Daredevils Club, Storm Wolves, and Barred Owls Help Clean Up Connelly Creek

Meeting at our new park and ride drop-off location the Daredevil’s Club were finally all present for their last service outing as a group. With plenty of sunshine to accompany us, we walked over to the service site to take inventory of what had been done by previous groups, what was left to do today, and how we would make the most of our time. We also talked about the importance of setting a good precedent for the younger groups, and leading by example and emphasizing safe tool usage, proper technique, and strong work ethic. At first it took the group a little while to get going, but after taking a quick snack break and drinking down some water the Daredevil’s kicked it into gear and got down to business.

As the Daredevil’s Club finished constructing a make-shift fence around a recently discovered bees nest the next group, the Storm Wolves, arrived. After taking some time to walk through the service site with the Daredevil’s Club the Storm Wolves had no hesitation and jumped right into cutting back the blackberries and digging up root balls. It was great to see these two groups get together after both groups found plenty of enjoyment discovering one another’s shelters during previous explorations this season. Each group continued developing the other’s shelter, one at Galbraith and the other at Clayton Beach, and created some pretty impressive structures despite having never met the other group (until now!). As the outing progressed the groups intermingled and found that they actually had quite a bit in common. Watching the Daredevil’s Club working alongside the Storm Wolves, the mentors took note of their maturity and impressive role modeling. Coming from a group that can sometimes get side-tracked with goofiness, these older Explorer’s really stepped up today and were very impressive.

While the Daredevil’s Club and Storm Wolves were making solid progress, everything was kicked up a notch when the Barred Owls showed up. After getting a demonstration on proper tool usage from the Storm Wolves they get right to work. Talk about a bunch of motivated Explorers! Half of the group took on the extensive bramble of Himalayan Blackberry that has been choking out a willow grove for years while the other half grabbed shovels, began digging up blackberry root balls, and clearing out an old drainage ditch. This by no means is easy work and the whole day the mentors never heard a peep of complaining out of any of the Explorers.

With lots of solid work getting done the service site began to transform. The once tall Reed Canary Grass lay flat, stomped down by Explorer’s feet. The ground churned from shovels digging up massive clumps of blackberry root. The willow grove once choked out by blackberry finally stretching out to absorb the sunshine that was previously getting all sucked up by the broad leaves on the climbing vines of blackberry. Despite not having any mulch today, the site has been prepped for the next group to get a thick layer of mulch down. Vast tunnels have been slashed through the massive blackberry bramble allowing the Explorers to divide and conquer the remaining patches the formidable thorny plant. Not only did these boys fill numerous garbage bags full of Himalayan Blackberry, but they did a great job of taking the next step towards really establishing the natural stability of the Connelly Creek service site.

With the Padden Creek Daylighting Project well underway downstream all of our hard work is suddenly taking on a new perspective. Not only are we working towards eradicating invasive species alongside Connelly Creek, creating natural habitat with native species,  and developing a self-sustaining native habitat, but we are creating a piece to the proverbial puzzle. With salmon able to swim up Padden Creek for the first time in in over a century the Explorers are creating an optimum habitat for them to return to Connelly Creek to spawn and continue their prolific and dynamic influence on our region. For now it may seem like hacking at blackberry and shoveling mulch, but the impact these boys are having on their community is one that will last for years to come. One of the Explorers on this outing actually mentioned this and said he dreams of one day being able to pull a salmon out of Connelly Creek with his hands. Now that is a vision we can all appreciate and thanks to all the hard work from the Daredevil’s Club, Storm Wolves, and Barred Owls that dream may one day become a reality. 

Make sure to check out the rest of the photos from our outing here!

Daredevils Club Revisits Clayton

Meeting in the Lost Lake Trailhead parking lot just off of Chuckanut Drive, the Daredevils Club reunited for some exploration at a classic Explorers Club location; Clayton Beach. Hiking down the stairs to the trail we decided it would be good to take some time to explore the ravine and forest before dropping down to the beach. Winding our way along the trail down into the ravine we stopped beside the stream to take it all in. Taking in our surroundings we noticed the landscape had been carved out by this babbling brook cutting a deep groove in the forest exposing rock faces and producing a series of small waterfalls along its way. It is hard not to get lost in a moment of appreciation for the beauty of this forest.

After a few minutes of feeling out the area we decided to trek up the stream in search of fossils. Picking our way along the slippery rocks and ducking under vine maple we slowly worked our way back up the ravine. Little bits of sedimentary rock with darker specks and shapes on them gave us the notion we were on the right track. Finally getting to the top of the creek we found large chunks of the stream bank that had eroded off, exposing numerous fossils of leaves and sticks. The Daredevils Club enjoyed poking around, breaking up some of the other rocks in search for more fossils. Touching a fossil is one of those experiences that evokes curiosity. How old is this leaf? How long had it stayed locked within this riverbank before a heavy rain broke it free? What did this landscape look like when this leaf fell off its tree? Taking a moment to contemplate these sorts of thoughts not only helps us envision a prehistoric version of the very place we call home, but also gives us a unique perspective on the vastness of time and the incredible probabilities at play for an ordinary leaf, one in millions if not billions, encountered the perfect set of circumstances to become fossilized and eventually one day be discovered by a member of the Daredevils Club.

Returning to our packs we took some time to explore a bit more before heading down to the beach. Discovering a downed Western Red Cedar the mentors were instilled with inspiration for the Daredevils Club to complete a fire by friction kit before the culmination of their season, and their Boys Explorers Club experience. Harvesting the curving limbs for of the cedar tree we each cut ourselves a bow for a bow drill kit. Next we needed to find some seasoned cedar to carve into a spindle and fireboard. Discovering the downed cedar was too fresh and tight grained, to split easily we took inventory of our surroundings and pressed on a mission for some new materials to harvest. Remembering a downed cedar from a few seasons ago we headed a bit further down the trail and found it would make perfect material for carving spindles and fireboards. Enough with the forest, fossils, and fire by friction, time to get down to the beach!

Continuing along the trail we made our way down to Clayton Beach where it is impossible not to have a good time. The day was a bit blustery and overcast which in all honesty was perfect for this outing. Not only did the clouds offer protection from the sun, but without the warm rays of sunshine all the fair-weather beach combers were nowhere to be found. Climbing amongst the rocks the Daredevils Club found a driftwood fort that had been built last fall by a younger BEC group. In fact, it was there very group, the Storm Wolves, that had an epic outing of shelter building at Galbraith inspired by the debris shelter that the Daredevils Club had constructed in the fall. It was only fitting that we took some time to add onto this driftwood shelter and in no time the DDC had a cozy little shelter to tuck themselves away in and out of the cool coastal breeze that was becoming a bit chilly.

With some free time under our belts it was time to hunker down and focus on some skills. Getting out our freshly harvested cedar, we split it up into spindle blanks and fire boards using the batoning method with our knives. Next we found a good spot to sit down, eat some food, and carve our spindles. The mentors had a great time hanging out with this group while carving. It is easy to get lost in carving and fall into silence, but these boys are full of jokes and silly anecdotes that make it impossible not to smile. It’s tough to think that this is our last season together as the Daredevils Club. There have been so many good times and so much growth from this group over the years. After our service outing we will have one more outing which will be an overnight at Racehorse Falls. Tim and Peter have set the intention for every member of the DDC to finish carving their bow drill kits and get a coal, and ensuing fire, with each of their own kits. This won’t be easy, but will be a great way for these guys to put a stamp on their Explorers Club experience and demonstrate how far they have come over the years. The mentors are already getting excited about our upcoming overnight and despite it being our last outing together, the Daredevils Club is primed for an epic experience marking the culmination of their time in the Boys Explorers Club. 

Check out the rest of our photos from this outing here!