Firestalkers met at the North Galbraith Mountain trailhead last Sunday to enjoy a crisp, clear day together. They were confronted by crafty mentors who charged them with many responsibilities. On top of leading meetings and deciding where to go, Shielders had many tasks to accomplish along the way. These chores would be necessary to survive and thrive in a wilderness setting so we practiced doing them.
Perseverance and Dedicated Focus emerged as two important themes of day. The following quote by Master Swordsman Musashi Miyamoto explains this further:
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Perseverance in training is essential. Be better today than you were yesterday, and then strive to become better still. Continue training so as to develop unwavering self-discipline.”
The first step is often the most difficult one to take. So we actually practiced the skills that we have talked about for so long. We didn’t just talk about where to find potable water, we collected and filtered it. We didn’t just talk about making cord; we experimented with thick ivy roots, and harvested and kneaded fibers of Stinging Nettle. We didn’t just talk about our experiences as Explorers Mentoring Apprentices (EMAs); we shared techniques for leading groups and facilitating their safety and success. Please ask your young man which tasks he practiced and maybe he can show you what he learned!
Our goal as mentors is to facilitate the Firestalkers’ experiences in the natural world so as to empower these young men to work hard by their own volition while staying receptive enough to maintain a sense of mystery, connection, and belonging. By actively practicing these skills they are building a vital set of tools to help them with the unavoidable challenges that face them as adolescents. Hopefully they build the self-confidence to explore these topics further or to endure any situation with which they are presented.
In this final outing of the season, Firestalkers remembered their Explorers club roots too. We played various games of Hide and ran around during rounds of Hungry, Hungry Marten. We explored the bike jumps and became human bikes as we ran around the track and caught air. With the little time we had remaining after all of this learning and playing, we ventured up the ridge to catch glimpses of the setting sun and rising moon. While there we shared reflections of the past and visions for the future.
Dusk fell as Firestalkers started back through the trees towards home. Evening brings out a bit of the jokester in all of us; Kyler crept around and hid so as to surprise the group at every turn. And we all kept our composure walking without being able to see very well. As such we stretched our edges until day's end.
The wily behavior continued: we practiced fox-walking as a group, sneaking up right to the edge of the parking lot, and standing perfectly still, cloaked by the darkness of the woods, and waiting for the parents to detect us. Thank you, Four-Shielders for a great season. You have shown leadership capacity helping us as Mentors in training. If you haven’t already, please see the outings you helped with by searching for the group on the blog and in photo galleries too (scroll to the bottom right part of the page.) We look forward to working with you in the spring as we delve more into the Earth Skills journey together!
Parents, Thank you for the support and encouragement. Getting your boys to outings and to Mentor Apprentice experiences has been vital in providing them with opportunities to develop into responsible, empowered, and compassionate young men.
As winter graces us with her presence, please be sure to join us for the Winter Solstice Gathering in December as well as the Baker Lodge experience in February.
Please check out the photo gallery for pictures from the recent outing and from other outings this season. Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment