Junior Ranger

The Netul Landing, about a mile from the site

 On a sunny day a few weeks ago, I took Toe to Fort Clatsop for the first time. It was a perfect afternoon - sunny with little wind. We decided to hike in, so we parked at the Netul Landing and began to walk. Along the way, we stopped to look at "fuzzy bear" caterpillars, dried leaves, and anything else that struck our fancy. We saw a heron perched on a tree nearby. The river was beautiful.

On the trail

I have not been to the fort since it burned down and was rebuilt (around 1997). Sadly, there were no demonstrations that day, but they now have a large screen computer in the lobby of the Visitors' Center that has videos of candle making, rifle loading, bullet making, and other demonstrations they do through the summer. They also have an incredible movie of the Lewis and Clark Expedition told from the Clatsop/Chinook perspective. It does a really great job of putting the Expedition into the context of the people who actually lived here all of the time. We learned about Clatsop/Chinook lifestyles and perspectives.

At the National Parks, they have a Junior Ranger program where they give you a workbook (ours was for kids ages 3-8) where you do the same number of pages as your age (for Toe - 5 pages) and then you receive a Junior Ranger badge. The pages offer a variety of projects: coloring, word find, plant identification, a rebus story, map identification. It was a great way to help Toe pay attention and the payoff was pretty amazing. He had to take the Junior Ranger pledge and then was given a badge and some patches. After the pledge, the volunteer at the desk got on the loudspeaker and announced that someone had just earned their junior ranger badge and everyone there (all grandparents - the area draws them this time of year) applauded. Toe left the Fort glowing. I can see we likely have Boy Scouts in our future.

Guarding the Fort

With permission from Toe, here is Toe's journal entry from that day (he dictates and I ask him questions and between the two of us we get it written down):

"I became a Junior Ranger in just five and a half years. Young, huh? It had mostly to do with the pledge. It also had to do with my Junior Ranger stuff. I am Captain of the tribe.

We went to Fort Clatsop today. We walked two miles - one there, one back. That's kind of like the Aquarium to Dama's. A lot of blocks is a mile. We walked on a rocky path. We found three fuzzy bears along the way - two going forward and one on the way back. Today was a great day. Sadly I didn't find any more fuzzle wuzzle bears. I named them all. One was Fuzzy Bear. Another was Cuddlepie or cut-a-pie. My brain says I don't think I remember the third one.

At Fort Clatsop we saw some trees. We saw the Fort. The fort was a place that went back a lot of years ago. We saw movies - of a mother telling young people that her father traded with Lewis and Clark. There was another woman, she had a baby (Mom's note: Sacagawea). There was another movie where they were firing a gun and a cockpit (?). You had to load it every time because it was a single shot weapon. And sadly the animal would run away if you missed, because he'd see you shoot."

Playing soldier, allowing entrance to the fort

Pretending we lived there

Taking the Junior Ranger pledge

His new badge

On the Trail on the way back, Toe stopped everyone we ran into and dug through his pockets to pull out the two patches he earned and had to show the patches and his badge. Every person we ran into took the time to listen to him and wait while he fished around the gazillion pockets of his Junior Ranger vest (gift from Mom for the occasion. I couldn't help it). Thank you to all of the grandparents who take the time to listen to random five year olds!