From weather disasters, and civil unrest, to global pandemics, our world is more in flux today than at any time in recent history. The current state of affairs can make even the most stalwart soul feel apprehansive about the future. Knowledge is power!!! Knowing how to make use of the natural world can keep you alive in a survival situation. It can also give you the confidence to stand up to any adversity you might encounter.

Everything you need to not only survive, but to thrive, exists in the natural world. The plants that grow around us are excellent sources of nutrition and medicine. Birds, animals, reptiles, and insects, are abundant sources of protein and energy. When you complete our training you will know how to build shelter and fire. You will know how to use the natural world to live comfortably in the wild. You will learn a myriad widespread plants that are wonderful sources of calories and medicine. You will also know how to determine which plants currently unknown to you may be edible, and just as important, which ones might make you sick, or worse.

My weekend course is designed to give you a basic understanding of making use of what nature has to offer. This course takes for granted that you have basic camping skills, and that you can safely use a knife and ax. This course will NOT make you an expert woodsman or survivalist. It is designed to give you basic information and understanding in the most important areas of survival. It will teach you basic skills which you can then practice and master on your own. This course is designed for all skill levels. In this course we discuss and practice the following:

Building/Finding Shelter

Shelter is the most important basic human need. in some environments, you cannot live for more than a few hours without shelter. The ability to find or create shelter is the number one most important survival skill. If you are caught out in the open, it can make for a miserable time. While shelter is readily available in a city, at first blush it may not seem as readily available in the forest. However with a little knowledge you will start to see shelter all over the place. We will talk about the things to look for when choosing a place for your shelter. From caves to blown down trees, we will discuss making use of what you find in nature to create various types of natural material shelters such as leantos, debri huts, and Wikiups etc.

Fire Theory

In the order of importance, controlling fire is Second only to building shelter. It is fire which allows us to purify water and to cook our food. It warms us in cold weather, and provides protection from predators. These tangible benefits of fire are important, and widely understood. As someone who has spent countless nights alone in the wilderness, I can attest to the intangible, yet no less important, psychological boost provided by fire.

In this class we will discuss the fundamentals of fire. From friction, to chemical, to solar, we will also discuss the multitude of ways to start a fire. I will show you where, in even thee wettest of conidtions, you can obtain dry material to start your fire. Everyone will then be responsible for finding their own materials and ultimately making their own fire. Each participant must have their own ferrocerium rod.

Water Procurement

The importance of water cannot be over emphasized. A person can go weeks without food, but will die within a few days without water. If the grid goes down, water will no longer flow from your tap. We will discuss locating water in places you might not first think of. We will also discuss methods of water purification. We will then harvest wild water, and make it safe for drinking.

In the above paragraph, I wrote that a person can go weeks without food. It is true that we can live on stored fat reserves for an extended period of time. This does not mean it is physically, or mentality healthy to do so. When the human body does not have the proper caloric intake, it begins to consume itself. Aside from the physiological problems, reduced caloric intake causes decreased cognitive ability. This can result in poor decision making, which can literally put ones life at risk.

Finding Food

As anyone who has ever faced true hunger can attest, thoughts of food fill your conscious mind. When I talk about hunger, I am not speaking about missing a meal or two. I mean having little or no food for days, or weeks at a time. This type of hunger gnaws at you. Food becomes all you think about. These thoughts make it difficult to focus on other important tasks. This can adversely affect your chances of survival. As you can see, food is much more important than some would have you believe.

Survival Trapping

We will discuss and build various types of deadfalls and snares. Plants can be extremely nutritious, but very few provide the protein and calories your body needs to keep going. I love survival trapping because it affords me the ability to passively secure protein while I busy myself with other survival concerns. We will discuss and build a couple of different types of snares and deadfalls. We will also discuss how these can be altered or tweaked to fit multiple situations.

Survival Fishing

If you are close to water, fish traps can be an excellent passive method of procuring protein. Time permitting, we will discuss trot lines, fish spears, and fish baskets. We will also discuss how snare triggers you have just learned can be adapted to take fish.

Common Edible Plants

Unknown to most people today, there are literally thousands of edible wild plants. Some taste wonderful while others, well maybe not so much. There is actually a plant that grows in each of the 50 states which has some part that can be eaten quite literally all year long. It was a staple of the diets of most native Americans, but it is so abundant that it was not necessary that they cultivate it. Unlike many plants, this is one which contains carbohydrates, and can actually be used to maintain or increase body weight. We will discuss the uses of some easily identified local flora. The plants chosen will depend upon the season, and location of the classes. Just as happens in nature, not all plants grow everywhere, and some are only edible at certain times of year. Like the song says, if you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with.

Time permitting, we will try to harvest wild edibles to cook for supper.

Plant Based First Aid

This section dovetails perfectly with the Medicinal Plants section of this page. We will show you how to use nature to administer basic first aid. Did you know there is a plant that grows in all 50 states that will almost immediately staunch the flow of blood from a wound? With a little knowledge, you can treat most illnesses, and injuries using the tools provided by nature.

You may even make a tincture you can take home with you.

Common Medicinal Plants

Many edible plants also have wonderful medicinal qualities; you can enjoy their medical benefits by simply adding them to your diet. Imagine eating a plant that tastes fantastic, and will keep iron levels of your blood right where they should be. There is a plant that grows virtually everywhere, that is an excellent Adaptogen, meaning that it supports continued good health. It also can be used to counter the venom of many snakes, and insects. Knowing this unassuming 'weed' can help save your tissue if you are bitten by a snake, scorpion, brown recluse or black widow spider. It will even remove the itch from a mosquito bite. This same plant is also a natural cell proliferant; meaning that it helps your body heal itself. If you have a cut or abrasion, this plant will speed healing. It also functions very well to help your body fight off internal infections. There are many such plants which probably grow right in your yard.

Navigation

At first blush, this may seem like knowledge you do not need to possess; what happens if you are out in the forest looking forest, and become turned around. Believe it or not, this is much easier than you might think. We will not cover the use of GPS units because in the event of a loss of the grid, GPS satellites may no longer be available. You will learn to navigate with a compass, as well as how to navigate without a compass. I will teach you how to make an impromptu compass using a stick and two stones. I will also show you how to use a standard watch as a compass. And finally we will learn how to use the vegetation that surrounds us to determine rough direction. We will not cover star navigation, as classes are conducted during daylight hours.

"My bushcrafting/survival classes are designed to teach people the skills necessary to more fully enjoy their time in the forest. Requiring students to be miserable would defeat that purpose. The following list outlines the items I suggest you bring to class. If you think something not listed would make you more comfortable, then by all means bring it. With that being said, this class is held in the forest, subsequently there is no place to park a towed camper, travel trailer, or RV."

Anyone who attends an in person class receives
a free elecronic copy of my 831 page plant book.