Though the sun was out when the Daredevil’s Club met at Larrabee State Park’s Clayton Beach trailhead, the brisk spring morning chilled us to the bone. Eight Explorers and three mentors began the day talking about competition. The roots of the word mean to strive together and meet. As such, we learned how some simple games led to true competition.
In one game, we tried to take bandanas from others while keeping our awareness honed to dodge those trying to steal from us. In another we tossed a ball back and forth and worked together to play by the rules and come up with a faster time. The moral of both of these activities was clear: Competition helped us shine individually but the group shined brighter as we pushed each other to do our best.
We took that lesson into the woods as we immediately reached a fork in the road. Daredevil’s Club Explorers paused and Mentors challenged them to find the correct trail. Though we spent a while sitting, waiting, trying to read maps, arguing about which way to go, trying to “drink” from a stream, and even eating a snack, Explorers eventually built up momentum and worked together to usher those wily mentors down the right trail!
We then found a great stream near the railroad track and we explored both sides of the bank. We combined camouflage skills with the art of stealth during a game called “Where’s My Egg?!” Ask your Explorer what he remembers of the game when Matt was standing on the rock and yelling about his egg.
Time started to creep away from us so we headed back up the trail toward the State Park. We tracked some orange peels that some hiker had left on the trail. This valuable opportunity helped us practice trail-finding, considering markers to show us the way. And after meeting up with the main artery trail, we saw a pickaxe and then heard some noises.
One of the Girls’ Explorers Clubs was rebuilding a bridge on the trail! Explorers and mentors went into super stealth mode and we tried to sneak up on them. Unfortunately, some of us got over-excited and we crashed into the underbrush making noises that gave away our position and the girls froze, staring at us. We had no choice but to say hi. Great job girls on the beautiful trail work. It looks great!
During lunch, Steve shared some more important information about water to help us this season’s Earth Skill Journey. We were reminded that not all clear water is OK to drink. After lunch there was an Earth Skills Explosion during which Explorers had five minutes to get potable water. Cleverly they found faucets at the state park buildings. Unfortunately, some boys didn’t guard their water and it was “accidentally” knocked over. We have to protect our potable water, Explorers!
By then it was towards the end of the outing and we had made our way to the coast. We enjoyed some birding, rock skipping, and eventually we made time for a Sit Spot. What a refreshing way to pass ten minutes in the afternoon sunshine!
As we made the final approach to the boat launch, the tide has risen to an edge where some of us were bound to get wet. Some Explorers embraced the water and others futilely tried to avoid it. Most of us had wet feet or boots as we did our final Circle of Thanks and Web of Connection to one another. We probably could have spent another couple hours Exploring but it was time to go.
Daredevil’s Club Explorers, thank you for your adventurous spirit and willingness to compete today. We learned a lot about how to make the group stronger with our individual efforts. Parents, thank you as always for your support and encouragement of these boys and the program.
Please take a look at the website for information about next outing on April 27th. We’ll be doing a service project from 12-4pm in Happy Valley. And don’t forget to peruse more pictures at the Daredevil’s club photo gallery. Lastly, registration for summer camp starts on April 8th. See you in a month!
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