Tim Smith, Registered Master Maine Guide
If you’re going to teach a course on wilderness living skills, you should have lived in the wilderness for at least a short period of time. The term is too often embraced by those who want to sell skills classes, but have no experience actually living outdoors with no infrastructure. Let the buyer beware.
Reality check: If an instructor hasn’t lived in the wilderness, they can’t teach you how to do so.
This morning I read an article on winter survival written by an individual who not only has no idea how to keep the body alive in the winter, but also had seemingly no experience in the cold without a truckload full of gear. It seems I have read hundreds of these, but maybe it’s only been about twenty. But when one is too many, twenty is way too many.
If you’re considering taking a course in winter survival, consider this; Your instructor should be able to define what it takes to survive in one short sentence. He or she should demonstrate a clear understanding of what you need to know and what you need to do in order to not perish in the cold. He or she should have spent at least thirty nights out in the winter with no sleeping bag or blanket, relying on skills and understanding in order to make it through the night. Add in several months of accumulated time living outdoors in the winter and she or he may really know what they’re talking about. He or she should be able to quickly demonstrate the fundamental skills and techniques, then explain them in a way that makes sense to those who have no experience.
If I have to read another article about the sacred order of survival or debris huts, or about digging a snow cave or making an igloo while at the same time assuming you have a sleeping bag and pad with you, I may just stop reading articles altogether. For the debris hut, what if there is four feet of snow? And for the snow shelter, can you explain the principles of snow as an insulator, and under exactly what conditions it should be used and when it should be avoided? And what if you don’t have a sleeping bag? If these folks who write these articles are such experts, why don’t they include this information? After all, it’s what will make the difference between coming home alive or perishing in the bush. As with most things, the devil is in the details.
With survival instruction, dogmatic approaches to certain belief systems are unequivocally bad. Certain concepts and principles must be understood, especially in the winter when one’s life span can be counted in minutes, not hours, after a mishap. If an instructor’s whole curriculum consists of passing on the “wisdom” of their guru, pass them by. You’ll save you hard-earned dollar, and probably be safer having never been exposed to their crappy advice.
So beware where you get your information. Make sure it’s from a reliable, tested source, and that it’s been proven to work.
I feel way better now. Rant over.
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 the course. I immediately told him no, but it’s telling that he asked.
The sad fact is that new age religion and misappropriation of Native American culture and spirituality is so common amongst outfits labeling themselves as survival or outdoor schools that he had to ask me that question. Because we avoid such topics it seems as if we’re in the minority amongst outdoor schools. But so be it.
Some unscrupulous operators have seen promoting their connection to Native American or new age spirituality as a way to cash in. They design a compelling story about what they offer and market that story. But in addition to being unethical and offensive to Natives, it simply isn’t true. But these days truth isn’t as interesting as a well-crafted story.
This post isn’t a rant about people following whatever path they choose. It’s a rant against people selling something that isn’t theirs to sell. The result is that we, and other ethical, practical outfits like us, get grouped together with the charlatans.
From our About Jack Mountain page: We teach and model respect for the land and all living things, but we don’t do so through new age religion or by misappropriating the spirituality and ceremonies of Native American or First Nation peoples. If you’re looking for that type of experience please look elsewhere as you won’t find it with us.
If you want to learn more about the appropriation of Native American culture and spirituality, visit these links:
My name is Tim Smith and i'm a state-licensed Registered Master Maine Guide. Since founding the Jack Mountain Bushcraft School in 1999 I've been a full time guide and bushcraft instructor.
