It is so very cool to see. These Raccoon Kits REALLY look forward to their time together. At our last outing, at Lake Padden, the mentor's planned opening game never happened because the boys were too interested in catching up with each other. This time, it was obvious right from the start as they welcomed fellow explorers with great positive energy, calling out their names as their cars pulled up. They carried that energy into our opening meeting, which addressed the important topics of proper tool use and safety. The mentors emphasis can be captured in our Explorers Club motto "Safety first", through which the boys are trained to identify and mitigate potential hazards through risk assessments and safety checks. 
Contrary to how these service days usually happen, we were the only group working, promising a quieter afternoon.The task at hand - preparation of the Connelly Creek area for the planting of alder trees by giving the Reed Canary Grass a buzz cut and clipping back or uprooting blackberry bushes. Read more about Reed Canary Grass here - Non-native Invasive Freshwater Plants - Reed Canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) - Technical Information - We're doing this service work under the guidance of the Bellingham Parks department and using tools on loan from the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association. Our thanks to them for their help. When the alders grow, they'll shade out the canary grass to restore a healthy, salmon-friendly environment. 
This is labor in the truest sense. When you're not leaning over clipping the grass, you're digging at those irascible blackberry roots. At times, there were 3 or 4 explorers wrestling with a particularly ornery root ball. Of course, there can be a sense of accomplishment when the root emerges in your muddy hands. The Raccoon Kits did great work, as the 3 or 4 sacks of blackberry vines and roots can attest. Four hours is a long time to clip and dig, clip and dig, however. Truth be known, there were a few periods of lost focus, and I'm not even counting the dead rat that was the subject of intense attention for several minutes. The distractions ranged from innocent horseplay to lapses of attention to the safety measures we had discussed earlier. We experienced no accidents, fortunately, but in Explorers Club, we strive for a higher standard than "no 911 emergency calls"! As the boys mature, they'll learn skills that require great self-discipline, skills like carving and fire-building. So we talked with the boys once again about "blood circles" and safe tool use. You won't be surprised to hear they responded like the leaders they're working to become. 
At Tim's urging, they renewed their focus - with a vengence. In fact, they did more than that, they meshed their efforts to form an awesome, well-oiled grass cutting, root extracting machine. It was exciting, it was productive, it was fun. Ok, the joke about the "sprinkles" falling from the sky being the kind you find on cupcakes won't find its way into the comedy hall of fame, but it got a laugh from the mentors! Many hands truly do make the work lighter, and more enjoyable.
The boys had worked hard; it was time for play. This day, the play came in the form of a raucous game of squirrel tag. It is truly awe-inspiring to see how hard they can run, how willing they are to dive on the ground to tag the "squirrel", how much energy they can keep in reserve after working for several hours.
Our closing meeting, as usual, was about giving thanks (and eating apples). What was most inspirational about this outing's meeting was the multiple acknowledgements of fellow explorers amid apple crunches. It's another example of how close these boys are becoming as a group. Then, packs on. It was time to go back to meet the parents. One explorer was thrilled to see his out-of-state grandparents there to greet him. He excitedly showed them is "trophy", a gangly, mud-encrusted blackberry root ball.
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