The Dragonflies gathered on Saturday at the Clayton Beach parking lot to embark upon an Explorers Club rite of passage: The Chuckanut Coast Traverse navigation challenge! Before leaving the parking lot we reviewed different methods of navigation: our intuition and common sense, local knowledge, map, compass, and oriented ourselves with landmarks to the north, south, east, and west. We considered potential hazards and how to mitigate them, understood variables that might affect our progress (personal pace, the tides, weather, unexpected circumstances), and then set out west to follow a stream and seek the shore.
One of the EC mottos that often stands front and center on our exploration days is: It's about the Journey, not the Destination. This liberates our curiosity to lead us in rambling, wandering, circuitous routes, often encountering gems of discovery that may have remained hidden had we moved with a more goal-oriented intention. Today however, we practiced the opposite technique for the sake of challenge, and we set the goal to make it to Larrabee in time to meet the parents while juggling variables of route-finding, safety, weather, and tides. That is not to say that the day was without gems of discovery... they abounded as we made our way north along the shoreline. We followed a stream beside which GEC began many years ago (and one girl renamed it "Spirit Stream") and scrambled down to Anemone Point. Along the shore during this low tide day, we encountered many species of eye-popping anemones; sea-hewn tunnels, ledges, and nooks in the sandstone; starfish of varied colors; crabs of varying sizes; tide pool communities; large boulders that challenged us in satisfying ways; and a cave large enough to fit us inside!
Our route was learning-packed with discussions about the 10 Essentials; deconstructing and understanding mistakes people have made with navigation and preparation; guiding one another with up-front and leading-from-behind support; wondering which is more powerful, humans or nature (this was a really interesting conversation with compelling conclusions); considering the impacts of our actions on the Earth and the next seven generations; learning about the re-naming of the Salish Sea, and how other regional places have been named, and heart skills of empathy, understanding and listening to one another.
Our words of the day? Diverse Traverse!
You may view the slideshow from our day here.
Explorers Club Mottos especially alive today: Be Prepared; Safety First; Stretch Your Edge; Challenge By Choice; Collaborate and Compromise; Widen The Circle; You See It, You Own It; We're All Teachers; Expect the Unexpected; LIBK (Let It Be Known); We Not Me
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