A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to come check out an Explorers’ Club outing.  To find them, I had to hike up 3 miles to Pine Lake on Chuckanut Mtn.  I always jump at the  opportunity to go deep enough into the wild to escape the sounds of civilization.  And at about a mile and a half in, I did just that.   No highway noise, no chatter, just the deafening vacuum of being in a mossy pacific northwest coniferous forest.  As, I came up on the lake, I was told to WALK out to the island…,”Island? Uh, OK,” I thought..  Sure enough, There was a boardwalk through a marshy section that lead right on to a small island in the middle of the lake.  It was only once I set foot on the island, did I hear the calm fellowship of adolescent youth breaking camp from their overnight rest out under the stars.  The vibe was mellow, smiles and laughs were abundant.

After my introduction, I sat in on a group talk as the leaders guided the boys through deep thoughts about life and what it means to be a man.  For the next hour, the group was encouraged to personally explore the woods and bogs around the lake and find a nice quiet place to just sit in nature.  A was able to capture a couple of these “sit spots” on film during my own walk about. I could only track down about half of the boys and when I did I felt like intruding on a pretty special moment.  After that hour, following the guidance of the leaders’ crow calls, the group coalesced once again, I stuck around a little longer to snap a shot of them retrieving a log raft from across the lake.  These seasoned club members were all very respectful and had a mature air about them; they all will make upstanding citizens in the future.  I support Wild Whatcom’s efforts in fostering  youth with a lifelong connection with nature and community through outdoor exploration and service.  My son will be old enough in 2 years, I can’t wait!  Visit www.wildwhatcom.org to see what other cool opportunities are coming up!