The Kingfishers Learn about Layering at Chuckanut Creek

A rainy and saturated outing is something of a right of passage for all of our new Explorers Club groups. Sometimes, the mentors call these “Be Prepared days” because they highlight the importance of being prepared so well These wet, soggy outings almost always provide a us with two special opportunities. First, they allow us to learn about and practice layering and staying dry in a wet forest (as our Northwest forests so often are).  Second, they provide the group with a shared challenging experience, and that shared experience helps the bonds of connection within the group to grow stronger.

We started our outing as we always do, with an opening circle. This space allows us to check in with the group and share our intentions and desires for the day. Based on this input, we work together to make a basic plan for our day. It is also the time when we pass out the jobs that we carry with us on every outing. By distributing these amongst our packs, we are able to carry all of the gear that we need without someone being stuck with carrying it all.

We also took time to have a discussion about how we can give ourselves the best shot at staying dry during our exploration. We agreed that staying dry was necessary for staying warm. We all decided that today we would make an extra special effort to keep our waterproof layers on and to be careful not to slip into any water.

After our opening circle, we set out to Cougar Rock, our first destination of the day. On the way there we marveled at gushing mountainside streams, examined some interesting fungi and played a few games of Hide. The hike did a good job of warming us up, and when we got to the rock, we all took some water and had a snack to keep our internal furnace’s roaring.

Taking a moment to examine this waterfall closer

We took time here to partake in one of our favorite activities: free exploration! Especially because it is our first year, and for many of us, the first chance to really take some time and explore off trail, we appreciate slowing down and wandering through these woods. Some of the discoveries we made near Cougar Rock include a big, orange mushroom growing out of the base of a huge Douglas fir, a fallen log that is now a tunnel you can crawl through and even some deer tracks.

Arriving at Cougar Rock

After a couple more rounds of Hide, we packed up and began our walk down to the creek. It felt good to move again and take moments along the way to notice and investigate all of the the trailside treasures we found.

Playing Hide!

We eventually found our basecamp down on the banks of Chuckanut Creek. After scouting for any remaining spawning chum salmon (our efforts did not yield any confirmed fish sightings) we set up a tarp that the mentors had brought. At this point in our day, some of the Kingfishers had wet layers under their rain jacket and they were beginning to get cold. Now, with the tarp up, we had a dry space to replace some of our soaked under clothes with dry fleece layers and wool socks.

Much appreciated refuge from the rain

We were lucky to run into a Girls Explorers Club group down at the creek. We shared our tarp shelter with them and in return, they taught us some fun, big group games that served the double purpose of providing lots of fun while warming us up at the same time!

Playing games with the Fiddleheads, a GEC group

Using our thumb-o-meters to share with the group how warm/cold we were

Eventually, the time had come to gather for our closing circle and wrap up our day with our Attitude of Gratitude practice. We shared thanks and apples and made our way back to the parking lot to meet our guardians and their warm vehicles.

The Kingfishers don't mind a little mud on the trail. In fact, they love it!

To see the rest of the photos from our day, click here.