 
Emergency
Preparedness Training
     
“I
went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately,
to front only the essential facts of life, and see if
I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when
I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
—
Henry David Thoreau
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"In
the school of the woods there is no graduation day."
—
Horace Kephart
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General
Info
School
of The Woods offers instruction
in several UNIQUE WAYS:
| 1.
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On
Request - Courses listed are arranged upon
request for you and your group. |
| 2.
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Private Customized
Instruction is available for individuals,
families and groups on request.
Instruction
is available by the day, weekend or special arrangement
that we design. Choose exactly the areas
you want to learn. I will work with you to fit
your needs into the timeframe your schedule allows. |
| 3.
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SoTW travels to you, if you desire
and have location appropriate for instruction. |
| 4.
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SoTW travels with you –
see Travel Services
page. |
| 5. |
School
of The Woods also offers scheduled training onsite
as listed on the Calendar
Page. |
Other pertinent info:
| • |
Class
size onsite at SoTW is limited for QUALITY
personalized instruction. |
| • |
Course content will vary depending on duration,
season & customized requests. |
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All participants are required to read and sign a
Risk Acknowledgement & Liability Release. |
| • |
On-site Courses are for adults 18 years and older.
Mature 16 y/olds may apply with accompanying parent
or legal guardian enrolled participant. Youth
courses available on request. |
| • |
Basic
fitness and general good health is required. On-site
Skills Courses are not particularly rigorous, but
may involve some hiking. |
| • |
On-site Accommodations: Tent-camping on-site, camping
and RV camping at nearby state park. Motels within
25 minutes drive. Two meals/day provided for multi-day
classes. |
| • |
Upon
receipt of deposit for your on-site class, a gear
list & directions will be sent. |
| • |
School
of The Woods Location:
Ohio: 60 minutes west of Greater Columbus,
OH area. Excellent diverse habitat for studying
birds, trees and wildlife.
Vermont: In the heart of the Northeast Kingdom,
north of St. Johnsbury.
Moose, black bear, loon and fisher country.
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| Nature
& Awareness
Awareness
is paying attention – wherever you are. It
is an art, a living practice at many levels to be
worked at daily and a way of being in the world.
Awareness of the natural world feeds awareness of
self. Especially in the times we live in, SoTW holds
awareness as a baseline skill of self-preservation.
SoTW’s Nature & Awareness instruction
includes: Being at ease in the woods, Regaining
your senses & how to use them, The gifts of
silence, How to be in the woods, Your Most Important
Senses, Dangers of the wild – real and imagined,
Eastern Trees & plants, Eastern wildlife, safety
and interactions with North American wildlife, what
to wear, what to bring with you & what to leave
behind.
Prerequisite:
None. |
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| Preparedness
& Self-Reliance Daily
1-day
class
There
are numerous situations in daily life that can present
us with the question of our safety and survival.
Our
focus here is on our everyday lives – wherever
we find ourselves:
Cultivating awareness &
self-reliance, survival mind, priorities, positive
practices, and practical pointers for your well-being
and the interesting times in which we live… |
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Primitive Firemaking
1-day or Weekend class
Creating
fire is one of the most vital, magical and humbling
outdoor-survival skills to have. Depending on
course duration/design, we learn fire by percussion
and one or more Friction Fire starting methods
- “rubbing two sticks together”.
Plus identifying, choosing & preparing the
necessary materials. 2-day classes can include
modern fire-starting methods as well as fire
building methodology. |
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Basic Outdoor Living Skills
A
comprehensive primer to modern backcountry camping.
A comprehensive primer to modern backcountry camping.
Are you an absolute beginner with no clue where
to start? Want to progress from taking a walk
in the park to “being out there”?
These classic modern camping skills and outdoor
knowledge will serve you well anywhere, & provide
you the freedom and foundation from which to
build more advanced outdoor skills.
Only modern gear and methods are presented.
Includes: Realities of the outdoors today, outdoor
safety concerns, choosing
gear & clothing, setting up camp; basic firecraft & stoves; water: safety & issues;
practical knots, basic navigation, simple first aid, hygiene, sanitation & ethics; & Minimum
Impact Living.
Prerequisite: None.
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Modern Outdoor Survival & Preparedness Skills
or “Whaddaya mean the cell phone doesn’t
work?...”
If you want a reservoir of practical skills, knowledge
and abilities to draw upon in emergency situations
outdoors or wherever you find yourself, SoTW
Survival/Bushcraft courses are about the most
functional and transferable tools a person
can have. Jam-packed with vital, self-preservation
info, these skills are priceless.
Modern gear & methods are presented here for
the average hiker, hunter & outdoor enthusiast
to take care of you out there & get you back
safely. Includes:
Creating your own survival kit, Staying Found,
Survival psychology, practical Knots; Shelter:
natural, improvised & carried; Gear & clothing
choices, Water: safety & purification methods;
Modern firestarting methods & combustibles;
the 3 Most Overlooked Areas of Survival; smiple
first aid; Signaling rescue.
Prerequisite: None.
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Bushcraft 1
Traditional
skills of the Earth & Woods
While often presented today as “survival
skills”, for our ancestors and indigenous
people around the globe for millennia they have
simply been the way of life. For many of us, these
original “hands-on” woods skills, knowledge
and abilities are some of the first things that
hooked us on nature and serious outdoor living:
Shelter: improvised & carried; Clothing considerations;
Knifecraft & vital tools: choosing & using,
sharpening & maintaining, safe use of; Creating
your bush survival kit; Cordcraft: practical Knots;
Firecraft: safety, methodology & practical
firelays, identifying & choosing materials & tinders,
Friction Fire-making: Bow drill method,
Fire by Percussion; Environmental safety concerns & basic
first aid.
Prerequisite: None.
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Bushcraft 2
Friction Fire-making: Hand drill; Cordcraft: Making
Cordage from wild materials, plant ID, processing & manufacturing
means; Improvised tools & gear; Some Eastern
Trees & plants: their identification & uses.
Prerequisite: Bushcraft 1.
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Bushcraft 3
Advanced
shelter ideas; Advanced bush knots; Gear-less land
navigation basics; More improvised gear; Food procurement
& cooking.
Prerequisite:
Bushcraft 2 |
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Indigenous Skills
Basic
canoe skills & knowledge; Leathercraft: Fingerweaving;
Primitive archery. |
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