The First Daredevils Club outing fell on the day after one of the largest Summer wind storms ever to occur in bellingham. After the previous days chaos it was an exciting prospect to spend the day hiking through the Chuckanuts looking at the effects of the storm. This season marks a huge change for the Daredevils Club with only four of the explorers returning for the Fall season. Having a small group offers both powers and challenges for explorers and mentors.
We started our day as we always do with an opening circle, setting intentions for the day and swapping stories from the summer. With only six of us we held our circle in a conversational and casual manner. After laying out our day we headed up the lost lake trail. Immediately we began to encounter large downed trees and branches. Tracking which kind of trees had fallen and lost branches was informative to all of us on where not to be in a windstorm.
At the first junction we pulled out the map and asked the boys to find out where we were and where we wanted to go. as the six of us huddled around the map the boys seemed reluctant to speak up and share their thoughts on reading the map. The anonymity that comes with a large group is lost on a group this size and I think the boys felt this as Tim and I continued to ask pointed questions regarding the map. As we talked the boys warmed up and because of the small group size we were able to have a nice lesson on map skills and navigation.
Our earth skills focus this season is shelter building with the intention of building shelters to sleep in at the end of the season. This is an ambitious goal, but one that these boys can be ready for by the end of the season. As we hiked we asked the Daredevils to tell us when they found a suitable spot for a shelter. They were reluctant to build a shelter and showed more enthusiasm for hiking. We continued upward past waterfalls, giant madrona trees, and more tangled debir from the previous day.
We started our day as we always do with an opening circle, setting intentions for the day and swapping stories from the summer. With only six of us we held our circle in a conversational and casual manner. After laying out our day we headed up the lost lake trail. Immediately we began to encounter large downed trees and branches. Tracking which kind of trees had fallen and lost branches was informative to all of us on where not to be in a windstorm.
At the first junction we pulled out the map and asked the boys to find out where we were and where we wanted to go. as the six of us huddled around the map the boys seemed reluctant to speak up and share their thoughts on reading the map. The anonymity that comes with a large group is lost on a group this size and I think the boys felt this as Tim and I continued to ask pointed questions regarding the map. As we talked the boys warmed up and because of the small group size we were able to have a nice lesson on map skills and navigation.
Our earth skills focus this season is shelter building with the intention of building shelters to sleep in at the end of the season. This is an ambitious goal, but one that these boys can be ready for by the end of the season. As we hiked we asked the Daredevils to tell us when they found a suitable spot for a shelter. They were reluctant to build a shelter and showed more enthusiasm for hiking. We continued upward past waterfalls, giant madrona trees, and more tangled debir from the previous day.
Reaching our turnaround point we headed back down the hill in agreement to find a shelter spot on the way down. Toward the bottom of the hill Tim and I spied a good spot for a shelter and led the boys off the trail to investigate. We had a little over an hour left, enough time to build a basic shelter. The boys again were reluctant to take initiative and had a slow start to their shelter. They eventually began to delegate tasks and and got some good work done.
With the day drawing to a close and the Shelter nowhere near completed we sat down and talked about the day. We had a very open conversation about what it was like to be in such a small group. The Daredevils talked about how the heart and soul of the group felt lost with so few of them and how it was hard to find motivation in such small numbers. It was refreshing to hear words put to the quiet and enthusiastic energy Tim and I had been observing all day. We all had a great talk on thinking about ways we could restructure our community for this season and recreate the soul we felt the group had lost. With such a small group we were able to have a very frank conversation about these things and reach some good conclusions about how to move forward.
With the day drawing to a close and the Shelter nowhere near completed we sat down and talked about the day. We had a very open conversation about what it was like to be in such a small group. The Daredevils talked about how the heart and soul of the group felt lost with so few of them and how it was hard to find motivation in such small numbers. It was refreshing to hear words put to the quiet and enthusiastic energy Tim and I had been observing all day. We all had a great talk on thinking about ways we could restructure our community for this season and recreate the soul we felt the group had lost. With such a small group we were able to have a very frank conversation about these things and reach some good conclusions about how to move forward.
Throughout this outing we saw both the powers and challenges of having a small group. I am looking forward to the coming season with the Daredevils club and helping them reinvent themselves as a group and community. Thank you Daredevils club for your commitment to the program and willingness to express yourselves in an honest and heartfelt way. Thank You parents for your support of the program, be sure to look at our photo gallery for more pictures from this outing.
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