On a gorgeous Saturday afternoon the Gray Wolf Pups gathered at Arroyo Park for their second outing of the spring 2015 season. Once most of the explorers had arrived, the boys immediately gravitated toward the lush, green, damp landscape next to the parking lot. As explorers scurried across a fallen log over the skunk cabbage filled swamp the rest of the boys trickled in and it was time for our opening circle. We quickly decided to get out of the parking lot and dove straight off trail into the woods.
Getting off trail abruptly brought the Gray Wolf Pups’ awareness to their immediate surroundings and the moment at hand. Talk of birthday parties, video games, etc. dropped off and boys began discussing where to go and how to get there. Soon we found ourselves in a predicament however, some boys wanted to take the lower route through some Devils Club, Salmon Berry, and Slide Alder, but other boys thought trekking up the hillside and finding a route above us may be better. Unable to comfortably form a circle perched on the hillside it became
Getting off trail abruptly brought the Gray Wolf Pups’ awareness to their immediate surroundings and the moment at hand. Talk of birthday parties, video games, etc. dropped off and boys began discussing where to go and how to get there. Soon we found ourselves in a predicament however, some boys wanted to take the lower route through some Devils Club, Salmon Berry, and Slide Alder, but other boys thought trekking up the hillside and finding a route above us may be better. Unable to comfortably form a circle perched on the hillside it became
apparent that explorers were lacking the structure and focus required to come to a consensus. Many of the boys were talking over each other, goofing off, or showing no interest in engaging in the decision making process. The mentors decided it was time to step in and helped guide the Gray Wolf Pups down the path of collaborating and compromising to eventually come to a group consensus. We balanced the pros and cons of each route, the hazards, and personal preferences, but eventually decided to cut down, brave the brambles, and make our way to the creek.
After slipping and sliding our way down a muddy hillside using slide alder as a “vegie-belay” we arrived at a perfectly placed log laying perpendicularly across Chuckanut Creek. We couldn’t have asked for a better bridge. One by one each boy crossed the creek and we found a beautiful section of rocky streamside to settle down and do some carving. The mentors challenged the boys to each carve a pair of chopsticks. Sounds like a pretty simple task right? But trying to create a tapered cylinder out of a roughly split section of cedar takes far more dexterity, patience, and skill than most of the explorers initially thought. The group held a strong focus, and slowly but surely carved down each section of cedar to resemble chopstick like creations.
After slipping and sliding our way down a muddy hillside using slide alder as a “vegie-belay” we arrived at a perfectly placed log laying perpendicularly across Chuckanut Creek. We couldn’t have asked for a better bridge. One by one each boy crossed the creek and we found a beautiful section of rocky streamside to settle down and do some carving. The mentors challenged the boys to each carve a pair of chopsticks. Sounds like a pretty simple task right? But trying to create a tapered cylinder out of a roughly split section of cedar takes far more dexterity, patience, and skill than most of the explorers initially thought. The group held a strong focus, and slowly but surely carved down each section of cedar to resemble chopstick like creations.
Holding that focus over time proved easier for some than others, but luckily we were streamside in the sunshine and surrounded by countless natural wonders to keep the boys entertained. Some explorers caught water striders, others clambered along the stream banks exploring the sword ferns and shrubberies above us. Eventually it was time to gather up and determine our next course of action.
The mentors had promised a game of Spiders Web if everyone focused on their carving and each finished a pair of chopsticks. Unfortunately not everyone was able to find enough focus to complete their carving tasks. So, the mentors made an agreement with the boys that if they worked on their chopsticks at home, and brought their finished product to our next outing we could move on and get into a game of Spiders Web. The mentors emphasized the importance for the boys to understand that making an agreement with another, a group, or yourself (i.e. completing a pair of chopsticks) is not something you can just brush of as something we didn’t finish. Instead we gauged our present situation with the group, realized that it would be a lot easier for us to carve on our own later than it would be to play a game of Spiders Web. So instead of blowing off our chopstick agreement, we re-analyzed our situation and amended our agreement to better suite our ever changing circumstances.
Quickly traversing up to the trail, we hiked along the creek, crossed the bridge, and looped back around toward the parking lot for pick up. Luckily one of the mentors knew a great place for a quick game of Spiders Web. All the boys except one played, while the other explorer just couldn’t get enough carving in and had a strong drive to finish his chopsticks. Surprisingly the Gray Fox Kits managed to complete an entire game of Spiders Web in just twenty minute! At the end of the game the Spider was surprised when he realized the flies had gotten the food source so quickly, but instead of being upset about losing (which happens rather often with boys of this age, or any age for that matter) he simply said to the Fly who secured the food source; “Great job. I didn’t even see you!” All that was left was to gather together for our closing circle, share our gratitude, eat some apple slices, and hike out to the trailhead where parents were eagerly awaiting to welcome their explorers back from yet another successful outing.
The mentors had promised a game of Spiders Web if everyone focused on their carving and each finished a pair of chopsticks. Unfortunately not everyone was able to find enough focus to complete their carving tasks. So, the mentors made an agreement with the boys that if they worked on their chopsticks at home, and brought their finished product to our next outing we could move on and get into a game of Spiders Web. The mentors emphasized the importance for the boys to understand that making an agreement with another, a group, or yourself (i.e. completing a pair of chopsticks) is not something you can just brush of as something we didn’t finish. Instead we gauged our present situation with the group, realized that it would be a lot easier for us to carve on our own later than it would be to play a game of Spiders Web. So instead of blowing off our chopstick agreement, we re-analyzed our situation and amended our agreement to better suite our ever changing circumstances.
Quickly traversing up to the trail, we hiked along the creek, crossed the bridge, and looped back around toward the parking lot for pick up. Luckily one of the mentors knew a great place for a quick game of Spiders Web. All the boys except one played, while the other explorer just couldn’t get enough carving in and had a strong drive to finish his chopsticks. Surprisingly the Gray Fox Kits managed to complete an entire game of Spiders Web in just twenty minute! At the end of the game the Spider was surprised when he realized the flies had gotten the food source so quickly, but instead of being upset about losing (which happens rather often with boys of this age, or any age for that matter) he simply said to the Fly who secured the food source; “Great job. I didn’t even see you!” All that was left was to gather together for our closing circle, share our gratitude, eat some apple slices, and hike out to the trailhead where parents were eagerly awaiting to welcome their explorers back from yet another successful outing.
Remember to check out all the rest of the photos from our outing at theGray Wolf Pups Photo Gallery!
No comments:
Post a Comment