We had an amazing week on the water last week, as the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester students used the paddles they recently carved to cross a remote lake and camp for the week. They learned a bunch of named paddle strokes, where hand and body position at the beginning and end of the stroke, as well […]
Read More
In episode 50 of the Jack Mountain Bushcraft Podcast we discuss listener comments, the role of alcohol on the trail, and how important food and eating well is on expeditions. PHOTO: Newly-carved paddles being used for the first time. Links: The Woods Cook: Outdoor Cooking With A Professional Guide by Tim Smith iTunes Link | […]
Read More
Grand Pitch, on the East Branch of the Penobscot river, is not an easy place to get to. In our world where almost everything is accessible via automobile, I think it’s great that there are still places you need to sweat and bleed a little to get to […]
Read More
Congratulations to our own Colin Clifford, Maine’s newest Registered Guide. Colin is an alumnus working with us on this fall’s semester course. He traveled to Augusta today where he passed the test to become a Registered Maine Guide. He will be traveling back to the field school on the shoulders of stallions. Well done, sir. Continue Reading...
Some knife sheath bling – made from birchbark and roots. Whatever your edged tool, it should always have a sheath, both to protect you and to protect your tool’s edge. Continue Reading...
This morning we started carving canoe paddles. It’s a chance to learn about wood and wood grain, as well as traditional hand tools. Our preference is for a draw knife and spoke shave, with a farrier’s rasp near the end. There are lots of tool combinations that work. Continue Reading...
Lucky The Wonder Dog, river safety officer. When someone goes for a swim, she jumps in the water and swims around them. #fulltangcaninelifestyle Continue Reading...
We had an amazing week on the water last week, as the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester students used the paddles they recently carved to cross a remote lake and camp for the week. They learned a bunch of named paddle strokes, where hand and body position at the beginning and end of the stroke, as well […] Continue Reading...
After a long, hot summer (the warmest on record in the Caribou, Maine area), we’ve now had two mornings in a row with temperatures in the high 20’s. It will warm up again and we’ll be swimming comfortably for a few more weeks, but the colder weather is coming. A few years ago in the […] Continue Reading...
An old video of our received a comment that stated there was no such thing as bushcraft in North America because we didn’t have any bush, only woods, and as such it had to be woodcraft. Let me take this moment to say I don’t care what anyone thinks about the appropriate name for bushcraft, […] Continue Reading...
There are two components of incorporating wild plants into your life. First is making a positive identification in the field. Second is harvesting and processing the plant and knowing what to use it for. There are a lot of great books on using wild plants for food and medicine once you make that positive field […] Continue Reading...
Mors Kochanski is a man who needs no introduction to people in the bushcraft community. My friend Dragan Uzelac from Niko Wilderness Education and The More You Know Podcast recently posted a 2 hour, 7 minute podcast interview where Mors discusses many things that will be of interest to the student of survival training and […] Continue Reading...
Yesterday we began the fall, 2018 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester, our 45th long term program over the past 20 years. Our team for the course consist of myself and Christopher Russell as instructors and Colin Clifford as the teaching assistant. I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few years on the trail with both […] Continue Reading...
From time to time I mention our amazing alumni. Tonight I want to say congratulations to Sam Larson for winning Alone, season 5 in Mongolia! You’re an inspiration for the young and young at heart everywhere! If you don’t know Sam, he runs Woodsong Wilderness Outfitters, has a great sense of humor, and is now […] Continue Reading...
Our alumni do awesome things, so it’s a pleasure for me to keep in touch with many of them. This past spring I got an email from a guy named Ezra, who participated in a summer program a while back. He has since received a bachelor’s degree, worked as a teacher, and had many other […] Continue Reading...
In episode 50 of the Jack Mountain Bushcraft Podcast we discuss listener comments, the role of alcohol on the trail, and how important food and eating well is on expeditions. PHOTO: Newly-carved paddles being used for the first time. Links: The Woods Cook: Outdoor Cooking With A Professional Guide by Tim Smith iTunes Link | […] Continue Reading...
Episode 49 of the Jack Mountain Bushcraft Podcast is all about expedition behavior and leadership. Expedition behavior is outdoor education-speak for working as a team. On a chilly Saturday morning in the Guide Shack Tim, Christopher and Colin were joined by Blake Towsley for a discussion on good and bad leadership and how leadership skills […] Continue Reading...
David Callison hiked the Appalachian Trail from north to south , finishing in March of 2018. He’s also a participant on our fall, 2018 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester. We discuss hiking the trail, why you should plant to hike from north to south to have a better experience, and learn about his most and least favorite […] Continue Reading...
Episode 47 is about women and gender in bushcraft. Christopher and I were joined by Allison Figueroa and Regina Beach, both of whom are participants on the fall semester. They share their insight into the role that gender plays on women getting into the outdoor industry, gear, and the “pink tax” women often pay for […] Continue Reading...
Episode 46 of the Jack Mountain Bushcraft Podcast is about the path to becoming a reputable instructor. We discuss the necessary steps, finding your voice as an instructor, overcoming imposter syndrome, and the role of being an assistant instructor or teaching assistant as part of a long-term development plan. PHOTO: Poling practice on the river. […] Continue Reading...
Grand Pitch, on the East Branch of the Penobscot river, is not an easy place to get to. In our world where almost everything is accessible via automobile, I think it’s great that there are still places you need to sweat and bleed a little to get to. Continue Reading...
Allagash Falls, 2 different viewpoints. It’s a special place, not reachable by road. Shot on the recent Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester. Continue Reading...
On Eagle Lake at the Smith Brook campsite, Allagash Wilderness Waterway. We saw this bull moose who was not the slightest bit interested in us. Smith Brook is the site of the 1976 Allagash alien abduction, the focus of this book. Continue Reading...
Our first night on the water of the 2018 Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester, camped on Telos Lake on the Allagash. I had the camera on autofocus, so you weren’t able to see the high peaks of Baxter State Park in the distance. Continue Reading...
Shot on the Bonaventure River, this was our morning ritual for the trip. Man did we have a blast on that trip. Featured in the video is me, Frank, Kelly, Dragan and Christopher with the intro. Thanks to Blake for filming. Jack Mountain Bushcraft Vlog Episode 96. Continue Reading...
Featured Posts
We’ve put up a lot of posts over the years. These are some of our most popular.
– Ago Puteus Foris –
We’re a bushcraft, guide training and wilderness expedition school founded in 1999. We help people become more self-reliant and connected to the natural world using traditional skills and a few simple tools. This is our media hub, consisting of our blog, podcasts and videos.
