I have spent over 50 years learning about plants, animals, and the ecology of the natural world. My wife and I live off the land. We raise animals for meat, and grow an almost 4000 sqft garden which provides more produce than we can consume. Through hunting and fishing I supplement our domestic meat supply. For food and medicine we also forage edible and medicinal wild plants.

In 2007 I started Living Afield to teach people how to make use of and thrive in that natural world. I believe the best survival instructors are the ones who practice what they preach by living off the land. My real world training stresses using what nature provides to live your best life. Each of us must decide what that best life looks like. Because of this, I have designed my classes so that you can take from them what fits your life. Whether you are interested in camping, hiking, wilderness survival, bushcrafting, foraging for edible and medicinal plants and mushrooms, herbalism, plant based medicine, hunting, fishing, trapping, prepping, or any of the myriad outdoor activities, this website and my classes have something to make those activities more enjoyable. As you may already know...

My guided plant foraging classes allow you to get up close, hands-on, time with a multitude of edible and medicinal plants. These foraging classes are held in an area made up of multiple micro habitats. This habitat diversity creates an abundance of diverse plant families and species. This makes this area the perfect place to come out and learn about the plants that surround you...(Learn more about my foraging classes)

My musings on living naturally My blog allows me the ability to go into more detail about everything outdoors and living naturally... (Read Blog Articles)

"I believe those who teach survival and living naturally should actually live off the land." My wife and I raise our own meat and produce. We also harvest, butcher, and preserve all of that bounty. We make our own medicines, soaps, laundry detergent, and creams and ointments. We do all of this on 2 acres... (Learn more)

Most people would agree that healthcare in the United States is broken. I believe we can improve the health of our country and reduce the cost of healthcare by using western medicine and traditional plant-based medicine in a two-pronged approach. Most common ailments can be cured using traditional plant-based medicines. This fact has been proven through tens of thousands of years of historical evidence, and new scientific clinical data... (Learn More)

Since the dawn of Man, plants have been used as sources of food, medicine, and shelter. They continue to be an important part of the natural world even today. Plants are the foundation for all other living things. If not for plants and photosynthesis, we would not have the oxygen we breath. As if supplying our oxygen is not enough, many of drugs used by western medicine were originally derived from plants. Our plants pages provide detailed information about various common and useful plants... (Learn More)

Mushrooms can be a wonderful addition to your diet. There are however mushrooms that can make you severely ill, or even kill you. It is therefore imperative that you properly identify any mushroom you plan to eat. Our mushroom page lists some of the most widespread and useful edible and medicinal mushrooms... (Learn More)

Living a grounded life. Studies have shown that by literally getting back in touch with the earth we can immediately lower our cortisol levels, and reverse many of our ills. The practice of grounding or earthing, having our skin touching the ground, can have a profound effect on both our physical and emotional health. Multi-disciplinary research has shown that sitting or walking barefoot outdoors for a minimum of 3o minutes each day significantly reduces cortisol levels (a stress hormone), increases blood viscocity, lowers blood pressure, reduces inflammation, increases wound healing, increases the immune system, and reduces chronic pain... (Learn More)

You cannot change nature. Survival is about adapting to what nature provides. If you listen to many of the shows on television, certain "survival experts" would have you believe survival entails hunkering down under a tree in the forest, fighting everything mother nature throws at you, and making it through. It is all about going toe to toe with the old girl and beating her at her own game. Not even close. Nature is not sentient. It is not out to get you. Nature is oblivious to you. Visit my survival pages for information to help you adapt to, and thrive in, the natural world... (Learn More)