Four Shields' First Outing of the 2017-18 year at Hannegan Pass Trail

Both new and returning Four Shielders arrived at Cascades Montessori for their first outing of the 2017-18 year. Looking around at the faces in the circle it was evident to the mentors that the group was a little outside their comfort zone.

After some introductions Greg asked the group to think about a question on our two-hour drive to Hannegan Pass, “Why are you here”? This question is important for the Four Shielders to ponder because their journey in the Four Shields requires engagement from both the mentor and the mentee in order to be rich and rewarding. This intention was also important for each member to state in front of the group because it would allow its members to support others in their personal journeys and inspire shared vision and ownership.

Driving out Highway 542 the bus was quiet, but this is not untypical for a group of 14 to 16 year olds at 8:00am on a weekend morning. Arriving at the trailhead the air was cool and crisp and there were only two other cars in the parking lot. The mentors asked the group to circle up and bring their minds towards our exploration. The day’s primary focus was two-fold, first a reorientation towards topographic maps and secondly to begin to build cohesion as a group and integrate into the Four Shields program.

The mentors asked for three commitments from each group member before beginning our outing: don’t waste your fellow Four Shielders’ time, encourage the heart, and deep listening. Mentors further elaborated that if the group could do their best to hold to these three commitments throughout our 2017-18 year then the mentors felt they could hold the container and provide quality experiences for the group.

This mentor ask was a great segway to presenting a simple but effective leadership model that the group could refer to and hold each other accountable for. Parents please take a look at: The Leadership Challenge® Model (copyright © 2009 Kouzes & Posner). Using this model throughout our year the boys can begin to find common language to draw from as they wrestle with decision-making and interpersonal dynamics. The five simple phrases hold deep meaning and allows user to begin to analysis their leadership by ask themselves questions like, “is my leadership encouraging the heart of my fellow group members” and “does our groups’ decision-making process inspire a shared vision”?

Turing our minds towards maps the group worked to orient the map to the surrounding landscape and compass readings. They were encouraged to spend some time predicting what the terrain might look like, how far they could make it with the given time, and what type of hazards they might encounter.

With a strong intention set the group took off on the trail like a lighting bolt, hiking with focus and drive. It was powerful to see the boys engage physically with the challenging terrain. The weather was perfectly fall in the mountains and offered just the right amount of challenge for the group.

There were moments of wetting downpours, chilling winds and cool mist blowing down the valley, ands bursts of warming sunshine followed glimpses of snow dusted peaks. The weather changed every fifteen minutes and just when we thought we had our layering system down we would have to switch it up and readjust.

The Four Shielders were thoroughly impressed with the area and took time to appreciate and connect with: the peak-a-boo views of the knife-edge Nooksack Range, snowy Ruth Peak, and shear vertical walls and mass of Granite Mountain, the looming avalanche gullies and steep creek drainages, the fiery fall colors in the Vine Maple and Sitka Alder leaves, and the myriad fungus and sub-alpine flora.

Reaching our halfway point well up the valley the group lunched and laughed together. What a day to be in the mountains! On the way back our front-runners got parking lot fever and ended up reaching the bus well a head of the mentors.

Our closing circle was a great time to debrief this experience and for each of the group members to check their ego and think about our motto we vs. me and the principles of Expeditionary Behavior. Wrapping up the Shielders shared their thanks and why they decided to continue on with the Four Shields.

Parents please take a moment to ask your son why they decided to continue on with the Four Shields and what they thought of their first FS campout last week.

For more photos from the outing please visit the FS’s photo album from the day.