Survival School, anyone?

3Hummers said:

Can't wait.

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I may still go back for the Basic course to fill in some gaps in my training, so if anyone needs a partner, let me know.

I've been very busy since my "vacation," but I have a few minutes now to do a report on these schools. As most of you have read in this thread, my objective was to attend Dave Canterbury's Pathfinder School in Jackson, Ohio which focuses on Wilderness Self Reliance (basic survival skills, bush craft and primitive skills). I attended three weekends in a row, Basic Survival Course, Primitive Skills Course and Advanced Survival Course. Trekker was with me for the Advanced course. The Basic and Advanced Courses earn you certification, some college credits and one hell of a good time. The Primitive Skills course is just a skills course, so you don’t get a certificate or credit, but is still a good time with a lot of knowledge.
Here are some of the skills we covered. I’ve probably missed a few...

Survival Fundamentals (knowledge, skills and resources)
Controlling Core Temperature (convection, conduction and radiation)
Survival Priorities of Work (shelter, fire, water, food, etc.)
Making Micro-Climates for Protection (cooling and warming)
Basic Survival Kit
- Cutting Devices (knife, axe and saw)
- Combustion Devices (lighter, fire steel, magnifying lens, steel wool, char cloth, flint and steel, accelerants)
- Cordage (parachute cord and bank line)
- Containers (rucks, packs, dry bags, water bottle and cups)
- Cover (clothing, tarps, ponchos, poncho liners, 100% wool blankets and space blankets)
Extended Survival Kit
- Compass (which types to use)
- Cotton Bandanas (100% cotton only)
- Cargo Tape (Gorilla Duct Tape)
- Candling Devices (headlamps)
- Cloth Sail Needle (the big ones used on boats)
Kit selection, reduction and packing in the dark
Fire Creation in all weather conditions (fire lays, breathing, reflectors, fat wood and collection of materials, bird’s nests, tinder, kindling, wood and transporting embers long distances)
Building fire while blind
Fire without tools (Bow Drills and Hand Drills)
Caves (for shelter and food)
Debris Huts
Water (collection, filtering, rain, and purification by iodine, boiling and stone boiling)
Making cordage from tree bark, hide and plants
Making nets
Making rope
Navigation (day and night by compass, vegetation, terrain features, dead reckoning, maps, pace count, drift, sun compass, north star, LURD and magnetizing needles)
Edible plants and trees
Medicinal plants and trees
Animals (tracking, signs, dens and lairs, refuse, remains, odor, scat, sloth and scuff, using bait, field dressing and cooking)
Fishing (trout lines, traps, locations, hooks, bobbers, line/string, rod, reel, lures and bait)
Hunting (lower food sources, spears, sling, stalking, rabbit stick, gig, club, and blinds). We didn’t discuss bows, rifles or guns.
Signaling (contrast and movement, fire, tarp, mirror, whistle, light, location, smoke, panels, movement and staying put)
Traps (snares, dead falls, 110 conibears, pits, bottles, cans, concealment, bags, triggers, location, height and frequency of checks)
Container and utensil creation by carving and fire
Stone selection for tool creation (flint, quartz, hammer stones, etc.)
Knapping glass and flint
Creating primitive weapons
Using antlers
Baton wood
Collecting and processing clay
Clay container creation and natural firing
Cooking (rocks, grills, buried and carrying live animals)

That is a lot of really good information for 12 days of training!!! A lot isn’t said in this brief description (like gorilla tape is the bomb for building fires in the rain). We also did some repelling and water crossing using ropes, a lot of land navigation. We didn’t eat for more than three days straight in the Advanced course and also had water deprivation. Meals included frogs, tadpoles, crayfish and even a pheasant that we had to carry, kill, dress and cook. Of course, it rained for about 10 days of the 12, so fire building was constantly a challenge. The plus side is that now I’m confident that I can build a bonfire in a monsoon from pretty much nothing!

I highly recommend these courses to anyone interested. Even if you have no base knowledge, you’ll come away with enough information to make it in the woods, alone, for at least a week or two.

It was an honor to finally meet Trekker, he was a solid partner for the Advanced Course! We don’t like spiders and food is a crutch. The Bahco Laplander saw is bulletproof.

I’ll be making a new knife recommendation shortly. The Becker BK-7 is a freakin’ beast and can chop down trees, but I’ve found a new super beast. More to follow on that one….

Some pics…

Of the thirteen that signed up for the Advanced Course, only six remained at the end.

Those seem like good courses to take

The Pathfinder Advanced course was an awesome, life-changing experience for me. Dave Canterbury and his staff are the most professional and knowledgeable people in the field of wilderness self reliance. It was tough but I had a blast! Paladine was an outstanding partner for "Team Hummer". I'm thinking about going back for the Basic course with my wife in the Spring if anyone wants to join us. I am totally sold on the Pathfinder system of wilderness self reliance training; I highly recommend attending one of their courses for anyone that spends time in the wilderness. The course is a huge confidence builder; you know that you can head into the woods with minimal kit and not only survive, but thrive.

Paladine71 said:

Of the thirteen that signed up for the Advanced Course, only six remained at the end.

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What happened to the others, you guys get that hungry?

JGBB04 said:

What happened to the others, you guys get that hungry?

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Look in the "Fresh Meat" section.