Navigating Risk at Whatcom Falls with the Mountain Goats

Meeting up on a cool and clear Thursday afternoon the Mountain Goats arrived at Whatcom Falls Park for an afternoon of exploration. We started our day off with a walk along Whatcom Creek stopping to check out the thunderous waterfall and impressive flow of water near the outflow of Lake Whatcom. Navigating alongside Whatcom Creek we enjoyed getting to catch up with our fellow Mountain Goats while those who have spent time in Whatcom Falls Park led the way. 

Checking out the immense amount of water flowing over the falls

Before we knew it we were at the “jumping falls” where people sometimes congregate in the summer to jump off cliff into a pool of water below. This was a great opportunity for us to revisit risk management. The mentors introduced a tool for the Mountain Goats to use called “S.T.O.P.” or “Stop-Think-Observe-Plan” to analyze how best to navigate risk. Looking at the jumping cliffs and thinking about S.T.O.P. the Mountain Goats determined it would not be smart to ever jump off these cliffs. This was a relief to the mentors as over the years dozens of individuals have seriously injured themselves on these cliffs by jumping in without knowing the depth of water, potential hazards of rocks under the water, lack of proper medical training and water rescue skills to help someone if they did get hurt, and a myriad of other variables that make this a very risky area. 

Applying what we learned about mitigating risk

Safely scooting out on the rock to get a better view

Moving on, we picked our way down a trail playing games along the way before settling in to eat lunch at a bend in the creek. After getting some food in us we took the opportunity to apply what we learned about S.T.O.P. to navigate climbing on a precarious rock beside the creek and exploring a steep hillside. The Mountain Goats proved adept at analyzing the situation and coming up with thoroughly thought out plan to mitigate risks they observed while still allowing us to explore an incredibly cool place. We even got to gaze along the creek and peer up at an osprey nest perched atop an old tree.

Admiring the osprey nest

Hanging out around the flooded pool

With our lesson on risk management complete and our bellies full of lunch we scaled a steep hillside to reach forested area for games. Of course we decided to play Spider’s Web and the Mountain Goats jumped into group decision making to lay out boundaries, determine a Spider, and clarify rules. By using “The Four C’s of Decision Making” the group Circled up, Collaborated, Compromised, and came to a Consensus in a surprisingly efficient manner. Before we knew it we were lost in play trying to secure the food source and win the game. After two solid games of Spider’s Web it was time for closing circle to share some thanks and hike back to meet the parents.

Embodying our namesake as the Mountain Goats climb up the steep hillside

Sneaking through the forest during Spider's Web

It was remarkable how much this group fit into two and half hours. This is half as long as our typical outings, but the mentors and Explorers alike felt like we fit a whole day’s worth of Exploring into our short time frame. Not only did we get to learn a bit about risk management, but we adventured through a beautiful landscape, joked around with friends, and got lost in the timelessness of play. The mentors have been very impressed at how quickly this group has formed together and the level of their performance not only learning skills, but making group decisions, and cohesion felt during free exploration and games. With such a successful fall season we can only wait to see what is in store for the Mountain Goats come 2018.

Getting a little goofy!

Nothing like a good day of exploration in games in the company of friends

 Check out the rest of the photos from our outing here!

The Mountain Goats Meet Some Salmon

Taking full advantage of the little sunlight left after school on Thursday, the Mountain Goats managed to squeeze a lot of fun into only three hours.  After burning off a bit of after-school energy running around at the parking lot, we held our opening circle and got our heads in the game for how we were going to spend our time.

Checking out a waterfall along the way

From the North Chuckanut Mountain trailhead, we headed up the hill and over into Arroyo Park for some exploration time.  Our hope was to catch a glimpse of some chum salmon in Chuckanut Creek and we found them!  The boys scrambled all over around the creek trying to get close and sometimes even succeeded.  We saw quite a few salmon and, best of all, managed to keep everyone dry during that adventure.  This also provided us a chance to talk a little about the life-cycle of salmon and the importance of keeping our streams and rivers in good shape to allow spawning to happen.

Good times on the bridge

Staying high and dry

Meeting a salmon up close and personal

After our salmon-spotting, we crossed the big fallen log over to the south side of the creek and headed up the hill for some more games of "Hide".  The Explorers showed us that they’re clearly getting better at The Art of Camouflage!  That got us warmed up for a nail-biting game of "Spider’s Web" a bit further up the mountain.  Our spider had a pretty sharp eye, so everyone had to pull out their A-game to sneak past him.  Eventually, through an impressive bit of teamwork and acrobatic skills, the flies managed to work the food source (bandana) back to the web for the win!

Don't worry!  It's wider than it looks!

The "spider" strikes again!

Resting up a bit at closing circle, we had some good conversation about how well the group did that day.  A big win in terms of interpersonal skills (widely recognized among the group) was keeping our style of play a bit more under control.  Some of the more physical boundaries we worked through in the previous outing never even came up today.  We all walked away feeling great about a really fun outing together and definitely looking forward to the next one!

Be sure to check out the rest of the photos from our outing here!

The Mountain Goats Impress On Their Inaugural Outing

The Mountain Goats met up for their first outing of their Explorers Club history on a sunny, Thursday afternoon. As one of the first ever Thursday groups at Wild Whatcom, this group was setting out on uncharted territory as we gathered together for six hours of exploration at Fairhaven Park. We started things off with a big game of “Fox Tails” to get our energy out before gathering together for our first ever opening circle.

Kicking things off with a big game of Fox Tails!

In opening circle we talked about what to expect from a typical Explorers Club outing, how we can ensure we are being safe and managing our risk on explorations, and make a plan for what we wanted to do for the day. The mentors made an intention to teach games like “Hide” and “Food and Water” to the group in order to practice our Earth Skills focus of the season “The Art of Stealth and Camouflage” which is the first essential skill for any Explorer. 

Checking out the map before heading into the Hundred Acre Wood

Through games of “Hide” we learned how to break up our silhouette using foliage, break up or our appearance by wearing colors that match those of the forest, and last but not least, how to move silently through the forest as not to give away our position. The next game we learned, “Food and Water”, would teach us how to identify good hiding spots in the forest while under the pressure of ever diminishing times to hide. Starting at 30 seconds, each round decreases by five seconds until the final round where each Explorer has five seconds to come out of their hiding spot, tag the hand of who is it, and hide again before the person who is it tries to find them hidden in the forest. Our final game was “Spider’s Web” where the whole group must work together to try and retrieve a bandana without being spotted by the “spider” who is trying to capture all of the flies on the web.

Learning how to play HIDE and discussing our strategies

Counting to 30 before looking for all of those hiding in the brush nearby

With some practice in stealth and camouflage out of the way we ate some food and took some free time to explore and play. Some of us worked on learning some basics of tracking from one of the mentors, while others spread out to work on constructing some quick shelters that could be used as camouflage blinds. As daylight dwindled, it was time to head back. We worked our way through the darkening forest and ran across the field to reunite with parents. Overall, this was an impressive first outing for this group. They made far more progress and demonstrated an ability to learn and retain information beyond expectations. The mentors are excited to see how quickly this group can learn the skills of not only a variety of Earth Skills, but also those of collaboration and compromise, taking on leadership roles, and so many other lessons to be learned throughout their time as Explorers in the Mountain Goats group.

Working on a quick lean-to shelter

Learning how to use a small stand of trees to break a large branch

Goofing off and showing the mentors this group knows how to have a good time!

Make sure to check out the rest of the photos from our outing here!