Using Your Hands as Tools (Video)
Keep your most valuable tools attached to your body. That’s what wilderness survival instructors advise us. This way, we always have them when we need – Even if … Continue Reading →
Category: Skills
Primitive skills, modern skills
6 Tips to Make You Tough (in the outdoors)
If you spend time outdoors, then you realize that majestic views come with discomforts. Rain, cold, heat, sunburn, blisters, scratches, scrapes, bruises and bumps. They’re all part of the … Continue Reading →
How to Make a Traditional Fish Hook (Video)
Cultures of the Northwest Coast fascinate me. I first became interested nearly 20 years ago during a sea kayak trip to observe Orca. I paddled the Johnstone Strait, along … Continue Reading →
How to Pack a Backpack (Video)
Are you thinking about backpacking this summer? It’s easier than you think. Often just a two-mile stroll will take you to a secluded campsite, beside a glassy lake. You don’t … Continue Reading →
My Ceremonial Canoe Paddle
Life is about new experiences. That’s why I was eager to participate in a Native American cultural weekend put on by my friend Jim Lowery at Earthskills. Jim has … Continue Reading →
How to Make Branch Crayons
I lead nature hikes for several organizations including California State Parks and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. And if you’ve hiked with me before, your first moments include … Continue Reading →
How to Make Fire out of Snow (Video, Humor)
Forget those fake “survival TV” shows. Ignore those dirty sweaty heroes jumping off cliffs and drinking their urine. Reject the programs filled with unstable city-dwellers thrown into contrived dramas … Continue Reading →
Good Axe Technique is no Axe-ident! (Download)
My Lack of Axe-perience In 1973 the OPEC oil embargo caused fuel shortages and sky-high prices throughout the United States. Like many families, my parents supplemented our heating oil … Continue Reading →
New York Times Recommends “Primitive Technology” (Video)
Against my will, I was bewitched. Like 20 million others, I casually tuned in to watch the “Primitive Technology” videos on YouTube. I admit it, I was cynical. I … Continue Reading →
Something to Try: The Cross Stick Fire (Video)
I love learning new bushcraft skills! No matter how long I practice bushcraft, there is always so much more to learn. There are techniques aimed at specific environments, traditional … Continue Reading →