Explorers Club Year 5
We look forward to exploring with these groups in Explorers Club Year 5!
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 | Exploration
To begin our year, we will head to a patch of urban wilderness on the north side of town. On this outing, we will have the opportunity to get to learn more about one of our most useful local plants, stinging nettle, and one of the most invasive, English ivy! We’ll begin our nettle cordage projects on this outing but will need to let them cure over the year. After harvesting + processing nettles, we’ll break to play a huge game of Spiders Web! On our last outing of the year, we will utilize the nettles that we harvest this outing to create our own cordage. Please wear long sleeves to prevent stings while running through the forest, and bring garden gloves if you have them.
Northridge Park
OUTING 2 | Hike
For our second outing,, we’ll strap on our packs and lace up our boots for a day of hiking + reconnecting on the Fragrance 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’t 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. Please come prepared with a hefty lunch + lots of H2O, rain gear, and a good pair of trail shoes or boots. If your kid is a squid, be sure to bring closed-toed water shoes and a bathing suit.
fragrance Lake
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
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 5 | Skills
On this winter outing, the group will meet at Larrabee State Park for a day of skills practice and connection. We’ll continue our carving journey with some new knife techniques. We will need to remember that Slow is Fast if we hope to hone our whittling practice and bring some fire to our cold day Please send your Explorer with an empty mug for hot beverages and lots of warm, dry layers.
Larrabee State 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 | 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 8 | Hike
Today Explorers will hike up to a beautiful mountain lake to build a fire, and weave together the moments of the past year. 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. 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.