On a drizzly Sunday morning we gathered at our trusty old bus Stubbs along Samish. This was a historic day for Explorers Club because for the first time ever Boys EC and Girls EC were teaming up for an outing! As the kids began showing up we decided it would be good for us to get to know one another. Upon circling up and sharing our names and some other fun facts about ourselves it became clear that squirrelly boy energy was not merely a myth perpetuated by the BEC mentors, but a reality that the girls had yet to experience on an outing. So after getting our names down and some wiggles out we loaded onto the bus and headed for the Nooksack.
Our destination was the Deming Homestead Eagle Park. As we pulled in and unloaded we circled up again to set some intentions and get a crash course in tracking. Our intentions for the day were to explore the Nooksack River Flood Plain, analyze animal tracks, and scan the skies and trees for eagles. Some of the tid bits we learned about tracking were paying attention to track size, direction, shape, the number of toes, gate, claw marks, and numerous other patterns a track has to offer. We also discussed how important it is to open our awareness to where we place our feet as we travel and track. Stepping on a track is like ripping a page out of a book, or losing a piece to a puzzle.
With our intentions set and tracking knowledge freshly imprinted in our brains we set out. Quickly Explorers began to realize that a theme for this outing would be mud! Mud is great for tracking, but can make travel a little tricky. As we slipped and slid and squished our way we discovered numerous tracks of canids (animals belong to the family Canidae), distinct beaver sign in gnawed trees, and many more wonders of the natural world. Before we knew it the terrain transformed from moss and mud to sand and stone. We had made it to the river.
We trekked out towards the rushing water, discovering ever more tracks along the way; deer, coyote, bobcat, heron, hominid. Taking a break from looking down, we opened our awareness and gazed upward to see sizeable soaring silhouettes in the sky. One of the explorers was tasked with keeping count of eagle sightings and her task quickly became a fulltime job as eagles flew overhead and perched in the nearby trees. With so much to be explored we quickly worked up an appetite and cut through a stand of alders to find a nice base camp for lunch. But along the way two explorers fell behind the rest of the group after the mud veraciously attempted to swallow their boots whole. With assistance from a mentor and volunteer the two explorers managed to wriggle free and even save their boots too.
Lunch was accompanied with a period of free play amongst the sandy flood plains full of log jams, rivulets, and pools of water. Everyone had a grand time exploring their surroundings whether that meant getting lost in a fantasy with friends or peering through binoculars at the eagles in the trees. One of the mentors even brought a camp stove to boil water for hot cocoa and plenty of melting marshmallows. With our bellies full and hands warmed by cups of cocoa we had just enough time for one more activity.
Our last activity of the day was a fun experiment in plaster casting! With so many tracks around we had ample opportunity. The explorers learned how to prepare a track for casting by building up a circular wall around the track with mud, mix plaster to a pancake batter consistency in a cup, and gently pour the plaster into the track. While we waited for our plaster to set, there was time for a round of spider’s web. But alas, we finally had to pack our things and head back to the bus. Unfortunately not all of the plaster casts had sufficient time to set and not all of the explorers came away from our outing with a casting to show for it. However, each explorer came away with the knowledge of how to make their very own plaster casts which is an exceptionally fun and affordable activity to do on personal or family outings as well! (Here is a link if you want to learn more:
http://education.usgs.gov/kids/assets/tracks.pdf).
With our packs packed and casts collected we hustled back to the bus. Loading up Stubbs it was time to hit the road and get back to the parents eagerly awaiting our return to town. Along the way we relaxed after a long day of exploring. Some sang songs, others chatted with friends, but everyone was grateful for such a beautiful day full of tracking, eagles, and the opportunity to explore an exemplary ecosystem full of wildlife and wonder.
No comments:
Post a Comment