Wilderness & Survival Skills
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10-Day Advanced Skills
Eddie has been invited to be a Guest Instructor for this incredible 10-Day Winter Experience, being hosted by Richard Cleveland of Earth School. This program will provide you with the opportunity to hone your outdoor skills to a higher level than you ever thought possible, and the limited enrollment combined with a 5:1 (or better) student to instructor ratio will ensure that you receive the personal attention necessary to truly learn these skills. This is a seriously "Hands On" advanced skills program, from which you will come away with a strong sense of confidence in your skills.
In this information-packed experience you will learn basic and advanced shelters that will keep you alive in below-freezing temperatures, advanced firemaking techniques, numerous fire lays, structures, cooking techniques and food preservation methods, how to identify and use wild plants for food, medicine, clothing, tools, and insulation, how to process raw clay into usable pottery, how to make several different types of baskets, wilderness fishing techniques, Survival bows and arrows, Atlatls, and Cherokee Blowguns, braintanning, and of course, how to make use stone tools. Basic and Advanced Flintknapping techniques will also be taught, so no matter what your skill level when you arrive, you will leave with a better knapper.
This class is structured to allow ample time for students to complete their projects, but the motivation is up to you! Be prepared for long days, hard work, and the satisfaction that comes with great rewards.
Tuition includes all materials and meals, and class size is strictly limited.
For more detailed information see our Events page.
And don't wait — we spoke with Richard earlier this week, and this class is already half-full!
| January 18–27 | Tryon, NC | $1195 | The date for this class has passed, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. |
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Braintanning
We will be focusing on the Wet Scrape method of naturally tanning hides, and after three hard days of work you will leave with your very own piece of freshly completed braintan! We'll walk you through the entire process step-by-step, from fleshing to final smoking of the hide. As you'll see, the Wet Scrape method produces a finished product that is superior to traditional dry scrape (which will be briefly reviewed) in many ways, and far more luxurious than commercial, chemically tanned, buckskin.
›› This class is not currently on the schedule, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. ‹‹
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Bone Working
Anyone who has spent time in the woods knows the value of a simple pair of tweezers, whether for slivers or for ticks. But if your handy Swiss Army set went missing, would you know how to make an easy replacement pair? Bone has be used in many different ways for many different tools.Learn how to make bone knives, arrow points, fish hooks, awls, tweezers and much more. You will also learn which bones work best for what tools, as well as how to sharpen and maintain those handy bone implements.
| January 12 | Toms River, NJ | $65 | The date for this class has passed, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. |
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Making Fire (Part of our Survival Essentials series.)
Creating fire without the use of matches, flint and steel, or magnesium strips is not only possible, but the basic methods are easy to learn. Discover how you can create fire using the Bow drill and Hand drill, as well as the Fire Saw and other methods. Those with previous experience in this art will learn new variations on the basic techniques and find new challenges that come with real world scenarios, including the use of natural cordage. You will build your own bow drill kit to take home with you, learn how to build the proper fire structures for different uses and varying situations, and discover more about the vital roles that tinder and coal extenders can play.
| April 20 | Toms River, NJ | $75 | The date for this class has passed, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. |
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| September 20 | Toms River, NJ | $85 | Register Now! |
Foraging & Gathering: Edible and Medicinal Plants
The world of plants is vast and requires that you spend time learning — there are no short cuts.
Luckily it is also a world of tasty, nutritious, helpful and exceedingly useful brothers and sisters! Though the study of plants may appear intimidating at first, the hands-on experience you'll receive in this workshop will make things much easier. We'll cover how to discover the most common plants in your home environment, and the best way to use them in each season. We will collect, process, and prepare plants that will provide you with the best nutritional "punch" for that time of year (and some tasty ones too!)
Learn to view the landscape from an entirely new perspective and develop an appreciation for the power and variety of all you will find when you learn to "Go Slow and Look Low".
| May 9 | Toms River, NJ | $75 | The dates for this class have passed, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. |
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| June 7 | Clifton, TX | $95 | |
| June 13 | Aurora, IL | $95 |
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The "GO" Bag
Self reliance and confidence are about being prepared for virtually any type of emergency situation. While a thorough knowledge of survival strategies is indispensable, a well-prepared emergency kit can make any unexpected situation far more comfortable, and increase your odds of survival exponentially. In the rear of Eddie's truck is a backpack that goes everywhere with him, and inside of it is everything he needs stay safe and comfortable, no matter what the circumstances. What is in this mysterious "GO" Bag? Since so many students have asked that very question over the past year Eddie has decided to hold a one-day workshop that will cover exactly what items you should consider having available to you at all times, and how to use them in various survival scenarios. While the odds of really needing your own "GO" Bag may be slim, never forget the old saying: “It is better to have and not need than to need and not have.”
| March 29 | Toms River, NJ | $75 | The date for this class has passed, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. |
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Making & Using Natural Cordage (Part of our Survival Essentials series.)
Far more than just the basic reverse wrap, in this class you will practice identifying cordage plants, harvesting and processing several different types of cordage materials, reverse wrapping, 3-ply cordage, thigh rolling, using the drop spindle, plaited loops, and more. You will also learn how to create woven sandals and other attire from natural materials.
›› This class is not currently on the schedule, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. ‹‹
Medicinal Plants
Begin your journey into unlocking the powerful medicines that the plant kingdom has to offer as you prepare your own tincture, salve, lotion, decoction and infusion to take home with you. We'll cover all the basics, including where to find your ingredients (both in nature and online), the materials you'll need for your preparations, and some of the indispensable resources that will assist you as you continue on this new and exciting path. This class will open up a whole new world to you, as you develop a deeper understanding of the ways in which we all can learn the language of our plant brothers and sisters.
| February 1–3 | Toms River, NJ | $165 | The date for this class has passed. We hope you’ll join us in September! |
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| September 11–12 | Toms River, NJ | $165 | Register Now! |
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Primitive Cooking
Where did we get the idea that survival/primitive eating is all about bug soup and grasshopper-kabobs? Come and join us for a proper primitive feast! Learn how to build the most effective fire structures for cooking, and get your hands dirty as we prepare a full-on seven course meal, including ash cake appetizers, oven-baked bread, roasted meats, steamed vegetables and delicious deserts. This is a real experience, and fun for the whole family!
| May 10 | Toms River, NJ | $95 | The date for this class has passed, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. |
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Shelter 1: Immediate Need & Survival Shelters (Part of our Survival Essentials series.)
Learn to construct several proper shelters (debris hut, body hollow, fire bed, etc.) using practical options and variations to best suit your shelter to the season, situation and environment in which you find yourself. Learn to apply the important principals of shelter building that will allow you to survive comfortably in any situation.
| February 9 | Toms River, NJ | $85 | The dates for this class have passed, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. |
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| March 22–23 | Toms River, NJ | $150 | |
| August 22-23 | Toms River, NJ | $170 | Register Now! |
Shelter 2: Long-term Living Shelters
Participate in the construction of a long term, semi-permanent shelter. We'll discuss a variety of advanced shelter types, and the pros and cons of each, depending on the weather and the materials that are most readily available. Each time we run this class a different style of shelter will be constructed.
›› This class is not currently on the schedule, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. ‹‹
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Survival Skills 1
"Why should I bother to learn survival skills? There's no wilderness left!" Whether it's a wrong turn down a closed road, an accidental separation when hiking, hunting or camping, or a natural disaster at home or abroad, too many people find themselves in situations that are unfamiliar and out of their control with no idea how to help themselves or their families. Unless you know how to stay warm and dry with no tent or sleeping bag, build a fire without matches, lighter, or flint, find safe drinking water, prepare an animal without a knife, or what plants are safe to eat, then you need this class! Learn how to build a proper shelter, make fire by friction, find and purify water, locate and harvest food, spin your own cordage and make your own stone tools. Open the door to a whole new relationship with the Earth as you prepare yourself for any possibility that you and your family may face.
| July 6–7 | Toms River, NJ | $150 | The date for this class has passed, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. |
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Working with Rawhide
One of nature's wonder materials, rawhide is useful for a so many different purposes! You will turn rawhide into cordage, containers, par fleches, and many other useful items.
| February 23 | Toms River, NJ | $75 | The date for this class has passed, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. |
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Woods Wisdom 1: Outdoor Basics
If you have looked at the other classes we offer with interest but don't feel ready to try them because you've never spend much time camping or in the woods, look no further. This is a class designed especially for those with limited or no outdoor experience. Learn the basics of camping and bushcraft, such as how to select a camp site and set up a tent, how to sharpen (and safely use) a knife and an ax, and how to prepare a fire for the purposes of cooking, light, and warmth. You will also get your hands in on cooking over an open fire, learn how to avoid outdoor hazards and what to do in case of an emergency. Then, to round out your outdoors knowledge and help you gain the confidence to venture out on those initial trips, you'll learn about basic navigation and gear selection — both what you need and don't need to have a great time in your price range and at your comfort level. If you have ever wanted to spend more time outdoors but didn't know where to start, then this is the course for you!
| July 5 | Toms River, NJ | $75 | The date for this class has passed, but we'll let you know the next time it's offered. |
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| September 6 | Toms River, NJ | $75 | Sorry, but we had to cancel this workshop date in order to schedule the first weekend of our World of the Bow: The Ultimate Hunter apprenticeship program. It will be back next spring! |