Wilderness Skills Workshop

Description:

Join guest instructor James O'Connor to learn a wide array of wilderness skills and how to balance the human/nature dynamic - and as a group, you will create a thriving camp for a Saturday overnight!  This will be an interactive experience, where you will be learning by doing in a collaborative group of other learners.

Wilderness skills will include:

• Mental preparedness
• Environmental assessment and action plans
• Comfort management
• Sourcing materials from nature
• Shelter building
• Water accessibility and treatment/purification
• Fire building and starting

Ticket Options:

• To attend the full weekend workshop, purchase a Weekend Ticket (below) - includes all lessons and meals from Friday check-in through Sunday wrap-up.
• To attend Saturday - Sunday, choose Sat-Sun Ticket (below) - includes all lessons and meals from Saturday at 9am through Sunday wrap-up.
• To attend the day program on Saturday, choose Saturday Ticket (below) - includes lunch and all lessons on Saturday from 9am - 5:30pm.
• To add lodging, choose a room in a lodge, glampsite, or campsite. When you purchase a room with multiple beds, you are welcome to add other workshop guests to your room at no extra cost.
• Youth tickets are for ages 10 - 18 (*10-14 year olds need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian with a Workshop Ticket)

Workshop schedule:

Friday

• 4-5PM - Arrive, settle in, check in
• 5-5:30PM - Meet and mingle
• 5:30-6:30PM - Dinner
• Introductions and review of course curriculum
• Mental preparations within the Human/Nature dynamic
• "Finding Peace & Enjoyment While Embracing the Struggles"
• Council Fire & Group Discussions (Provides participants a chance to engage with each other on past experiences)

Saturday

• 8-9AM - Breakfast
• Morning greetings
• Review of the day ahead. "Today we are building a camp and staying the night"
• Prioritizing needs (personal and group):  Gear dump and discussion
• Environmental assessment (weather, terrain, external factors, etc.)  and how that impacts our behavior and action plan
• 12-1PM - Lunch
• Camp construction exercises.  (site selections, shelter building, water accessibility, fire building and maintenance techniques)
• Basic immediate needs v. longer term sustainability
• Properties of Nature:  using what is around you to improve your situation.  Practice identifying materials available and how to use them
• 5:30-6:30PM - Dinner
• Improving your situation; useful crafting, sustainability planning (i.e. out 1 night or 1 week)
• Settling in for the night; group discussions and council fire

Sunday

• 8-9AM - Breakfast
• Morning greetings
• Group discussions and take aways
• Skill honing;  Time to practice more in areas they want to improve on
• Camp deconstruction and area clean up
• 11:00AM - Wrap up, pack up, and departure

What to Bring:

Water bottle

Adequate clothing for the conditions (including rain jacket)

8x10 tarp (minimum size)

100' of cordage (doesn't have to be any one particular type)

Metal container (to boil water)

Cutting tool

Extra pair of socks

Fire starting implement

Blanket

Snacks

About the Instructor:

James (Jim) O'Connor has been an active outdoorsman throughout most of his life. He often foraged and explored with family throughout the Midwest during his upbringing and had continued that tradition ever since. Jim participates in several non profit organizations and greatly values education for the outdoors and wilderness skills.  He is also a certified Wilderness First Responder.