1. Determine te amount of time available for the event.

2.  Choose the workshops your troop is interested in.

3.  Select a date and give us a call.

Step 1 - You can arrange for us to come spend a day (8hrs.), a weekend (Friday evening thru Sunday afternoon - 16 hrs.), or part of a weekend with your troop.  You decide what is best for you.

Step2 - Look over the workshops and descriptions, then survey your troop to determine which ones they are interested in.  If you are trying to earn a particular set of badges or are preparing for a regional event, choosing the appropriate topic will be easy.  If on the other hand your troop your troop is not focusing on a particular skill, you may need to prioritize your list before moving to step 3.

Available Topics:

Fire             Knife Sharpening

Water          Navigation

Plants         Outdoor Cooking

Traps           Awareness

Knots           Camp Crafts

Shelter         Hide Tanning

Cordage        Primitive Weapons

To insure that you have enough time available to cover the selected topics, use the topic/time guide below.

Step 3 - Call us to arrange a date for your wilderness skills event.

Workshop Descriptions

Fire (2.5 hrs.)  This is our most popular course choice.  It covers tinder, fire-lays how to correctly construct a Tee-Pee fire-lay, 1-match firs, spark-based fires, making char cloth and traditional flint and steel fires.  Scouts will construct their own Tee-Pee fire-lays as  well as make char cloth.  They will also make fire with flint and steel.

Advance Fire (2 hrs.)  Advanced fire making techniques covers the bow drill, hand drill, fire pistons and other innovative ways.  Individuals participate in making and creating a fire with he bow drill.

Water (1.5 hrs)  During this class, scouts discuss our need for water.  The scouts will have an opportunity to build several water collection methods (i.e. solar stills, rain water collection systems and Indian wells.)  Filter vs. purifiers will also be reviewed with a focus on the uses of each.

Plants (2.5 hrs. / April - October) Edible and medicinal plants is designed to show your troop how to look at common weeds in a new way.  This class includes a slide show, plant walk and then the opportunity to try their hands at one of a variety of projects.  This may be a medicinal salve, making acorn flour or cooking up a batch of Queen Anne's Lace jelly.

Traps (2 hrs.) Here we cover primitive traps such as Dead Falls, Snares, Ojibwa Bird Trap, Fish traps and various primitive triggers.

Knots (2 hrs.) It seems every scout knows knots but he reality is many can not reproduce them or use them in a practical application.  This class is full of hands on work and gets your scouts involved in making a drying rack to smoke meat.  Knots covered are the Clove Hitch, Sheet Bend, Constrictor, Taut-line, Prussic, Tripod Lash, Square Lash and the Bottle knot.

Shelters (3 hrs.)  In this class your scouts will talk about types of shelters, how to select the best location based on weather and available materials ad then actually construct a debris hut shelter.  They will also participate in making five different tarp shelters.

Cordage (30 min.) Learn how to make unbreakable rope using common weeds found in fields.

Knife Sharpening (1 hr.) Ask any outdoor skills expert what one item they can't do without and most will reply "a sharp knife."  Most scouts have knives but few know how to properly care for them or get that "razor sharp" edge.  This is a skill your scouts will use for a lifetime.

Navigation (2.5 hrs.) This class takes the mystery out of navigation techniques.  With our 4-step program an eight year old can understand and deal with declination.  Your scouts will work with compasses, learn to read natural navigation markers, pace for distance, and take and walk bearings.  They will also learn to read and interpret topographical maps.

Outdoor Cooking (3 hrs.) This class looks at some unconventional ways to cook a meal. Scouts will construct a keyhole fire pit, boil water with rocks, and make foil ovens.  They will cook fish in clay, Cornish hens using hot rocks, make ash cakes and stick bread and top it all off with an apple pie that they'll bake themselves.

Awareness (1 hr.) This is an opportunity for your scouts to slow down and e-experience their surroundings.  Scouts will learn to fox walk and use wide angle vision.  They'll participate in an exercise we call "the slows".  They'll try matching the speed of nature and they'll stalk up to the fire.  Finally they'll amaze themselves by using what they've learned in the blind drum stalk.

Camp Crafts (see individuals activities for times)

Eating Utensils (2hrs.) Scouts will burn out a soup bowl and make eating utensils.

Candle Lanterns (1 hr.) Individuals participate in making pop can lanterns and hand dipped candles.

Camp Furniture (1 hr.) Learn how to make tripods, chairs and tables.

Hide Tanning (Demonstration only - 1 hr., Hands-on 3 hrs.) Learn how to easily tan an animal hide using household products.  We'll discuss brain tanning, hair removable, drying, scraping and breaking hides.

Primitive Weapons (2 hrs.) This class gives your troop the chance to try their hands at using throwing sticks, atlatls and blow guns.  They'll find a new appreciation for primitive man's hunting techniques and have fun at the same time.