In the Wilderness Training
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” Terry Pratchett
In the Wilderness: The Skills to Venture From 68 Degrees
Much of society has lost connection with nature and are afraid of venturing from the 68 degree f comfort of their home, offices, and car. They no longer have the skills and grit to do what was common for most less than 100 years ago. We evolved in nature, it is in our DNA, living back in nature heals us, we develop the grit we once had, we get off the meds, we wall taller.
Many are drawn to explore the open space but are unprepared. The scanner each weekend is filled with calls for lost hikers and rolled over vehicles. There are stories of those that have died because of stepping off the trail to go potty simply for lacking the skills find their way back or to be comfortable until they can.
I have made a living off the trail yet I have not felt like I was going to work in decades. This series of over 100 classes takes the student from the most basic of skills that everyone should to walk away from their cars or their homes, to going deep into the skills that those have that make a living past where the pavement ends.
In Short
This series is not only intended for those that recreate in the wilderness but for those that would like to live, or work off the grid. Most are offered as 2 ½ day sessions, some are a week and some longer.
In the Wilderness Training is organized in to the following blocks of sessions:
- Essentials – this block provides the basic skills of self-reliance and all sessions are required before any other session from any other block can be taken.
- Deep Wilderness Access – This advanced block gives skill into the various ways of going deep into the wilderness. This may be a big part of your commute to get to where you want to recreate or work. Your commute might be jeep, foot, skies, snow shoes, rope, scuba, horse and/or mule, bush plane, or maybe even parachute. Many of these sessions may be required for more advanced sessions.
- Deep Nature Connection – Deep study into the field Botany, Zoology, and Geology of The Coastal or Cascade Mountains of California and Oregon.
- Off The Grid Communication – All forms of wireless communication open to the public and businesses.
- Survival Evasion Resistance Escape and Search And Rescue
- Fine Arts in Nature – This advanced block goes deep into nature drawing, photography, and writing.
- Methods of Take – This advanced block is about putting meat on the table be it by fishing, hunting, trapping, or ranching ††
- Axe and Sawyer – The skills for harvesting firewood and timber, maintaining the homestead, or doing trail maintenance.
- Trail Maintenance – these are in-depth workshops in repairing and building trails.
- Exploring Wilderness Occupations Speaker Series
The companion text for these workshops is Deviating From 68 Degrees: Volumes 1-10 By Brian King
Essentials of Survival
This block of seven workshops takes you from a newbie to skilled woods person. All of these camps are 2 nights and 2 1/2 days of wilderness training, not only to learn important skills but have a lot of fun, and make memories to last a lifetime. We will go deep into the skills and you will walkout not only with memories and skills, but with many camps cool projects, and our documentation.
FYI, these are the same skills and materials taught as are in our total immersion Wilderness Skills Institute Instructor certification classes less the deep practice and testing. Complete description of the workshops in the Essentials of Survival block
Deep Wilderness Access
This advanced block gives the participants the skills necessary to gain access to remote areas that require various challenges. Off road driving, backpacking, abseiling (descending and ascending on rope), river rafting, equine, ice and snow, scuba, bush-plane, and parachute. Read more
Deep Nature Connection
These field biology camps go deep into connecting the participants to the plants and animals communities of the Pacific Northwest. This camp goes deep into the use of field guides, and dichotomous keys, vocabulary, and tools used in identification of Flowers, Shrubs, and Tree Identification; Macro Zoology: Identification and assessing the Riparian Habitat, Bird, Mammal, and Skull Identification. Our species ability to read the caricatures on this page, not just for you to know the meaning of each word but for you to envision the scenes that an author paints with her words is from our ability read the track and signs of an animal. When you are truly tracking you not only identifying what animals left those marks but envision in your mind the animal and what it was doing when it left those tracks. Coming Soon
Off Grid Communication
You may have gone Off Grid by choice or due to some natural or manmade disaster and when that happens service to your cell phone may be lost and alternatives must be utilized to communicate with members of your team, family, or with the outside world. All forms of wireless communication open to the public and businesses are offered in these sessions as well as ham radio certifications. Coming Soon
Prevention, Avoidance, Control, and Escape as well as Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and an Emergency plan of action
Both emphasizes “intercepting.” Never letting a harmful situation develop because you set your life up to prevent it.
This block of classes also includes advance survival skills, how to find and recover man or animal, and how to administer trauma care in the wilderness.
Coming Soon
Fine Arts in Nature
This advanced block goes deep into nature drawing, sketch-note nature journaling, photography, and writing. These block of session will not only guide you to capture the feel of water, the speed of flight, the life of fire, and the beauty of a sunset, be it with water color, photography, or words, but also deepen your awareness and your questioning skills. Coming Soon
Methods of Take and Shooting Sports
This block of sessions is about putting meat on the table, shooting for fun, shooting for competition, and shooing for defense. These classes are available as coed or ladies only. Please note: You may not take any of the firearms classes if you are a convicted felon, are on trial for a felony, convicted or on trial for spousal abuse, or have been on suicide watch. Firearms classes can now only be offered outside of California. Coming Soon
Axe, Sawyer, Milling
This block of skills is for harvesting firewood and timber, maintaining the homestead, or doing trail maintenance safely and efficiently. Coming Soon
Exploring Wilderness Occupations Speaker Series
So you want to make a living without the daily commute, working in a cubical, or not seeing the sun above you, or not feeling the earth beneath your feet. If you have the grit to working in all kinds of weather, have the stamina to hike or ride into work each day, to have the discipline to get your job done without being supervised, have the self-reliance to deal with adversity, and the passion to make your best better in a craft, or vocation then an occupation in the wilderness may be your calling. WSI has professionals that make their living in the following occupations come and spend time with you giving you background as to what their job is truly like, giving you firsthand information what it takes to do their job and enter their occupation, what are their biggest challenges, they will answer your questions and some may arrange for you to shadow them. We may offer basic skills pertaining to many of the listed vocations in either In the Wilderness Series or the Ranch, Farm, and Homestead Series. Coming Soon