Outing to Little Squalicum Beach: 6-18-16

This last outing of the season was one full of wet weather, waves, wonder, imagination, and play, as girls wove images of the past history of Squalicum Beach into the present, following the ways of the native people by using nature as their school, their playground, their sanctuary. 

We gathered with a joke about how we were going to get wet today, beach or no beach! The Silver Salmon arrived ready for the weather situation, and today was sort of exceptional in that department. Quick shout out for your good preparedness work! It was vital to have extra warm layers packed in plastic bags and extra rain jackets today. Joined by a new-to-us mentor Lauren, we caught her up on all our spring outings and shared the character and strengths of this particular group. The Silver Salmon are proud of their strong service ethic, their ability to engage in imaginative play, their ability to widen their circles of friendship and love for mud. They also take the Mottos of You See It You Own It and Leave No Trace to heart and are strongly compelled to pull invasive plants and pick up trash wherever we go. 

Literally Building Bridges, Not Walls :)

We used their capacity for imagination to think about what the asphalt parking lot of the Technical College looked like 150 years ago. We talked about native peoples hunting, crafting, harvesting, playing in what was once a forest populated with giant trees, wildlife, wetland, salmon stream, all beside a pristine shoreline. The story went on to span the past 150 years, with new people and new harvests, and the invention of things such as creosote. A factory that made this tarry substance was located just upstream from Whuh-kwal-luh-whum, and a landfill covered the wetland. The forest, stream, and sea were altered by human actions, made unsafe by years of pollution and resulting in a Superfund cleanup from 2009-11.  

We then walked through this story, noticing evidence of all its elements: native plants (some from GEC girls!) grown big and tall, the Oeser creosote plant with its tall smokestack rising above the hillside, the stream finding balance, litter that speaks of the continued need for a Leave No Trace ethic, the toxic purple arms of non-native Poison Hemlock, and a beach still full of the tools and toys of the native people that once inhabited its shores. We grazed upon the just ripening Thimbleberry, much to the girls delight. It took us AGES to reach the beach because of all our snacking. : )

Thimbleberries!

When we reached the beach, we immediately sprawled out in all directions to explore in the cold "Junuary" rain. These girls practiced their resiliency, their personal edge, their inner fortitude, problem solving skills, their shelter building skills and sense of play. We set about making a suitable base camp as a shelter from the rain and relentless wind. Keeping busy hauling driftwood and building our log cabin inspired structure kept us active and warm, and unleashed some creative energy into decorative elements. A tarp roof and umbrellas were engaged and all in place just in time for the rain to quit. :) 

Shelter Building!

On to sheer exploring! Here is where the Silver Salmon shine. They got busy playing imaginative games, selected solo exploring time, a mud mishap, making friends with visiting dogs, and lots of work on self directed building projects. Then the girls found a 4 foot diameter cement culvert that Squalicum Creek flowed through. Who knew you could have so much fun in a drain pipe? Full boots and lots of laughs ensued and we spent the rest of our time here racing Pooh Sticks down the current and building bridges downstream. These girls love to work on projects together!

Watching over the
drain pipe play

Mud Mishap!

As our time together came to a close, we decided upon a non-traditional end of season activity. We stood in circle to share our attitude of gratitude for an element of nature that each girls has really connected with this season. The suggestion came to send this element (rain, ivy, mud, ferns...) a prayer and a wish, and send it out to the world via the creek. After a reflective Peaceful Place thinking about connection and building Wish Boats, we sent them down the creek, with some assistance from each other to clear the way.  

Words of the day?  It's raining berries, boats and bridges! 

Photo link here. 

Explorers Club Mottos especially alive today: Be Prepared. Safety First. Attitude of Gratitude. Turn Problems into Possibilities. Get Dirty! Expect the Unexpected. It’s About the Journey, Not the Destination. All Things Are Connected. You See It, you Own It. Leave No Trace.