Low tide at Clayton Beach with the Daredevil’s Club

Though the rain threatened to make this adventure a wet one, as we gathered in the parking lot of Clayton Beach, the clouds broke and unveiled a wonderful day. The Daredevil's Club Explorers had the good fortune of having three mentors-in-training come along with them on this outing.  These three, from our oldest group of Explorers, were there to share their knowledge and skills, and to model what they've learned about the joy of exploring. Of course, they were also there to have a good time. As the Daredevil's Club Explorers gathered for their opening meeting, it was apparent that we had a great recipe for a good day.

We began our outing with the Human Knot. Explorers were given segments of rope and then gathered in a circle. Each Explorer then grasped the ends of different strands of rope. Once everyone had a good handhold they were given the simple challenge of untangling themselves without letting go of the rope. Contortion, confusion, a bit of chaos, and then a long, slow movement toward completion ensued. This activity would definitely put a smile him the face of any spectator.

Once thoroughly untangled, the explorers brought their minds together for the opening meeting. We went through our tradition of discussing safety, envisioning the day, giving out jobs, and making up an immediate plan of action. It was apparent from the get-go that the Explorers were not short on energy! No way! We cruised down the trail faster than this Explorer can ever remember having done so before. That is, until we came to the salmon berries. Our Daredevil’s Club Explorers then shape shifted into miniature bears, an animal form we have not yet explored but these young people seem to have mastered in the face of our first, native, delicious berries.

We continue down the path, and made our way to the tracks. Exploring by the train tracks yielded some perfect opportunities to go into a risk assessments. Our vision for Explorers is to give them the power to be able to skillfully and safely assess the risk of any situation they find themselves in. So we gave it a shot. Of course, theory is nothing without praxis.  Our assessments did not mean that we do nothing. Explorers got their hands dirty, dived into play and life, but did it safely.

Then came the low tide! This Explorer has learned that it is folly to attempt any scheduled organized activity for the first hour of encountering an open beach.  There is so much to do, so much to explore, and so much joy to be had with open, unbridled exploration. We found such neat stuff! Check out the photos. Check out the video. Wow!

After a decent amount of time, we gathered up again. We talked about what we’d done so far and all the interesting things around us. We then came back to the risk assessment, highlighting the cliffs as an example. We talked about S.T.O.P. as a good way to assess risk.  S meaning Stop. T meaning Think. O meaning Observe.  P meaning Plan. A good and simple tool for all explorations.

Then it was time for big game!  This Explorer shared a story about sleeping outdoors just before his wedding. It served as a framework for the game:Cougar, Lone Wolf, Coyotes.  Our mentors in training proved to be powerful opponents and provided us with the hardest game yet in Explorers. We played for quite some time. When the day finally winded down and we had a chance to discuss, we found that the most challenging games, and even the games that we don't win, can still be some of the finest.  We had an ending meeting including a circle of thanks for the entire season and for the day. This was an excellent day! Much thanks to all the Explorers for your wonderful work in the world! Much thanks to all the parents for your enduring support!

And be sure to check out pics from the day in our Photo Gallery.