Latest Posts

Loaded Wood Canoe

Canoe Poling Course And River Trip Wrap-Up

Last weekend was arguably the best weather you could request for the last weekend in April. Sunny, a slight breeze and warm, it was perfect for hitting the water and getting the winter cobwebs out of canoe muscles. We ran two, 1-day canoe programs at the folk school in NH and they both were fantastic. [...]

Pyramid At Dusk

April News

Highlights:  April was a busy month at the folk school in NH.  We ran a handful of private workshops and along the way found time to get out fishing for smelt and suckers.  It was a cold spring and we’re looking forward to the warmer weather.  Currently I’m getting gear ready for the canoe expedition; [...]

Aroostook Headwaters

Canoe Expedition 2013 Itinerary

The general route for our spring canoe expedition is set.  We’ll spend the bulk of the month on the Aroostook drainage.  We’ll be doing a good deal of upriver work, both poling and lining, to visit a few of my favorite spots.   Our second trip in on the Allagash, where we’ll be poling up [...]

 • Older Posts

Flickr Photostream

Greatest Hits

Bushcraft Knife

Bushcraft Knife Hype

If you eat a great meal at a restaurant, is the type of spatula the cook used responsible for the taste of the food? If you see a beautiful house, how important is the type of hammer the builder used to the final structure? If someone has a beautiful website, do you ask them what [...]

Building A Dome

Gear Review: The Windpouncer Jacket

The Windpouncer jacket is the premiere wind and rain layering system jacket I’ve ever encountered.  Three layers of ultra-thin imagi-foam stand between you and the elements ensuring you stay warm and dry, and your hands are sure to be warm in two large slash pockets lined with their proprietary “cold-be-gone” spun polyester… OK, this is [...]

Quad Pod Shelter

Seven Points For Beginning Bushcraft

There’s a lot of information about bushcraft on the web, but much of it is focused around equipment and celebrities, not knowledge and experience.  If you’re just getting started, here are seven things to keep in mind. 1.  It’s not about the gear.  We did alright for 99% of human history without all the latest [...]

Quadpod And Fire

Bushcraft Vs. Wilderness Survival

I’ve heard the terms bushcraft and wilderness survival used interchangably, and defined by those who base their understanding on what they saw on a tv show. Needless to say I disagree with most of the common definitions floating around these days. The terms are not the same thing, although one is contained within the other. [...]

Beaver Pond At The Field School

Real Bushcraft And Survival Training Has Nothing To Do With New Age Religion Or Misappropriating Native American Spirituality

A guy called me yesterday with questions about our Summer Survival Weekend Course. We spoke for several minutes about what the course covers, what he could expect, and other related topics for about five minutes. Then said he had a question about religion. He asked if we incorporated spiritual teachings or Native American ceremonies in [...]

Fire Witch

Minimum Or Displaced Impact – About Leaving No Trace

Something we discuss in great detail in our courses is the difference between minimum impact camping and displaced impact camping. Modern camping practices are far from minimum impact; things such as rare metals and petroleum products put a huge burden on our planet. But since the effects of their processing and production aren’t usually visible [...]

Amanita And 510

Bushcraft and Survival Knives

There are endless discussions as to what makes a good knife. Everyone has their opinion, and some people seem to be willing to defend theirs for hours. I’ve found that knives are kind of like dogs – everyone thinks that their dog is the greatest, and no matter how bad or poorly behaved it is [...]

 • More Greatest Hits

Switch to our mobile site