Exploring Old Growth with the Daredevil's Club

Until you actually experience it, walk through it, feel the ground and the barks of the trees, stand on top of a giant downed douglas fir, and smell the vibrant and strangely calm air, the term “old growth” is a distant, ghostly idea.  Old Growth is a term this Explorer, having been raised in the northeast, never heard until he came to Washington.  There is something so inherently different about this place.  It’s like the difference between a ten year old boy and a vibrant eighty year old man.  Such forests have been through the full major life stages, have undergone many rites of passage, have transformed again and again and found maturity.  So strange to think that we only have a few tiny pockets of true maturity left in the United States.  So strange to think that, almost entirely, the only forests we know are prepubescent or adolescent at best.

So, the Daredevil’s Club fittingly set forth to visit some of the only elders we have left, and they found themselves on their own journey of becoming.

We began in Stubbs, getting ready for a big trip.  We talked about the privilege and honor of going out this far and meeting such a place.  We considered the safety and what we might find.  As we rolled down the highway, we asked some questions.  Who might live there?  With the help of some field guides, we did some sleuthing and found out that we are visiting quite an extensive community of mammals alone.

The wheels of the bus continued going round and round, and so did our conversations.  Matt handed out some bones one by one and challenged the group with identification.  Who could it be?  Why were the bones shaped that way?  With the help of other Explorers, our wonderful mentor Jon-Erik, and our Explorers’ Mentoring Apprentice, Tristan, we problem solved and discovered.  Do Explorers remember who it was?  What did the three bones look like?  Anyone remember why the deer population plummeted on Sumas Mountain?

As we gained elevation, we found a fantastic first stopping point.  A natural spring in the side of the mountain is a delight that everyone should experience.  There is one right on Silver Lake Road.  Perhaps your Explorers can help you find it the next time you’re out that way.

We stopped by the Nooksack to check out what this amazing artery of the land is doing up high.  We then came to the ranger station and picked up Solstice.  Appreciating the rings of the old douglas fir round, we considered the quality of a circle and all the relationships it takes for a tree to grow.  With each holding on to a rope, we talked about trust and working together.  Explorers moved from being able to lean back to going down into a full sit and back up.  They could only do this together.  We continued with a game of Animal Name Tag… which helped Tristan and Jon-Erik out quite a bit, and was a lot of fun.

Finally, we made our way to the forest itself.  It would be wonderful to spend many hours there, but it is this Explorer’s experience that this location sucks the heat right out of you.  It is always an edge.  So, while time was limited, we had to make the best out of it.  The pictures can say more than these meager words, and nothing even comes close to the experience.  Walking on the shoulders of giants to say the least.  We gawked at, scrambled around, and hugged the mighty trees.  We then resolved to take a big hike while we still had time.  Considering navigation, time, and our body temperatures, we decided to just go for a while until the path stopped.  Those paths are tricky and great navigation teachers!  We did make our way to a wonderful clearing, amongst the giants, fed by a chrystal stream.  There we finished the time with a Sit Spot, just taking in that magical land.  Parents, please go there and experience this place for yourself.  It is worth it!

On the ride back, we talked about the day and the Sit Spot.  We also came across a relationship edge for the group.  Visiting those giant elders, we found ourselves directed to this vital point in the group.  A few harsh words, some tension between some Explorers, and we are challenged to transform and become.  Will we learn from the circle we made?  Will we be able to face our problems and grow, to become an Older Growth Group.  It is up to us.  This Explorer thinks we can do it.

Don't forget to check out pics from the outing in our Photo Gallery.