outdoor Survival skills classes
From building shelters, starting a campfire, to finding your way, outdoor survival skills help us enjoy the outdoors safely and remind us of our innate connection with the natural world.
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Surviving in the Wild:
Gear, strategies, and concepts What survival gear should you carry when you go for a hike? What are your priorities if you are stuck out overnight in the wilderness? Why do some people survive while others don't? How can you increase your own odds of surviving? In this class we will explore our basic needs for warmth, water, food, and a calm mind, and how we can best meet these needs in a wilderness emergency. We will talk about what gear is essential to bring with you, what works and what is just hype, what your survival priorities are, and how to cultivate a survival mindset. Bring the emergency gear you usually carry with you on a day hike, for a gear-dump discussion of gear limitations/upgrades, pros and cons, personal needs, and various secondary uses most items can provide. When: Sunday, April 12, 1:00-5:00pm ***Note the date change from the January newsletter!*** Where: Leaven Community Center Cost: $75. Current Cascadia Wild volunteers receive $15 off; use discount code: CaWVolunteer$15off |
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Understanding Fire:
How to build fire in any weather Learn how to make fire! Many people think they know how to start a fire, but could you build one when you really needed it, when everything is wet and cold? This comprehensive class will teach you what you need to know to make fire in any month of the year. We will explore different fire lays and the conditions they work best for, tinder selection and processing, finding dry materials, and what materials to select from different environments. We will make fire with matches, flint and steel, and ferro rods. Learn tips to be more successful, including techniques for making feather sticks, sectioning large pieces of wood with just a knife, and understanding how different fire lays control the flow of heat and oxygen to keep the fire going. Knife work will be an important part of the class, and you will also spend time learning good knife handling techniques, knife selection, knife safety and maintenance. In this class, we will dive into fire science like never before, helping you to really understand fire. This class includes some lecture plus lots of hands- on practice. When: Saturday, June 6, 10:00am-4:00pm Where: Mt Hood National Forest Cost: $150. Current Cascadia Wild volunteers receive $15 off; use discount code: CaWVolunteer$15off |
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Survival Shelters:
Modern and primitive shelter building Shelter is one of our most important needs, and also one of the most difficult to carry with us or make in a pinch. In this class we will explore how to build a shelter from the natural materials around you, as well as modern survival shelters that you can carry with you in your emergency kit. Learn what natural shelters look like, what makes some better than others, best construction techniques, and what really works in cold, rainy conditions. Also learn about tarp shelters, 5 different tarp lays for different environments, and why some work better than others. Important knots to hold your shelter up will also be covered. Our focus throughout the class will be to understand heat loss mechanisms, and to mitigate these by creating shelters appropriate for different weather, environment, and terrain conditions. When: Saturday, July 11, 10:00am-4:00pm Where: Mt Hood National Forest Cost: $150. Current Cascadia Wild volunteers receive $15 off; use discount code: CaWVolunteer$15off |
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Wild Plant Identification and Foraging
Food is essential for survival, and the good news is that it grows everywhere if we know how to look. In this class, you will learn which plants we can eat and which ones to avoid. You will also learn basic botany terminology and what traits to look for to identify plants. When: Sunday, May 17, 10:00am-4:00pm Where: Mt Hood National Forest Cost: $150. Current Cascadia Wild volunteers receive $15 off; use discount code: CaWVolunteer$15off |
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Wet Weather Survival:
Fire, shelter, water, and fire cookery in the rain
November brings rain and cold to the Pacific Northwest. How do you build a fire, make shelter, and make yourself comfortable under these conditions? This class will look at our three basic survival needs, warmth, water, and food, under the lens of November rains. This class will help you put to use the fire and shelter building skills you learned earlier, helping you discover the best strategies and what really works under these conditions. We will build a fire capable of warming our bodies and drying our gear; assemble a survival shelter; discuss various water collection, filtering, purification methods; and practice basic campfire cookery to heat up water and cook simple foods. Explore what is possible under these trying conditions!
Prerequisites: Previous fire and shelter building experience, or instructor approval.
When: Sunday, November 1, 10:00am-4:00pm
Where: Mt Hood National Forest
Cost: $150. Current Cascadia Wild volunteers receive $15 off; use discount code: CaWVolunteer$15off
Fire, shelter, water, and fire cookery in the rain
November brings rain and cold to the Pacific Northwest. How do you build a fire, make shelter, and make yourself comfortable under these conditions? This class will look at our three basic survival needs, warmth, water, and food, under the lens of November rains. This class will help you put to use the fire and shelter building skills you learned earlier, helping you discover the best strategies and what really works under these conditions. We will build a fire capable of warming our bodies and drying our gear; assemble a survival shelter; discuss various water collection, filtering, purification methods; and practice basic campfire cookery to heat up water and cook simple foods. Explore what is possible under these trying conditions!
Prerequisites: Previous fire and shelter building experience, or instructor approval.
When: Sunday, November 1, 10:00am-4:00pm
Where: Mt Hood National Forest
Cost: $150. Current Cascadia Wild volunteers receive $15 off; use discount code: CaWVolunteer$15off
Register for the series and receive $50 off. Current Cascadia Wild volunteers receive an additional $45 off; use discount code: CaWVolunteer$45off
Refund policy: Refunds available up to 2 weeks before the class date.
About the Instructor
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Brenton evoked his natural passion for the outdoors at 5 years old, while tracking and hunting Jack rabbits on horseback. At age 7, his family moved to the mountains of Colorado and for the next 10 years, spent most of his free time outdoors. Building countless forts and fires, exploring both game trails and his own wild imagination, these experiences gave him a deep desire to become proficient in the arts of wilderness survival, primitive living and bushcraft. Brenton spent many of his adult years following this path, teaching himself these skills, and in the process learning a great amount of self awareness and loads of information to share with all who will listen.
Brenton spent 5 years mentoring children and adults at Trackers Earth in Portland and Treesong in Washougal. Teaching everything from Forest School Kindergarten to Adult Immersion programs, Brenton has had the pleasure of learning from many other students, parents and educators. He has joined Cascadia Wild in their monthly tracking club meetups, and 2 years ago started volunteering for the Wolverine Tracking Project. Brenton believes nothing is greater than the connection we have with nature and strives to teach this and other primitive skills to everyone. The self-discipline, drive and attention to detail Brenton obtained from his days in the US Navy's Presidential Guard, including his experiences from traveling abroad and learning different cultures, are reflected in his teachings. |
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