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| Following the Pine Martens off-trail near Pine and Cedar Lakes |
The technical skills of navigation (cardinal directions, awareness, orientation, recognizing landmarks, etc.) are not always easy to learn, but are somewhat straightforward. As Explorers Club groups practice the Art of Navigation, they are also honing their circular leadership and decision making skills. The deeper skill of collaborating, compromising and coming to a consensus about a decision (where to go, what to do) as a group is harder to teach and therefore best learned through practice. We intentionally spend a whole season working on and practicing the technical and interpersonal skills that are required for decision making because these skills will now be used in virtually every one of their outings going forward. Of course, Explorers will always continue to hone and refine these skills; learning the fundamentals of these skills early on makes this possible.
For their first outing of 2018, the Pine Martens met at the Pine and Cedar Lakes trailhead. As we gathered under a typically drizzly winter sky that morning, the Pine Martens wanted to know, "Will we hike all the way up to the lakes or spend our time exploring other parts of this lush forest?" The answer was, as you likely guessed, "the Pine Martens must decide!"
At our opening circle, we welcomed a new member to our group; Chris! Chris brings a wealth of varied experience working with children in the outdoors in addition to his own outside adventures. The Pine Martens gave him a warm welcome and, upon discovering that he had never played Spiders Web before (how is that even possible?!) excitedly anticipated teaching him how to play today!
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| Hi Chris! |
The Pine Martens were then handed a map and told that, for their last outing of the Art of Navigation earth skill, they were in charge of where to go and what to do. This time, there was no "x" on the map that they needed to attempt to find. They could place their own "x" or choose to meander and see what they run into. Of course, any decision that they made would need to be a consensus, but the mentors committed to following their passion for the day.
At the conclusion of our opening circle, the Pine Martens decided to get moving along the trail for a few minutes to get some blood pumping and see what was out there. After a break for a snack, they would get together, revisit the map, and choose how to spend the remainder of the day.
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| This is far enough, lets take a break and get some food in us! |
Today, the Pine Martens truly wandered. They followed their curiosities and held solid decision making circles that ensured that all voices were heard and that consensus was reached before acting. We discovered some fungi that we had never seen before, led each other on treasure hunts, found an awesome off-trail area, and, of course, taught Chris how to play Spiders Web. See the pictures below for some snapshots of our day.
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| A rare bright yellow color in our typically green and brown woods |
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| How many species of fungi can you find in this picture? |
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| Making decisions; a circle is the first and most important tool |
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| These Pine Martens utilized S.T.O.P. to decide how to best cross this log |
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| This looks like a great spot for Spiders Web! |
At our closing circle, we felt our cups overflow as we shared gratitude in a practice of thanksgiving. We also looked ahead toward our next earth skill focus, the Art of Tracking, which we will begin on our next outing together!
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| The Pine Martens prepare to share some gratitude |
Please see the rest of the photos from our day together here.
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