Orb Weavers 2023-2024

Welcome to Explorers Club Season 6! Mentors are excited for our penultimate season and hope that it is filled with nature connection and group bonding. This season, our technical skills focus will be wilderness travel and deepening our carving skills by learning several new techniques. Our socio-emotional skill focus will be reflection and communication.

All outings, including dates, times, locations, and staffing are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances and without notice. We will notify you of any changes as soon as possible.

Resources

Explorers Club Pack List

Mentor Contact Info

Kiana Jenkins (she/her) | kiana@wildwhatcom.org

Stormie Romero (she/they) | stormie@wildwhatcom.org

OUTING 1 | Saturday, September 16 | 10:00-4:00PM

SKILLS | Nettle Harvest and Fossil Hunting | Racehorse Falls via WW Bus

*Please note that this outing location was changed (drop off/pick up is Cornwall Park) and the time was extended until 4PM*

After a some conspiring, Kiana and I have decided to start this season off a little differently than previously planned. Instead of staying close to town, we want to take the Orb Weavers to one of the most special and least often visited waterfalls in our area: Racehorse Falls. Don’t worry, we’ll still have the chance to harvest nettles and learn about basket weaving, but we’ll also go on a fossil hunt, wade into the pools of a beautiful waterfall, and perhaps play a expert level game of spiders web. We can’t wait to see the Orb Weavers after a long summer apart and hope that this adventure day will be a great beginning to our penultimate year together. Please pack watershoes, swimming attire, warm clothes, and a towel.

Directions: 3424 Meridian St., Bellingham. From I-5, take exit 256A (Meridian St). Head south on Meridian St. for three blocks and turn north at the Squalicum Parkway intersection entrance. Map.

OUTING 2 | Saturday, October 21 | 10:00-4:00PM

SKILLS | Chuckanut Ridge Traverse

This journey along Chuckanut Ridge is a fantastic hike through the heart of the Chuckanuts Mountains. Along the way, we’ll practice our hiking skills, review trail etiquette and navigation, witness fantastic views, and revel in the abundance of a healthy forest. There is nothing quite like traipsing through a natural setting with a group of close friends to revitalize the soul. We should cover four miles or so, so eat a big breakfast, pack a hearty lunch, and wear good footwear.

Drop-Off Directions: 224 Cleator Rd. From I-5, take exit 250 (Old Fairhaven Parkway/Chuckanut Dr.). Head west on Old Fairhaven Parkway to 12th St. Turn south on 12th St, cross the bridge and veer left onto Chuckanut Dr. for 3.8 miles. Turn east onto Hiline Rd., cross Interurban trail and continue up Cleator Rd. (dirt road) for 1.7 miles. Map.

Reminder: A Discover Pass is required for all parking at State Parks. If you do not have a pass, please stay with your vehicle and plan to make drop-off and pick-up quick.

Pick-up Directions: North Chuckanut Trailhead. From I-5, take exit 250 (Old Fairhaven Parkway/Chuckanut Dr.). Head west on Old Fairhaven Parkway. Turn left onto 30th St. for approx. 1 mile. Turn right at Old Samish Rd. to Chuckanut Dr. then turn left onto Chuckanut Dr. and the North Chuckanut Mountain Trailhead parking lot will be on your left. Map.

OUTING 3 | Sunday, November 12 | 10:00-4:00PM

EXPLORATION | Butter Knives | Bowman Bay

Today, we'll be working on our backcountry cutlery sets by starting to carve butter knives and spoons! We'll travel to Bowman Bay, where we'll make camp under a big pavilion with an indoor fire pit. The group will use their fire by friction skills to make us a roaring campfire that will keep us warm and help with our spoon carving. Please bring warm layers, a blanket or sleeping bag, a hearty lunch, and an empty mug for tea.

OUTING 4 | SUNday, January 28 | 10:00-3:00PM

EXPLORATION | Coal Blown Spoons | Birch Bay State Park

Birch Bay is the northwest edge of Whatcom County and the United States. This coastal state park is a beautiful place to observe eagles, heron, and seals. We'll spend the day practicing our fire-building and carving skills and exploring this site that has seen human habitation for thousands of years. The goal of this day will be to start (and maybe finish?) carving spoons. We’ll use a method that involves coal blowing to create the spoon's basin. The motto Slow is Fast will be very important on this day, as spoons are a difficult tool to carve and will often split if the coal is blown too hot.

Directions: 5105 Helweg Rd. From I-5, take exit 266 for WA-548 N/Grandview Rd. Turn west onto WA-548 N/Grandview Rd. After approx. 6 miles, continue on Grandview Rd at the traffic circle for 1 mile. Turn right onto Jackson Rd. for 1 more mile. Turn left onto Helweg Rd. and the main entrance to Birch Bay State Park. Drive through the campground and arrive at the main campsite parking lot. If you’ve driven out to the beach, you’ve gone too far. Map.

Reminder: A Discover Pass is required for all parking at State Parks. If you do not have a pass, please stay with your vehicle and plan to make drop-off and pick-up quick.

OUTING 5 | Saturday, February 24 | 10:00-3:00PM

Hike | Lookout Mountain

On this outing, we’ll continue honing our skills in wilderness travel with a nice loop hike on Lookout Mountain. We’ll test our hiking skills and use the motto, Slow is Fast and Fast is Slow, to make our way up this truly iconic Bellingham trail. There are plenty of time-honored trail games that we can employ to keep our legs and minds moving. Make sure to eat a big breakfast and pack a good lunch, warm layers, rain gear, and wear hiking shoes!

Directions: Lake Louise Rd at Gate 9. From I-5, exit 253. Drive east onto Lakeway Dr for ~3.4 miles. Turn R right onto Austin Street and drive for ~.5 miles. Follow onto Lake Louise Rd and drive for ~2.5 miles. Lookout Mountain Preserve parking lot will be on the right. Map.

OUTING 6 | Sunday, March 24 | 10:00-2:00PM

SERVICE | Connelly Creek Restoration Sites

Explorers Club 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 trailhead 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 100 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 100 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 print, sign, & bring the Park and Recreation’s Risk and Liability form to drop off.

Directions: South Bellingham Park and Ride (West). From I-5, take exit 250 (Old Fairhaven Parkway/Chuckanut Dr). Head west on Old Fairhaven Parkway for 0.1 mile. Turn north onto 30th St for 0.3 mile. Turn east on Donovan Ave. and drive for 0.1 mile. Turn south onto 32nd Ave. and drive for 0.2 of a mile. Turn east into Bellingham Park & Ride (WSDOT) westside lot. Map.

OUTING 7 | Saturday, April 27 | 10:00-3:00PM

EXPLORATION | Edible Plants | Stormie’s House

Today, we’ll be visiting a new location - Stormie’s house and garden! We’ll employ our well-honed naturalist skills and review the tenets of the Honorable Harvest, all with the hopes of harvesting wild edibles! After gathering big-leaf maple blossoms, nettles, dandelions, sorrel and lots of other wild foods, we’ll get to chopping and hopefully end the day with a bowl of soup and focaccia for dipping! Please send your Explorer with an empty mug, bowl, and spoon!

Directions: Directions found in the outing reminder email.

OUTING 8 | Saturday, May 11 | 10:00-3:00PM

SKILLS | Nettle Cordage | North Lake Whatcom

To bring our year full circle, we’ll end where we began. The fresh nettles we harvested and processed at the beginning of the year are now dried, cured, and ready to be twisted into strong and durable rope. What this cordage can be used for is up to the Explorers’ imagination! We hope that this process of creating something from harvest to finished product will be a powerful experience of mindfulness, accomplishment, and tangible connection to nature. In tandem with our usual routine of free exploration and games, this will be a perfect way to round out our penultimate year in Explorers Club. Please pack closed-toe water shoes, swim attire, a towel, and sunscreen.

Directions: 3220 N Shore Rd. From I-5, take exit 253 for Lakeway Dr. Drive east on Lakeway Dr for ~1.5 miles. Turn L on Electric Ave and follow for ~1 mile. Continue onto Northshore Dr. and follow for ~1.8 miles. Northshore Dr becomes N Shore Rd. Follow N Shore Rd for 5.3 miles. At the sign for N. Lake Whatcom Park, turn L to stay on N Shore Rd. Drive .5 miles. The trailhead will be the first access to North Lake Whatcom Park on your left. Map.

Questions

Please contact your group’s mentor(s) listed above or explorersclub@wildwhatcom.org.