Flingin' Things with the Vespula Veterans at Hovander

As mentors we always look forward to meeting up with our Explorers Club groups.  We deeply enjoy the work we do with your boys in the parks of Bellingham and farther afield.  However, there are a few outings that we get especially excited about.  Learning about and making ancient hunting tools is perhaps one of the most eagerly awaited outings for us mentors.  It provides many things that fill our mentoring cups to the brim.  We open our circle to Tim Flores, who is deeply skilled in teaching about hunting tools.  We are provided a fantastic window into your son’s ability to scale up to a very high level of responsibility.  We also get a chance to learn along side your sons and sit in a circle as equal participants.  These things feel wonderful and teach us so much about how far the Vespula Veterans have come on their Explorers Club Journey and where we will go in the future.

Once all the Explorers had arrived we headed north in Stubbs to Hovander Homestead Park.  When we arrived we gathered with Tim who shared more about who he was and what his expectations were for the day.  We picked up our gear, including a fine specimen of Pippo maximus and headed down to the river band to look for some basic hunting tools.  Once at the river we took a quick inventory of the land and spread out to look for sticks, stones, and tracks.  After collecting our tools we headed to one of Hovander’s huge hay fields and took a quick lunch break.

Our orange Pippo maximus was paced out 20 steps and became our quarry.  We experimented with rabbit sticks including using the little cover there was to stalk up to our prey and then throw the stick.  It seemed so simple, yet none of us could manage to hit our target from 20-30 feet away!  Tim then introduced a modified rabbit stick—a boomerang.  We learned the proper way to hold and throw (curved side toward your body, point facing behind, and thrown just a bit above the horizon) the boomerangs and practiced throwing them so that they would return to us.

After getting a chance to work with the rabbit sticks we were then introduced to two different hunting tools: the sling and the bolus.  The sling is a simple tool that allows the user to hurl small rocks at very fast speeds. The bolus that Tim brought were constructed out of p-cord and tennis balls.  We frst practiced throwing the bolus at a stationary vertical target, then we began hunting each other trying to hit a moving target and tangle up each others legs.  By the time we have to shift gears some of the Vespula were becoming pretty accurate with the tennis ball bolus.

Tim gathered up the slings and bolus and called the Vespula into a circle.  From his bag he produced several Atalatl handles and a huge collection of darts.  Tim makes all of the hunting tools himself from materials he has gathered or salvaged.  You cannot go to a store and buy a dart, or an atlatl you must make them yourself, so to be able to have access to these tools was a wonderful privilege.  We discussed the safety considerations of using these tools and learned the proper technique to throwing them.  After this introduction we partnered up and prepared to unleash a rain of darts at the elusive Pippo maximus.  Volly after volley was unleashed and yet despite our increasing accuracy we were unable to hit our target.  Even Steve and Greg were unable to connect.

Reflecting upon the difficulty of hitting our target its clear that to cavalierly state that we can simply hunt for food if we are hungry is a gross misunderstanding of reality.  Only until one has experienced the difficulty of hitting an average sized Pippo maximus do you really understand how much skill is required to turn an elusive wild creature into stew.  Reflecting further upon this outing it is clear that this group of explorers deeply desires to have experiences that allow them to test their skill and learn more complex things.  They also thrive when given responsibility.  Looking forward from this outing to the spring season we will plan accordingly and that planning will be with you.

Our closing circle was held as we traveled in Stubbs back to Bellingham.  We shared our gratitude with the group and savored another fantastic day in Boys Explorers Club.  The mentors send our gratitude to Tim Flores who shares his tools and knowledge with us.  We look forward to seeing you again.  More gratitude extends to the families of these fine young fellows who are such a pleasure to work with.  Thank you for supporting the work we do.  Please check out the photos in the gallery.