Here is a sampling of courses we have run. To see what skill intensives are currently being offered, go to Program Schedule. Contact us with inquiries about setting up customized skill intensives.
Wild Crafting
We'll
begin our time in the wild exploring and crafting the wealth of
resources that the season has to offer. From gathering the mast foods
and roots full of stored energy, to choosing the proper materials for
making a harvest basket and learning how to prepare nourishing foods,
this will be a time of intense awakening and possibility as you
discover your own vitality in the cycles of nature.
We'll cover some key skills to help you to feel at home in the wild:
- Plant identification, harvesting, preparation and caretaking
- Tool crafting and techniques
- Wilderness hazards and safety
- Cordage and Weaving for all occasions
- Primitive cooking
- Camping skills for minimizing gear
Bring
an empty notebook and empty stomach. Prepare to feast on new
knowledge and experiences and then go home with some fine crafts and
stories of your own.
Art of Making Fire
The
ability to make fire with raw materials borders on the magical. Fire
can not only turn a bad situation around, but through it we touch an
ancient, enduring part of our selves that eludes explanation.
We
will start by demonstrating and trying out at least seven proven fire
making techniques that use only found materials. You will have time to
gather and make your own functioning fire making kit as well as to
refine your technique for continued success. You’ll develop proficiency
at fire building, fire maintenance, fire safety, transporting fire,
identifying premium materials, preparing tinder and much more.
Discover the power within as you kindle the fires of your own transformation.
Survival 101
Imagine being able to walk out your back door with little more than the
clothing on your back and feel confident in your ability to secure
shelter, collect drinkable water, make fire and obtain food. This
weekend we will build and sleep in survival shelters and practice the
fundamentals of awareness and aidless navigation.
Other skills covered in Survival 101 include:
- Water purification
- Friction fires
- Foraging
- Food preparation
- Native scout skills
- Survival crafts
Gifts of the Deer
This weekend will be a time to fully utilize and honor the gifts that
deer and other animals offer to us. We’ll take whatever time we need to
create a supportive, reverent space for the great undertaking of
harvesting the flesh of a not so distant relative – the white tail
deer. You’ll have a chance to participate in every step of the way,
from dressing and hide tanning to preparing the meat, bones and all
parts for further use.
Additional related crafts such as parfleche, drum skins, bone craft and animal cordage will also be covered.
Hide Tanning
Focusing on the ancient art of brain tanning, in this workshop you will
learn the methods of turning a raw animal hide into soft durable
buckskin. This hands-on class takes students through all steps of the
process so that they end up with the knowledge of how to brain tan, as
well as a finished hide. Additionally, we will cover rawhide, hide
glue, parfleche and sinew usage.
Winter Survival
For many, winter camping is an experience of extremes. Extreme
beauty, solitude and survival mark this time when the woods
are covered with a blanket of snow and the setting sun the only
perceivable activity. This is the season that leaves little room
for mistakes. Take the next step, leave some “necessities” at home
and learn some lessons from our North Country ancestors.
In this exciting class, participants can look forward to building
a variety of winter snow shelters and sleeping out for a
night in a local wilderness area without a blanket or
sleeping bag.
Additionally we will cover introductory friction fire making, coal
burned containers, cordage, winter edibles, and a variety of crafts
critical to a winter experience.
Survival Trek
Expeditions to safely test and enhance your skills are offered
seasonally to gain experience under all weather conditions.
Instructors will lead students into a wilderness setting to test the
skills set forth in the fundamental Survival 101 class as well as the
Winter Survival intensive. Led by seasoned Wilderness Survival
Guides, students will strive to obtain their needs from the forest. You
will leave your vehicles with little more than the clothes on your
back, a knife, and a few precautionary supplies while testing your
basic skills. Advanced techniques will also be presented to inspire
students while gaining security and confidence.
Come join us and you will never again see the natural world in the same way.
Awareness and Scout Skills
Our native ancestors relied on using their senses to the fullest. As
hunter gatherers, their lives depended on the ability to remain
undetected by wildlife and at times to avoid detection from other
people. How would it feel to be able to move silently through a forest
as deer and other local inhabitants went about their business,
undisturbed by your presence?
In this vital class students will gain first hand experience in these arts.
We will pull together skills of camouflaging, movement and invisibility
to put our own abilities to the test. Additionally, students will gain
the tools to help them decipher the language of the woods so they can
better understand the hidden world around them. Learning to interpret
such things as bird language gives one the ability to find nests,
predators and water sources, as well as other survival needs.
We’ll also cover the basics of mammal behavior and body mechanics as
well as calling in animals.
To round out this class additional scout skills such as invisible
shelters, foraging on the move and smokeless fires will also be
covered.
Wild Foods
The fields and forests that surround us have always provided all the
food a person needs to thrive. Wild foods are not only abundant but
more vitamin and mineral rich than their domesticated brethren. The
ability to identify and make wild foods a part of your regular routine
is both exciting and liberating, providing a deep sense of comfort
around the primary need of food procurement. This class will cover
proper identification of plants, the use of field guides, identifying
poisonous plants & look-a-likes, responsible
gathering, seasonal considerations, preparation, storage and
cooking.
Grab a digging stick and join us for the best free lunch out there!
Crafts Intensives
Moving from survival into a simple wilderness living experience
requires knowledge of natural resources and tools. The crafts &
skills offered in our intensive programs present the most
important and adaptable long term arts designed to aid and make
wilderness living easier and more complete.
Craft Intensive workshops include….
Fiber Craft
- learn to collect, identify and process fiber from plants and turn it
into fishing line, cloth, rope, weaving material, net bags,
natural dying.
Stone Craft - flint knapping, stone drills, grinders, cooking and heating uses.
Bowls, Baskets and Bark - Woven baskets, folded bark vessels, coal burned containers, natural glues and waterproofing methods.
Primitive Weapons - Survival bows, atl-atls, rabbit sticks, fishing spears, thrusting spears, bolas, kulus and slings.
Traps & Snares - Trap construction, ethics, baiting, seasonal considerations and more.
