Wilderness Essentials Series - Water
Sunday, March 17 | 10am - 4pm | adults, kids 14 and older | $75

In this one day workshop we’ll cover sourcing, carrying, purifying, filtering, and storing water. We’ll practice both primitive and modern methods, and discuss the most common pathogens that can contaminate water, including giardia and cryptosporidium. A few of the topics we’ll cover: rock boiling, water-tight pine bark baskets, coal burning, clay vessels, creating an improvised charcoal filter, making a solar still, various methods for water catchment, modern filters (ceramic vs. charcoal), UV sterilization, choosing a water bottle, and more.

Day Camp
July 8 - 12 | 9am - 4pm | kids 8 - 11 | $350

This session offers a week full of fun and engaging nature activities and camping skills. We'll practice fire-building, tracking, knots, baskets, wildcrafting, and spend time exploring the woods around camp. There will be a campout Thursday night with nighttime games and stories around the campfire.

Overnight Camp
July 15 - 20 | kids 11 - 16 | $550

This five night session is for older campers interested in learning more advanced survival skills and deepening their wilderness experience. We include hands-on instruction in fire making, shelter construction, knife use and safety, knots, cordage, and baskets, as well as fun games and engaging activities. We also cover Native American scouting techniques, stealth movement, and offer higher-level awareness exercises that involve teamwork and adventure.

Wilderness Essentials Series - Food
Sunday, July 28 | 10am - 4pm | adults, kids 14 and older | $75

In this one day workshop we will learn about and practice both modern and primitive methods of acquiring, preparing, and preserving food. Topics we will cover include: wild edibles and medicinals, cooking (with various modern stoves and traditional techniques such as the steam pit and rock oven), traps and snares, hunting (with a focus on camouflage, stalking, and awareness), fishing, smoking and drying, solar dehydrating, and more. Over the course of the day we will snack on different foods prepared in a variety of ways.

Wilderness Essentials Series - Shelter
Sunday, September 29 | 10am - 4pm | adults, kids 14 and older | $75

In this one day workshop we will learn about and construct many different types of shelter, both primitive and modern - from emergency shelters and debris huts to long term group shelters and various tarp configurations. We will cover important knots and natural cordage, and also discuss thermoregulation and how the right type of clothing serves as a first layer of shelter.

Backpacking on the Appalachian Trail
Dates TBA | kids 14 - 17 | $250

This will be a great opportunity to experience lightweight backpacking, as well as to enjoy the fall colors in the Appalachian mountains. We will cover 21 miles over three days, hiking from Max Patch to Hot Springs. We'll learn about local plants and their uses as food, medicine, and for crafts, and we will practice the 'Leave No Trace' ethic of wilderness travel.

Wilderness Essentials Series - Fire
Sunday, December 15 | 10am - 4pm | adults, kids 14 and older | $75

In this one day workshop we will cover modern and primitive methods of fire making. We'll offer hands-on instruction in building, starting, and maintaining a fire, and teach various techniques including bow drill, hand drill, flint and steel, fire piston, ferrocerium rod, magnesium block, one match fire, steel wool and battery, lenses, reflectors, and more. Each participant will create and learn how to use their own bow drill kit, and we will also cover the basics of making natural cordage.

A deposit of $50 is required for each program upon registration. This can be paid online and is non-refundable, but can be applied to a later session.