Mentor Training Journey Campout

This journey was too epic, too rich, too full to fit into the unruly and cumbersome container of words.  The multiple inquiries leading up to the campout revolved around clarification of what exactly we would be doing and what was expected.  But it turns out that life is, at it’s root, wild, and no schedule or map, no plan or projection can possibly contain the wilderness of being.  Exploration means stepping into the unknown.  Matt, Drew, and Steve are all truly thankful for and honored to witness the courage of the Explorers for taking this step.

Perhaps we should say many, many steps.  So many steps!  Yes, it began with a big long day of edge stretching with packs on and vertical terrain.  We stopped right near the beginning to bring our minds together and bring some intention into the journey.  While the world is wild and the map is not the territory, the human mind is a particularly amazing tool for projecting oneself into the future and for guiding force and shape toward an end.  While this does get us in a lot of trouble when we overuse it, it is an essential tool for skillful, full, and vibrant living. So we used our minds to frame our experience.  We talked about the Hero’s Journey and particularly the first step of Severance.  We were “leaving the village” and it was time to recognize the adventure ahead and to ask ourselves who is it that we are on the edge of becoming?  We also talked about the kung fu principle of force first.  This means that before you meet the resistance of climbing upwards and donning packs, make a shape of success in your body; also to use the same principle with your mind.

So, after the talking came the walking!  These little black stick figures on the screen won’t be able to translate this entire experience… not even close.  What can be said is that this was a true challenge.  It was a long journey filled with many different trials, with many successes, with many discoveries, with astounding natural beauty.  All edges were stretched and the courageous and neat people that showed up in those moments were true inspirations.

So, after many long hours and some group work on where to camp and how to get there, we did arrive at Lizard Lake.  For those of you who haven’t been there, this is this Explorer’s new favorite spot in the Bellingham area.  Well worth many visits!

We set up camp considering the 4 needs of survival: shelter, water, fire, and food.  Tarps were put up.  Water purified.  Fire attempted (ha ha ha…). And food eaten.  Of course, the unpredictable wilderness did its magic when one Explorer injured himself and had an epic journey of walking back to the Samish overlook with Matt.  As a teacher from Naropa University once said to this Explorer, “it’s not a rite of passage if you know what the outcome is going to be.  Too true. The hero’s journey is a strange one, but the hero sticks with it at every turn.  That Explorer ended up hiking back in the next day to finish his campout.  What wonderful courage!

So, after a night of deep sleep (we were all tired!), we woke to a wonderful location with nowhere that we had to go.  This might be the most potent experience for us in these times: the experience of timelessness, of having no schedule.  Of course, there were plenty of things on the docket, but Drew, Matt, and Steve did respond to the needs of the moment and realized that it was important to pare down our itinerary.  Resting, joking around, recouping, and the simple skills of being in camp filled the morning.  We made some dough sticks (what a treat!) and worked on keeping the fire going.

Then came adventure.  There is absolutely no way to describe the utterly magical landscape that we discovered.  Caves, boulders, unbelievable vegetation, baby birds, crazy ravens, and more.  This took up many hours… it could have taken days!  As we neared dinner, we took some time for a sit spot.  Silence is a truly an essential nutrient for the human being; it is a delight and it is our birthright.  There is something exceedingly powerful about being able to share silence in a landscape.

 We came down and put together a big meal, practicing more camp skills.  In the evening, the fire still going, we gathered up and came into another round of deeper discussion.  Explorers were given a tool to “map” their experience and make some meaning out of it: the four shields.  We talked about how you don’t eat the menu and the map is not the territory, but menus and maps can help guide your experience if they work well for you.  We handed out some papers with the map of the four directions and different characteristics of each, discussion how life tends to move clockwise through these experiences.  We touched particularly on adolescence, the West Shield, and discussed it powers and challenges.  Then the darkness came and Explorers were called to their tarps.  A few stayed up and talked.  The fire stayed with us throughout.

The final day marked our heading toward the Reincorporation phase of the Hero’s Journey: preparing to go home.  We packed up our camp and said our goodbyes, then hiked.  Of course, this was its own journey filled with memorable experiences.  The Oyster Dome was a wonderful compliment to the journey, and, it just so happens, was the only place where we actually played a game!  It’s true.  We were all shocked about this.  But you can’t argue with the authentic moment.  Games just weren’t in the cards.  And yet the journey was wonderful.

Again, much thanks to all the parents for you enduring support!  Much thanks to Steve Keller for volunteering and being such an essential part of the experience!  Much thanks to all the Explorers for your journey!

Don’t forget to check out our pics in the summer photo gallery.