
curiosity.

It’s funny — the Boys Explorers Club mentors build outlines around a flow that places the “work” early in the outing, followed by celebration and reflection. We put that flow aside for the Six Arts approach described earlier. However, after all the excitement of tracking the deer, we explored a little and found a spectacular ravine that provided the space for free exploration, just the thing to balance the more intense activity earlier. Ironically, while we were relaxing a bit, Mentor Joey spied a raccoon spying us from a near hill. He and a few of the boys quickly switched into tracking mode, but were unable to pick up the “scent”, as it were.

This mud pit provided the spark to a wondrous tracking
adventure.

We finished with a few games of Spiders Web, the only game we played all day! I’m confident the Explorers learned both the technique and the thrill of tracking. I know that Joey and I learned once again that sometimes the best mentoring involves setting the stage and getting out of the way.

Next time, for Spider's Web, CAMO!

This outing completes our 2016-17 Jumping Mice year. With two full years under our belts, we can begin to expand our focus by exploring new places and new skills, all the while revisiting what we've accomplished in years one and two. I'm excited to reconvene in September to amble further down the trail. Have a great summer and I hope to see some Jumping Mice in Wild Whatcom's summer camps. Check out the rest of the photos from Sunday's outing at Lookout Mountain.

The Jumping Mice hike the Rock Trail to Lost Lake

A significant aspect of what Explorers Club mentors emphasize, especially for the younger boys such as the Jumping Mice, involves paying attention. We encourage them to tune in as we walk through the forest. Hear that bird chatter? Does one call sound different from another? 

Your boys are learning about the five different bird languages - Song, Juvenile Begging, Companion Calling, Aggression and Alarm. Paying attention to the differences in calls can be important in the wild. For instance, noticing an alarm call from the trees could alert you to the presence of the predator you're tracking (or avoiding!).

Bird language and tracking are complementary pursuits. Hearing a bird call or noticing scarring on a tree should prompt us to ask a few key tracking questions:

• What happened here?
• What does that tell me?
• What does that teach me?

These are the elements we're working on with the Jumping Mice this season. Sunday's outing offered the mentors opportunities to introduce and discuss these points, and in the best way possible. Rather than listening to me talk, the land was the teacher. 

Our exploration of the Rock Trail began at its highest point It quickly winds around to the east side of the mountain and heads down along some amazing rock formations which are, at a few points, penetrated by caves. These caves are growing very rapidly (in geologic time) in a process described here. As far as the Jumping Mice were concerned, of course, they were cool to explore and to see how many boys could fit into each one (Sunday's record: six boys and one mentor). 

As we headed further down toward Lost Lake, we found ourselves noticing places where animals might set up a den or stalk prey. Around Lost Lake, we explored what could be the world's biggest root ball and, thanks to our sharpened observation skills, noticed scat that, with the help of mentor Jedidiah, we determined was evidence of a Snowshoe Hare which was probably watching us as we played.

Mastering observation on the trail has many benefits in everyday life. In a few years, we'll ask your Explorers to expand the scope of their observation, attention and tracking to many more aspects of their lives. At this age, it can be a challenge to just notice that someone else is speaking so as not to interrupt in one's eagerness to share some nugget. We start where they are and hope to guide them toward being authentic men. One step at a time. 

Check here for all the photos from our Rock Trail outing.

Time to switch to our seasonal service work. Next outing: 

Sunday, May 7th, 9:30am-1:30pm

Service: BEC Connelly Creek Restoration Site, Happy Valley Park

Tracking Larrabee State Park with the Jumping Mice

We could sense it was going to be a good outing when we found ourselves basking in cool sunshine as we gathered for a different kind of adventure on Sunday. What a great day for the Jumping Mice to begin their spring season! 

After a last minute change of drop off location (thanks for being flexible, parents/guardians), we set out to traverse from the Lost Lake trailhead to the Larrabee State Park camp area along the west side of Chuckanut Drive. After crossing Chuckanut, Mentors Jedidiah and Brian talked with the boys about tracking...they wanted to play in the creek. In fact, there was considerable “antsiness" in the ranks. Opening and decision circles were marked by repeated talking over of the speaker. We talked with the boys about respect; of course it didn’t help that Mentor Brian forgot our “Talking Stick”, an important tool in our efforts to bring a tone of decorum to our circles. We are, each one of us, continually working to improve how we treat each other. 

So, after some free exploration, we hiked north intending to play Spider’s Web along the way, but chose instead to try an unknown trail. It led us to a spectacular overlook of the islands and Salish Sea, a bonus on this clear day. We took a break, then participated in a tracking activity, which seemed to sharpen the Explorer’s focus. We then finished our traverse to the camping area, where we were joined shortly by parents and friends for a pot luck dinner/campfire. The weather contributed to a fun, safe social time.

I think the Mentors learned an important lesson with the change in the boy’s behavior when we introduced the structured tracking activity. We should do more of this. We saw a similar response to a navigation activity last year. We’ll try to incorporate this approach more in future outings.

Perhaps the view should get credit for calming the Jumping Mice. It was just after we took in this spectacular vista that we tried our hands at tracking and the tone of the outing improved.

Scanning through these photos I noticed that there was more interaction that didn't involve physical contact, a sign these boys are getting older. In fact, yesterday was Archer's tenth birthday. Happy birthday, Archer!

One of the Explorers is into geo-tracking and knew of a geocache along our route; needless to say, we couldn't not investigate.

In the camp area, the boys spied a rabbit, a few nests and investigated a stream. This curiosity is a critical foundation for tracking. Now, Mentors Brian and Jedidiah just need to stoke that curiosity!

Parents and Explorers work to set up our potluck.

Congregating around a campfire provides an excellent place for socializing and relationship building.

Our skill for the spring is Tracking and Bird Language. As Mentor Jedidiah introduced our tracking activity, one of the boys asked, “I’m an animal; should I track myself?”, to which Jedidiah responded, “That’s the end of the trail.” I’m pretty sure the boys thought he was joking, but there was wisdom in the question as well as the response. As Jed pointed out, whether tracking animals or one’s self, it helps to begin by slowing down and becoming more aware of yourself and your surroundings. No illusions here that the Jumping Mice are going to “get it” any time soon, but be assured that our purpose doesn’t end when we find “scat”, exciting though that no doubt will be for the boys.

More photos here. We next get to explore the Stimpson Family Nature Preserve - on Sunday, March 26. Thanks for all your support with the potluck/campfire gathering — great fun.