Explorers Club Year 5
We look forward to exploring with these groups in Explorers Club Year 5!
Quaking Mosses | Sturgeon-Wolf Eels | Tufted Puffins
Standard outings and curriculum are below. Individual Explorers Club group schedules and curriculum may vary based on group needs, mentor discretion, previously canceled outings, group progress with technical skills, etc.
Outing dates, times, and locations for all groups are subject to change.
SKILLS FOCUS | YEAR 5
Fire By Friction | Fire Safety | Place-Based History | Team Building
OUTING 1 | Wilderness Travel
For our first outing back after the summer holidays, we’ll strap on our packs and lace up our boots for a day of hiking and reconnecting on the Lost Lake trail. While this hike is a bit of a climb, Explorers in their fifth year of EC are certainly up to the challenge! Our time on the trail will be spent catching up with old buds and getting to know new friends. Along the way, we will practice our trail etiquette and the Do’s and Don’ts of hiking in a group. In preparation for our season of fire skills, we’ll also work on our tree ID by identifying hemlock, cedar, and vine maple. Your Explorer should come prepared with a hefty lunch and lots of water, rain gear, and a good pair of trail shoes or boots. If your kid is also a squid, be sure to bring closed-toe water shoes and a bathing suit.
Lost Lake Trail
OUTING 2 | SKILLS
The art of making and tending fires is a true ancient skill of survival. We will start the day by reviewing our knowledge of tree and plant identification, reconnecting very specifically with the Western hemlock. As we hike into the woods, we will begin to gather materials and learn how to create kindling bundles. Lessons of Leave No Trace and fire safety will be intentionally woven throughout the day. Hopefully, the group will leave this outing with an appreciation of the intricate art of fire-making and a firm knowledge of fire safety.
Lookout Mountain
OUTING 3 | Exploration
As salmon swim upstream, so too will we be walking upstream on this urban exploration, following Whatcom Creek through downtown and into Whatcom Falls Park. We'll begin near the creek's mouth at Waypoint Park and follow it through the city, discussing the history of both, making observations and asking questions about what we encounter along the way. We’ll work together to navigate both physical and emotional landscapes as we traverse across space and time on this very special outing.
Arch of healing & reconciliation - Whatcom Falls Park
OUTING 4 | Skills
For many thousands of years, the skill of fire-building was passed on from elder to youth. Over time, the young people grew in skill to become masters themselves. While we won't achieve fire-building mastery on this day, we will certainly continue to hone our skills. With a firm grasp on kindling and its role in fire creation, we’ll turn our focus to tinder: its role, how to find/harvest/create it, and how to work with it. We’ll also learn the basics of the official Explorers Club fire-by-friction tool: the bow drill! All of this skills focus will be hard work, so we’ll be sure to play games and leave lots of time for free exploration as well!
Birch Bay State Park
OUTING 5 | EXPLORATION
Time to put your imagination caps on, friends! This outing will be all about immersing ourselves in a woodland adventure that is meant to test our Explorers’ technical skills and deepen their communication as a group. The group will work together to solve various challenges, all with the goal of deciphering a coded message. Riddles, treasure maps, and fantastical thinking will abound on this day. Remember to bring your nature journal, a pencil, and an adventure item (cape, eye-patch, captain’s hat, staff/wand, etc) to this outing!
St CLair Park
OUTING 6 | SERVICE
Explorers Club (EC) has two official restoration sites that we work on every year in partnership with the Bellingham Parks Department. In the decade-plus that EC has worked at Connelly Creek Nature Area and Happy Valley Park, the landscape of each site has changed dramatically. Explorers of all ages have helped to remove Himalayan blackberries and dig out their persistent roots. We’ve planted over one hundred native plants, shrubs, and trees. Existing plant life has been freed of ivy, reed canary grass has been covered in mulch, and morning glory has been dug out by the root. Explorers have removed hundreds of pounds of trash and hauled almost one hundred yards of mulch.
With the help of Bellingham City Parks and Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA), we are contributing to the very important work of salmon habitat restoration. Salmon are keystone species of the Northwest, playing important roles in every ecosystem and community they interact with. They are economically, culturally, and spiritually significant to Indigenous Peoples, including our Lummi and Nooksack neighbors. Our restoration work creates a positive ripple effect that is felt in communities beyond just salmon and gives us an incredible opportunity to be part of a legacy of stewardship and protection. Please remember to sign the City of Bellingham Parks Department Risk and Liability release form at drop off.
Connelly Creek Nature Area - Restoration Sites
OUTING 7 | SKILLS
For one of our last outings of the year, the group will meet at North Lake Whatcom Park for a day of skills practice and connection. We’ll continue our journey with fire by friction. This is a challenging skill with lots of lessons from our mottos. We will need to Grasp the Nettle, Aim Beyond the Target, and remember that Slow is Fast if we hope to create fire from nothing but sticks and string. If the weather looks good, please remember to pack closed-toe water shoes and bathing suit.
North Lake Whatcom park
OUTING 8 | EXPLORATION
For our final outing of our deep dive into fire skills, we’ll end with a campfire. The group will get a chance to test their skills that they’ve practiced over the year. Will they make a coal using a bow drill or choose to light tinder with a ferro rod? Will they skip tinder altogether and light kindling with a magnifying glass? What shape and style will they choose to build their fire in, and will they be able to maintain it? How will they make these decisions all together? How much mentor help do they want? All this and more is up to the Explorers on this culminating day of the season.