The Gray Wolf Pups gathered atop Sehome Arboretum with energy and excitement. While the mentors talked with parents, the Explorers climbed up a young Maple, covering every branch with monkey-like form. When the tree became too crowded a few boys ran into the forest and discovered a fifteen-foot high sandstone cliff. The mentors realized that it was time to wrangle the group! As we walked over to the cliff, Greg noticed that a large branch of the Maple had broken off in a previous storm. It was the perfect shape to make a primitive Bark Spud. A Bark Spud is used primarily to shave the bark of a tree after it is felled. Greg thought it might make an excellent tool for removing English ivy from trees, which was part of our service outing. Before we made this tool we decided that we better have an opening meeting and hand out jobs.
Circling up we realized that some of us still didn’t know everyone’s name so we went around the circle and shared those and our favorite tool. Everyone seemed to have a different favorite: a bow and arrow, knife, stick, or chisel. I took my favorite walking stick out of my car to show the group. I shared with the boys all the adventures and memories that the stick held and all the services it could provide. Watching Greg make the bark spud, the boys started to realize just how useful tools can be when we use them with integrity and purpose. As the Gray Wolf Pups start to utilize sticks and eventually knives, hatchets, and saws, they must always keep in mind our motto A Tool Vs. A Weapon. The difference between the two is the person who is using it.
After we had our jobs and were ready to go we noticed a few Explorers picking at a crumbling Parks Department trail marker. Greg shared with the group that sometimes we as humans can act a lot like termites. Little by little if each person were to pick at the sign then eventually it would be unreadable. The group agreed not to be a termite when it came to structures and living organisms like plants. In Explorers Club we seek to be not only the harvesters and users of the land but the caretakers as well.
Calling the front Scout to mobilize the group, we hiked north to our service sight location. Along the way we spotted some tracks in a muddy area and came to the conclusion that it was a dog. We could tell this from its major identifying feature, a single lobed rear print and the claw marks in the toe prints. The more we practice and get to know tracks, the more we will be able to know what has been moving through a tract of land. Arriving at our service sight we assessed where we needed to work. The mentors had a specific section of Big Leaf maples trees in mind that they wanted to serve but a large Red alder snag had fallen right next to the maples, resting on the youngest of the bunch. The maple was drawn like a bow and if it broke we would not have wanted to be near it. Greg and I took a moment to talk about forest snags and widow-maker limbs. It is important that the group be able to recognize and track these so they can explore safely in any season.
Once we had found a safe location we dropped our packs and Mentors instructed the group to look at both sides of the trail and pick out the differences. One side of the forest floor was comprised of primarily English ivy while the other held a much richer diversity of Red huckleberry, Sword ferns, Oregon grape, and Beaked hazelnut trees. It was plain to see this patch needed some help restoring its natural balance. Mentors explained that English ivy is well adapted to the mild Pacific Northwest climate. It grows all year round in Western Washington and can out-compete many other species. Having diversity in the flora and fauna in the landscape is key to having stability within an ecosystem's food chain. Since we are a part of the landscape, our stability is tied directly to this balance. In Explorers Club we serve not only to insure our stability, we also serve because the land and its biotic community intrinsically hold value and we share and defend that gift of life. As the Explorers serve the landscape, they will come to realize that they are interdependent with a much larger community and it is their service and commitment to that community that will cultivate them into leaders and allies that guide with integrity and compassion.
Grabbing a vine, Greg showed the group how to identify and get to know English ivy. The vine can have three to five lobes on its leathery leaves but it can also be un-lobed depending on the sub-species. The ivy’s alternate branching structure first spreads out over the forest floor. Once roots have established themselves they slowly climb up plants and trees, eventually pollinating after a few years. English ivy damages the structural integrity of the trees, slowly suffocating and exposing them to rot. Its matted root system also causes erosion on steep slopes.
After this, it looked like the group was ready to explode so we gloved up and started to serve the land. It was so thrilling to watch the Gray Wolf Pups work. Some of the group worked with Greg to pry the long ivy strands from the Douglas firs and Big Leaf maples. The mentors had given the group a challenge of seeing who could pull the largest intact strand of ivy. Our record for the day was thirty feet. The boys worked together to pull the tough vines out of the soil. The group put in a solid effort and by the time we were done we had a huge ivy ball. We loaded it on three Explorers backs and carried it on to the cement road for the Parks Department to pick up, but before we headed out we picked up every leaf that we had dropped to be sure that it did not spread. As we stood around the ball of Ivy we appreciated the work that we did. Mentors asked the question, are we killing this ivy? Was this not a form of being a termite and causing harm? The Explorers came to the conclusion that they were restoring balance and it was more about the intention in their hearts rather than their actions. After such great service the group was ready to find a spot to play Spider’s Web.
We traveled back the way we had come and the group did great job of tracking and recognizing landmarks that we had come across. Scouting down the side of a hill, the group thought that they might have found an excellent location for the game. As we climbed down the slippery clay soil mixed with fallen leaves, we came to a twenty foot cliff and had to assess whether we could make it safely around. The group decided that the risk outweighed the benefit and we were just about to turn around when one of the Explorers spotted a Barred owl. The group sat silently perched on top of the cliff watching the owl fifteen feet away, directly at our head level. This was such a great opportunity for us to see the hunter at rest. It also gave us a window into the community that we just served.
Turning around we searched a little more and found a deer trail that led safely down to the location. Who would have thought that a deer might know this land better than us? Tucked away in a steep and secluded little valley we played a challenging game of Spider’s Web. Greg made for a tough spider, catching boys left and right. Through trial and error the boys learned to go slow and wait until the spider was distracted to move. We also learned how to play with honor and asked ourselves why we are playing the game in the first place.
After the game finished it was time for us to go, but we still needed to have a closing meeting. The Gray Wolf Pups gave thanks for the mysteries of the land, for the chance to play, for the challenge of Spiders Web, for restoring balance to this ecosystem, and for the opportunity to serve. We ended our day by using our stealth and stalking skills to sneak up on our friends and family who were waiting for us in the parking lot. The Mentors are thankful to be part of the boy’s first service outing.
Please check out more pictures from the outing at the photo gallery. We look forward to seeing you at theWinter Solstice Gathering on December 14th and at our winter outings that we are offering for the first time ever!
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