Western North Carolina's Premier Wilderness Training Experts!
Basic (4) of Wilderness Survival
Workshop consists of learning the basics of wilderness survival which include finding or creating a shelter that will keep you alive in adverse conditions, procuring and decontaminating water found on the landscape, various fire making techniques with modern fire starters and fire by friction techniques and basic food knowledge including, preparation and identification of edible and medicinal plants. This class can be taught as a full day or an overnight type setting.Overnight 2-3 Night Advanced Wilderness Survival Class
This class will take the individual beyond the Basic (4) and into more advanced techniques such as tracking animals, trapping techniques for food procurement, basic basketry and pottery techniques, alternate shelters, purifying water, fire by friction material construction, stone tools and other skills. This class is held at our Primitive Camp in Lost Cove area of the Blue Ridge parkway which borders the Pisgah National Forest. We will be camping and hiking in steep and rugged terrain and will be spending many hours on the move collecting materials and foraging for food. However, we will also be providing tent space and having cooked meals so any level of camping experience is all that is necessary.
Advanced Shelter
This workshop delves deeper into the survival shelters built by Native peoples and modern wilderness guides. Advanced construction techniques for cold and hot climates, modified natural shelters, pit shelters and other types of more semi-permanent structures will be discussed and constructed depending on the needs of the group and prevailing conditions and materials.
Fire By Friction Workshop
The workshop will illustrate the various “fire by friction” techniques and how to identify and construct the materials needed to complete the finished product. Tinder collection and preparation, proper forms and techniques, methods such as the bow drill, hand drill, pump drill, fire saw and others will be demonstrated and taught to the participants. Also proper fire structure construction and long term maintenance techniques will be discussed.
Edible & Medicinal Plant Workshop
This class will consist of exploring the natural landscape and learning to identify, collect and prepare wild edible and medicinal plants. Advanced techniques of medicinal preparation can also be incorporated into the workshop. The use of Field guides and Journaling techniques to aid in identification will be illustrated. Finally, no plant class is complete without cooking and eating our wild edible plants. One of our favorite classes!!
Stone and Bone Tools
Flint knapping techniques as well as creating tools with bone will be covered during this workshop. Tools are an essential aspect of living both in the modern day and during our ancestor’s time. Learning to create tools such as arrowheads, knives, fish hooks, bone needles and a multitude of other essential tools will be the focus of this workshop.
Hunting & Trapping
This workshop will introduce one to the time honored traditions of the Hunt. Skills of the throwing stick, the bow, the atlatl, the blowgun, the sling and many others were considered crucial knowledge to provide one’s family with the essential food needed to live. Also, techniques for procuring one’s food using traps like the snares and deadfalls will be explored with hands-on techniques available so one can understand their intricate nature. This class will also incorporate the other essential techniques such as animal tracking, identification of animal scat, de-scenting and camouflage techniques, movement and stalking and all other skills necessary to ensure a successful Hunt.
Emergency Preparedness
This workshop will cover the “what if” scenario of preparing for a natural disaster or other related emergency where one has to create a mindset of preparation. Essential gear will be explained and scenario planning for many contingencies and emergencies will be covered. The creation of a “Go Bag” mentality will be discussed and other areas such as stress management, basic first aid, communication, route planning, etc. will be addressed. This workshop will stress the need to “Be Prepared, Not Scared” and ways to address planning for any type of scenario.
Way of the Scout
The Apache Scouts were some of the finest warriors known. I am not talking about the warriors who fought with the cavalry and captured and fought other tribes but the secretive sub-clan of Scouts who were only known to each other. This workshop will only increase their mystique as we discuss the incredible skills sets these warriors possessed. Stalking and camouflage techniques, wilderness awareness skills, invisible fire techniques, scout shelters, movement and counter tracking basics and a whole host of other skills will be discussed and illustrated. Prepare to gain a glimpse into the ‘ultimate survivalist”, the Apache Scout.
Philosophical Workshops
We live in a world surrounded by more than what our five senses can reveal. Native people from around the world were aware of a “life force” and connection to the natural world that seemed to extend beyond what modern science has revealed. Within this series of workshops, we will strive to find and re-connect to our lost heritage, that of “Oneness” with the Earth and all of her inhabitants. Various classes are incorporated under this heading from the healing Sweat Lodge, to the introduction of the First Ceremony to explanations on Grandfather Stalking Wolf’s Worlds of Spirit and many other areas of interest. Healing techniques, eco-psychology paradigms and other esoteric discussions are sure to ensue within this framework. So if you are interested in going beyond the physical aspects of survival and into a deeper realm of connection, this series of workshops is for you!
Building Sustainable Community
This is a collaborative series of workshops incorporating the knowledge of our Community into creating a more cohesive and sustainable mindset. We are encouraging anyone with sustainable skills to come forward and work with us and create workshops and lectures in order to heighten each of ours awareness and knowledge base of sustainable community. Some ideas for workshops include; Permaculture, Organic gardening, Animal husbandry (raising animals for food, clothing, etc), bee keeping, soap making, food storage and cooking, making musical instruments, metal working, wilderness medicine and anything else we can think of to create a workshop on. So please, if you have a skill you would like to learn or teach, please contact us so we can plan a workshop together. It takes a Community!!!
Our Overnight classes are usually held at our Lost Cove site in Avery County, NC. This is a primitive campsite with primitive latrines, stream water only, rugged hills and only accessible by a four wheel drive vehicle. We usually carpool to a drop off location and leave most vehicles there are continue in with the 4x4 vehicles.