Hello Explorers Families,
Four years ago, in August 2010, I was in my second year of my masters program at Naropa University. I was tasked by the university to do community work by putting into action what our program was studying. I called a dear friend, Jennifer Hahn, and asked her if she had any ideas for where I could perform this service learning project. She put me in contact with Aimee Frazier. Within a couple weeks, I was volunteering for the Boys Explorers Club. A couple weeks after that, I sat in a circle with Aimee, Drew Butler, Randy Leventhal, and Jenny Lee Rae, and was welcomed as the new member of an emerging organization that we were calling “Wild Whatcom.”
At the time, Boys Explorers Club was very young. We had two regular groups and were just welcoming a third into the fold. Drew had begun the program with another man, Thomas, who shortly afterward moved to Seattle. So much was up in the air. We were
blessed with tremendous support from the other members of Wild Whatcom. Aimee offered us endless advice, templates, and coaching on how to run our program. All that said, when it came to the work in the field and the actual planning process, we were on our own.
blessed with tremendous support from the other members of Wild Whatcom. Aimee offered us endless advice, templates, and coaching on how to run our program. All that said, when it came to the work in the field and the actual planning process, we were on our own.
That year was a lot like the process of falling in love for me. I was so passionate about the work and filled with ideas. I was excited to work with Drew and figure out how to create a healthy culture of co-leadership. When it came to actually putting those ideas and inspirations into action, there was so much to learn. Entire outings came and went where Drew and I wondered if we were walking our talk, if we were actually helping to build healthy nature and community connection. We learned quite rapidly that there were many elements of the Girls Explorers Club curriculum that 
did not work for groups of boys. Drawing board after drawing board, outing after outing, game by game, skill by skill, we grew and learned alongside the boys. We gleaned from the inspiration and knowledge of our Wild Whatcom colleagues. We listened to the boys and to the Land, and, slowly, all of us together crafted a program that was unique and had integrity.
did not work for groups of boys. Drawing board after drawing board, outing after outing, game by game, skill by skill, we grew and learned alongside the boys. We gleaned from the inspiration and knowledge of our Wild Whatcom colleagues. We listened to the boys and to the Land, and, slowly, all of us together crafted a program that was unique and had integrity.
Looking back on this now, there is a lump in my throat as I search through seemingly endless images in my mind of roaring waterfalls,
hidden orchids, curious mink tracks, and red-legged frogs, of jagged mountain tops and open tide flats, of chilling downpours, relentless sun, and brilliant snows. I remember vividly each boy that I had the honor to sit by as he navigated the challenge and terror of wasp stings, cuts, fears of heights, interpersonal challenges, of being wet and cold and tired and missing home. I remember vividly times when a group of young people made my heart pause in awe before the gloriousness of the human spirit. I remember yelling like a frustrated coach- with such passion and love- at a squirrelly bunch of emerging adults as they learned their place and their way in the wilderness, knowing in my heart that we were providing a space for them to become full, caring, and empowered adults in the world.
hidden orchids, curious mink tracks, and red-legged frogs, of jagged mountain tops and open tide flats, of chilling downpours, relentless sun, and brilliant snows. I remember vividly each boy that I had the honor to sit by as he navigated the challenge and terror of wasp stings, cuts, fears of heights, interpersonal challenges, of being wet and cold and tired and missing home. I remember vividly times when a group of young people made my heart pause in awe before the gloriousness of the human spirit. I remember yelling like a frustrated coach- with such passion and love- at a squirrelly bunch of emerging adults as they learned their place and their way in the wilderness, knowing in my heart that we were providing a space for them to become full, caring, and empowered adults in the world.
I have had the honor of working alongside other men, as mentors and as volunteers, who carry passion and vision, an ethic of service, and a deep and abiding love for the world. Together, we have created an internal 
community of adults who are focused on walking our talk, on serving the mission, and on dedicating our work toward the wellness of future generations. Some of these men are currently serving as mentors in Boys Explorers Club. They will work with the 144 boys that are now in the program.
community of adults who are focused on walking our talk, on serving the mission, and on dedicating our work toward the wellness of future generations. Some of these men are currently serving as mentors in Boys Explorers Club. They will work with the 144 boys that are now in the program.
There are not many things I know. True knowledge is hard won. It is a rarity— a singular jutting rock in the roaring river of uncertainty that we must all swim through in life. I do know this: each boy is medicine. Within each and every one of our young people is a great bundle of medicine that offers healing to the land, to other people, and to the adults who work with him. Each boy is the keeper of immeasurable wisdom. I know that when an adult sees this and works with it, something magical happens. That medicine becomes unlocked and it spreads through every relationship. The land does become healthier. The adults become healthier. That boy gains self-knowledge, community connection, the
power of morality, and the unerring ally of depth wisdom. I know that we truly are all connected, and to serve the land, and to serve another is to serve oneself.
power of morality, and the unerring ally of depth wisdom. I know that we truly are all connected, and to serve the land, and to serve another is to serve oneself.
I know that we still have much work to do as a community. Wild Whatcom is cultivating health for our communities in a deep and enduring way. The medicine that Wild Whatcom offers is not just for youth. As adults, we cannot fixate all of our work on the youth. We 
must work on our own healthy connections, meaningful relationships, ethic of service, and sense of exploration. The next generation responds ten times more to what we do over what we say. A good farmer nourishes the soil. Healthy plants are only produced by good soil. Each plant takes nutrients out of the soil to grow, and if the farmer removes that plant from the soil cycle, then she must amend that soil. As adults, we are the soil in which our young people can grow. Burnout and stress of any kind indicate a lack of nutrients. We must be creative in amending the soil. We must create conditions that allow for us, as adults, to grow in health, to establish a sense of belonging to our place, to resource our body-based wisdom, and to cultivate healthy relationships with one another. There are tools we can use, and these
tools must be shared.
must work on our own healthy connections, meaningful relationships, ethic of service, and sense of exploration. The next generation responds ten times more to what we do over what we say. A good farmer nourishes the soil. Healthy plants are only produced by good soil. Each plant takes nutrients out of the soil to grow, and if the farmer removes that plant from the soil cycle, then she must amend that soil. As adults, we are the soil in which our young people can grow. Burnout and stress of any kind indicate a lack of nutrients. We must be creative in amending the soil. We must create conditions that allow for us, as adults, to grow in health, to establish a sense of belonging to our place, to resource our body-based wisdom, and to cultivate healthy relationships with one another. There are tools we can use, and these tools must be shared.
Personally, I am carrying a vision with me into this next work. I will continue to work with youth. I will also work with others to problem solve how to build resources for adults in our community. I’ll begin by using more of my psychology training. I will focus on counseling, coaching, and mentoring one-on-one or in small groups. Here is the link to the website for Square One Counsel. More will grow from here over time, but it is best to start with a single project and allow it to
grow organically. This work will be allied with Wild Whatcom and will continue to serve the greater community.
grow organically. This work will be allied with Wild Whatcom and will continue to serve the greater community.
Parents, I want to thank you for all of your unwavering support throughout the years. It has been such an honor to co-create this community with you, and I have no doubt that we are all better off because of it.
Finally, I’d like to address my fellow Explorers directly:
Right now, somewhere in every yard, there is a feather lying close to the ground. If you got up right this moment and searched your own yard very hard, you could find it. It is aging. The barbs are starting to fail and invisible mites are probably hard at work taking the whole thing apart. If you come at the right time, you may even see an ant 
taking a piece of this feather back to his nest. The feather belonged to a bird- maybe an oregon junco or an english sparrow, a house finch, an american crow, or even a northern flicker. If you stare at this feather for long enough, you would begin to think about the bird that shed it. You would wonder where the bird is now. Maybe it is flying at this moment, maybe perched on a twig, maybe sleeping in some dense foliage, maybe he was eaten by a cat or a sharp-shinned hawk. You could look at the feather to find some clues. If you look in the right way, you will notice whether or not the
feather was shed or if it was plucked out by a predator. You might look around to see where the bird might have been living or the path the local cat likes to take. This is happening right now in your back yard. That feather, that is out there, is the beginning of a whole path of adventure. If you kept asking questions about it, you would eventually know your whole place- every mammal and bird and plant. You would have powers of awareness that could take an instant picture with your mind and remember everything. You would know how to move like a cat or bound like a deer. It is all there… connected 
to that one feather… all you have to do is look and keep looking. The more you look, the more you see.
taking a piece of this feather back to his nest. The feather belonged to a bird- maybe an oregon junco or an english sparrow, a house finch, an american crow, or even a northern flicker. If you stare at this feather for long enough, you would begin to think about the bird that shed it. You would wonder where the bird is now. Maybe it is flying at this moment, maybe perched on a twig, maybe sleeping in some dense foliage, maybe he was eaten by a cat or a sharp-shinned hawk. You could look at the feather to find some clues. If you look in the right way, you will notice whether or not the feather was shed or if it was plucked out by a predator. You might look around to see where the bird might have been living or the path the local cat likes to take. This is happening right now in your back yard. That feather, that is out there, is the beginning of a whole path of adventure. If you kept asking questions about it, you would eventually know your whole place- every mammal and bird and plant. You would have powers of awareness that could take an instant picture with your mind and remember everything. You would know how to move like a cat or bound like a deer. It is all there… connected to that one feather… all you have to do is look and keep looking. The more you look, the more you see.
I have had the honor of Exploring with you for many years now. We have been like a flock of birds flying together. We have explored many places. We have played many games. We have learned and grown so much together. I have changed so much because of you, and I am so thankful for it.
I will stay in Bellingham and be a part of your flock for as long as I am alive. However, I am leaving Explorers Club so that I can stretch my edge and grow. Explorers Club is yours to take care of and to help grow. You will meet new mentors and you will learn so many things from them. You will also teach them about Explorers Club and about the land. Never forget that this is your club. Never forget that every mentor and every Explorer that comes and goes leaves a story behind, like a feather. Never
forget that a single feather tells a very big story. Every feather was once a bird and every feather will become the soil. Never forget that the soil becomes a plant, and that plant becomes a part of you… through breath or through your stomach. All things are connected. Please remember that as long as we live, we will be connected, and I am so thankful for that. If you see me in town, I expect you to shout “Hide!” or at least come up and say hello. Whenever you see a feather on the ground, I’d like you to remember me and every other person that has been a part of your life, and remember that we are all working together as a part of the same earth. You always have support.
forget that a single feather tells a very big story. Every feather was once a bird and every feather will become the soil. Never forget that the soil becomes a plant, and that plant becomes a part of you… through breath or through your stomach. All things are connected. Please remember that as long as we live, we will be connected, and I am so thankful for that. If you see me in town, I expect you to shout “Hide!” or at least come up and say hello. Whenever you see a feather on the ground, I’d like you to remember me and every other person that has been a part of your life, and remember that we are all working together as a part of the same earth. You always have support.
Thank you so much for Exploring with me.
Enjoy every day,
Matt
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