For years people have asked me if there are decent axes and knives available locally. I can finally say yes. The Gateway Trading Post in Ashland, Maine is 6.5 miles from the field school campus on the way to Ashland. They carry Snow & Neally Axes and Mora Knives. They also carry a variety of [...]

During the summer courses we braintanned two deer hides and made red osier dogwood and spruce root baskets. Here is a photo of one person’s work, with the basket full of summer wildflowers, herbs and berries. The hides were ones I had scraped a few years ago, so we just did the braining and softening. [...]

Although I haven’t been active online, it has been a busy summer at the field school. We had a solid canoe guide training course with great water levels on the Allagash, followed by week-long summer woodsman 1 and 2 classes. And now we’re a day away from starting the fall Wilderness Bushcraft Semester, our 67th [...]

It’s been a few months since I written or recorded anything. Life at the field school has been busy with the spring Wilderness Bushcraft Semester followed immediately by the Professional Canoe Guide Training Course. I found that my day to day life and work took up all my time, and I was feeling like a [...]

In the woods working on wet weather fire protocol using subjective and objective tests to measure the amount of moisture in dead standing trees. The end of week 1 of the spring, 2025 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester. #FullTangLifestyle

Week one of our 9-week semester is all about making people self-sufficient. We spend a lot of time workong on fire, cooking over the fire, using an axe to get wood for the fire, sanitation, and settling into the woods life. We also spend a lot of time on the academic side of the course, [...]

An inch of new snow fell overnight, and this morning sat on top of the frozen ground creating a near-perfect medium for tracking. So we spent most of the morning exploring and looking for tracks. We were fortunate to find fisher, snowshoe hare, red squirrel, ruffed grouse and robin tracks in the snow, as well [...]

We received an inch of fresh snow overnight. In planning for it yesterday, we worked on our introduction to mammal studies and first thing this morning we will be covering our introduction to tracking. A fresh inch of snow over a frozen ground is pretty close to as good as it gets in this part [...]

The beginning of a bushcraft semester is always marked by a settling in period. Everyone is learning our systems, getting settled with food and shelter, and digging into both the hands-on and academic instruction. It takes time. By the end of last summer I was pretty burned out with media, social media, shooting video, etc. [...]

Today was the first day of the spring Wilderness Buschraft Semster in 2025. We still have some snow cover in shady areas, and we started our first morning working on making fire and coffee. #FullTangLifestyle

Today marks the start of the spring, 2025 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester, and the 2025 edition of the Expedition Instructor (XI) training program. This is our 65th long-term immersion program. I can see them all in my mind’s eye, stretched out over the past 26 years. For arrival day yesterday, mother nature decided to roll out [...]

Paul Sveum and I got together in our new digital studio (actually a piece of software) to talk about fly fishing opportunities for the upcoming 2025 season. We had a long list of topics to discuss and only got to a few of them. Hence the part 1 in the title. We’ll be recording another [...]

The last few winters I have taken some time away from the web and the website around the holidays. This year I extended it through the whole month of January. It was good to take a break and reboot, but now I’m ready to jump back in. Taking time away gives me the perspective to [...]

I was a boy when I received my first pair of snowshoes, a wood-framed, rawhide-laced (the rawhide was traditionally made from moose hide and known as babiche, pronounced “bab-eesh”) pair made in Maine that took me on countless boyhood journeys through the winter woods. Since then, I’ve snowshoed all over Maine, New Hampshire, New Brunswick, [...]

Recorded on December 23, 2024. Rick, Oz and I got together via the internet to discuss the Maine Guide Medic wilderness first responder course that took place in November, 2024. We go over what worked well, what will be improved for next year, and some interesting things we learned. For me, the Stop The Bleed [...]

I read this article on the moving magnetic north pole this morning and I thought it would be interesting to anyone who uses a magnetic compass to navigate. I don’t know what the changes on local declination are as a result, but will be interested to find out. It seems that the older barehand navigation [...]

Beginning in 2025, we’re adding a 2-day Wilderness First Aid course to the curriculum of the 9-week Wilderness Bushcraft Semester. This will allow WBS students who are interested in testing for their registered Maine guide licence to do so without having to chase down an outside first aid and cpr class. It also will give [...]

We’ve done really well over the years when it comes to publicity based on being listed in the top ten bushcraft or survival schools in the USA. It used to be magazines, now it’s blogs and online influencers. And they are all full of shit. This isn’t me being sour grapes because we were dissed. [...]

On our long-term programs, we are working to train participants to be self-sufficient. Both in camp and when we’re out on the trail, we do this by traveling solo together. The idea here is that we expect everyone to pull their own weight, police their own gear, plan and prepare their own meals, have their [...]

We’ve had a lot of inquiries about the Expedition Instructor program lately. It is our 6-month immersion that combines all of our professional training programs into a cohesive whole. And as we just wrapped up the field school season, I’ve finally had time to dive in and update the web site with the new information. [...]

Recorded on November 14. Sam Summers and discuss the Women’s Bushcraft & Canoe 3-Week Immersion, coming in 2025. We also discuss her experience on the 2024 Expedition Instructor program. #FullTangLifestyle Photo: Sam paddling with her dog. Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 133 Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode. Links: Women’s Bushcraft & Canoe [...]

We’ve got some announcements about programs coming out as we’re just about finished planning the 2025 season. We are excited to announce our first course by women, for women: the Women’s Bushcraft & Canoe 3-Week Immersion. Created and taught by Tessa and Sam (see photo), both of whom are longtime Jack Mountain Bushcraft School instructors. [...]

We just finished up the Maine Guide Medic program, our first wilderness first responder program ever at the field school. Two weeks ago we finished the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester, our 63rd long-term immersion program. It has been a busy year, with field school programs beginning when the snow pulled back in April and going straight [...]

It’s getting close to the end of the fall, 2024, Wilderness Bushcraft Semester, and I had a nature day. It was cold (in the 20’s) this morning. On my way down the hill, I saw a bunch of turkeys and a deer. We ran through our day on the course, then I cleaned up the [...]

Recorded on Saturday, September 21. Oz and Rick are back from the solo expedition canoe course. We discuss how it went, what worked, what didn’t, what the plan is for next time. If you’re interested, the solo canoe expedition course is on the calendar for next summer. #FullTangLifestyle Photo: Lake reflecting the sky. Show Notes: [...]

Recorded on Saturday, September 14. Oz and Rick are in camp preparing to run the solo expedition canoe course and we decided to record our morning coffee discussion. Current events, all about the solo expedition canoe course, Rick’s survival courses in New Hampshire, Oz’s trip to Michigan’s UP, and a bit about the reworking of [...]

Recorded on Sunday, September 1st, we welcome Christopher Russell back to the podcast after a lenghty hiatus. We discuss the idea of adaptation and how we’re adapting to the changes in the weather, as well as discuss current events around the field school. #FullTangLifestyle Photo: Christopher floating over a deep pool on the Bonaventure River [...]

Recorded on Tuesday, August 6th in the Guide Shack, Oz and I were joined by a bunch of the current students to talk about our recent Allagash trip, the testing process that is currently underway, the Journeyman certification and what’s left to accomplish on the current course. We’re 8.5 weeks in with 1.5 weeks to [...]

We’re finishing up week six of the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester, and tomorrow morning we’re headed to the Allagash for our second trip of the course. We’ll be putting in at Indian Stream and paddling to Allagash Village. We’re in a midsummer weather pattern with a lot of thunderstorms in the afternoon, so that might be [...]

Working on friction fire techniques at the field school. We had 100% success rate with everyone getting their first hand drill coals. We also had success with the fire plough, as documented in this video. A lot of learning is taking place. #FullTangLifestyle

Using a tumpline to carry a wannigan and a passenger. #FullTangLifestyle

We’re making canoe poles this week to replace the old and broken ones. As it is with many projects that start with raw materials from the forest, identifying, harvesting and processing the blank is hugely important. You have to find the right species of tree (spruce) growing in the right way in order to make [...]

We’re into the middle of the summer 2024 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester and people are getting deep into the projects on the course. The morning we filmed this everyone was working independently, so I figured I’d walk around and document the different things that were going on. #FullTangLifestyle

On episode 128 of the JMB Podcast, Jesse and Tim discuss some big-picture ideas about why you might be interested in learning bushcraft, and what you do with it when you learn it. Ultimately it’s about being resilient and connecting with the land and our ancestors. It is a lifestyle that resonates with a deep [...]

We took advantage of the recent rains to get out onto a small stream we can usually only canoe during the high waters of early spring. It is the same stream we ran for JMB Vlog 182, Poling A Low Water Stream, and is a great local run. This time we had lots of water [...]

JMB Vlog 104 is an update to JMB Vlog 201, where we were starting canoe paddles. At this point all of the students have finished their paddles, and we’re varnishing them. We do this to seal them so they don’t absorb water. Everyone did a great job on this project, and we’re excited to get [...]

Life at the field school is hard during the heat of the summer. The bugs are bad and other critters are getting into things. We’ve recently had a raccoon that wants to get into the trash, so we’re putting it away at night and making sure all food is locked down. This morning one of [...]

I get asked regularly (it happened twice over this past weekend) where my interest in bushcraft began. I feel like I have told the story hundreds of times, but in case you’re new here, here it is. I grew up on a small lake in rural New Hampshire. That’s a photo taken on the lake [...]

On episode 127 of the JMB Podcast, Tim, Oz and Jesse discuss self-care and the implications of an injury while on an expedition. They also discuss planning programs for 2025. #FullTangLifestyle Photo: One of my favorite spots in the North Maine Woods. Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 127 Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this [...]

Our first shelter we’re building on the summer, 2024 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester course. #FullTangLifestyle

Maybe you’ve read Dick Proenneke’s books, or maybe you’ve seen his video “Alone In The Wilderness”. He built a cabin in Twin Lakes, Alaska, when he was in his early 50’s, and lived there until his 90’s. Wrote a book, published a video after he passed, and was generally an inspiration to a bunch of [...]

We’re into week 3 of the summer 2024 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester and things are humming along. Last week we started canoe paddles and everyone has been diligently working away on them with hand tools. Water levels in the river are dropping to summer lows, limiting the moving water canoeing options nearby, but we’ve been out [...]

We started carving canoe paddles on the semester course. Over the next few days people will become intimately familiar with the draw knife, spoke shave, rasp, and cabinet scraper. #FullTangLifestyle

On episode 126 of the JMB Podcast, Oz and Tim discuss the mental game of long-term wilderness living skills. To be successful on long-term programs, self-discipline is a prerequisite. Putting the daily work first buys you a moment here and there where you can appreciate where you are and what you’re doing. But the romantic [...]

After some rain, the river came way up. Here’s how we end a day of working on canoe skills in the summer. #FullTangLifestyle

On rainy mornings at the field school we almost always practice wet weather fire skills. #FullTangLifestyle

So many uses for an axe. We recently used one to cut up some meat. #FullTangLifestyle

How big does a bow drill need to be? Jessie makes a mini bowdrill to find out. #FullTangLifestyle

The final video from our 2024 canoe expedition on Quebec’s Bonaventure river. Check out Hobo Camp 2024 and watch as we paddle the lower river, taking out in the salt water. It was a fantastic trip with challenging water and great friends. #FullTangLifestyle

Part 4 of our 2024 canoe expedition on Quebec’s Bonaventure river. In this video we line our canoes over the ledges in Kicking Horse Pass and run the section just below. #FullTangLifestyle

Part three of the video series from our June, 2024 canoe expedition on Quebec’s Bonaventure River. #FullTangLifestyle

The heat wave broke and we’re at the end of week one of the summer, 2024 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester. We spent the afternoon on Squapan lake doing an introduction to canoes and paddling and covered about 4 miles. Overall it was a solid week. Eight weeks to go to get people to the finish line. [...]

For episode 125 of the JMB Podcast I was joined by Jesse Grindler. Jesse is a JMBS alum, owner of Wise Oak Wilderness in Montreal, and recently joined us on our Bonaventure River canoe expedition. We discuss the Bonaventure trip, then we learn about the business Jesse recently started called Wise Oak Wilderness, offering a [...]

Week one of the summer, 2024 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester and we’ve got a heatwave sitting over us. With the heat index over 100 degrees F, we’ve moved class down to the river to intersperse coursework with dips in the river to keep us cool. #FullTangLifestyle

We’re in the middle of week one on the summer, 2024 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester and we’ve got a heat wave sitting over us. We’ve begun our coursework on understanding the weather and are currently looking at the impacts of weather on human behavior and energy levels. Yesterday the temperature was around 95 degrees F. Today [...]

Part 2 from our recent canoe expedition on the Bonaventure river on the Gaspé peninsula in Quebec. #FullTangLifestyle

Episode 124 of the JMB Podcast is about training people for solo wilderness canoe expeditions. We discuss the skills needed to do it safely, and talk about a September 2024 course designed to give people the skills and confidence to pull it off. Read more about the course discussed on the Solo Expedition Canoe Course [...]

Part 1 from our recent canoe expedition on the Bonaventure river in Quebec. #FullTangLifestyle

Part five of the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester in 2024. #FullTangLifestyle

We had a fantastic week canoeing the Bonaventure river in Quebec. The upper river was very low, but thanks to an overnight rain the water level came up and was pretty close to perfect. Although we came close a few times, our crew didn’t dump any boats. I’ve got a bunch of videos to edit, [...]

During rush hour some of our highly traveled routes sometimes experience traffic jams. #FullTangLifestyle

After wrapping up the 2024 Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester (WCES) a few days ago and a few days of rest and office work, I’m getting gear and a menu ready for next week’s trip to Quebec to run the Bonaventure River. I’ve been up there a few times, and it’s a real stunner of a [...]

Part four of our trips on the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester in 2024. #FullTangLifestyle

Part three of our trips on the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester in 2024. #FullTangLifestyle

Part two of our trips on the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester in 2024. #FullTangLifestyle

Part one of our trips on the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester in 2024. #FullTangLifestyle

I heard from an old friend and fellow Maine guide last night. He is reading The Last Guide by Ron Corbett, a book about the last of the old-time fishing guides in Algonquin Park in Ontario. He was taken with the author’s ideas on the motivation to be a guide. Seen from a different perspective, [...]

From 2023, a short video of bow-drill practice on a humid summer day. #FullTangLifestyle

It was a challenging four weeks, but we’ve come to the end of the 2024 Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester. We covered a lot of miles, passed on the traditions of Maine Guide expedition canoeing, watched people grow, watched friendships flourish, and had a lot of cheap laughs in beautiful places along the waterways of northern [...]

Back from the river at the end of the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester, we discuss challenges from the trip and the thought process behind a medical evacuation and getting a student from a remote trip to the hospital. #FullTangLifestyle Photo: Tim in the canoe putting in the miles. Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 123 Kid-Friendly? [...]

We’re halfway through the 2024 Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester course. In this podcast we riff about the course, certifications, getting enough to eat, etc. #FullTangLifestyle Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 122 Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode. Links: The Scroll – Rick Swain’s website with information on his medical and outdoor programs. Maine [...]

Red-winged blackbirds were out in big numbers on a recent trip. In Maine they sing “Kong-ka-ree”. In western Canada they sing “Ko-kan-ee”. I think it’s because they are working for Kokanee, also known as big beer. #FullTangLifestyle

My gear is packed, the van is gassed up, and in a few hours we’re headed out on the river for the rest of the month. The plan is to canoe two different river systems, increasing the challenges as the skill and experience level of the group progresses. We will have one resupply day to [...]

Our first day moving downriver on the current course. Water levels have dropped significantly in the past few days after a dry early spring. #FullTangLifestyle

For episode 121 of the Jack Mountain Bushcraft Podcast I was joined again by Rick Swain and Oz and we discussed current events on the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester which we are currently teaching. We discuss the challenges as an instructor in building a student’s confidence as well as their hard skills. After a few [...]

Part 4 (of 4) of our trip running a northern Maine river just after ice-out. We had a blast on this one, hopefully that comes through on the video. Friends, fast water, no bugs, fish… a great trip. #FullTangLifestyle

Part 3 of our trip running a northern Maine river just after ice-out. This section of river was mostly quickwater and rapids, lively and fun. #FullTangLifestyle

The seventh day of May is a personal holiday for me in remembrance of an amazing day in the life of a rural kid. Some of the details are lost to the past, but let me tell you what I remember. It was 1983 in rural New Hampshire, I was in the sixth grade, and [...]

Continuing on our trip. Canoeing through culverts and fast water. #FullTangLifestyle

Recorded on May 5th, 2024. Opening day of 2024, the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester starts today. I’m joined by Rick Swain and Oz to discuss current events, the upcoming course, and how we spent our summer (winter) vacation. We discuss a few changes to the 2024 Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester, the idea behind the soon [...]

New video series of an early May, 2024 canoe trip in Aroostook County, Maine. This was May 1st and the ice had just gone out (three days prior) on this pond. 40 miles to go. I’ll be posting this in short segments. Hope you enjoy! #FullTangLifestyle

We had a great 40-mile trip on a nearby river over the past three days. The water was high and cold, the rapids were fast, and the fish were biting. I caught the native (not stocked) 13-inch trout above at one of our campsites, and it made for great eating after slow-roasting it next to [...]

Yesterday they opened a new VA medical clinic in Presque Isle. The new facility replaces the old clinic in Caribou and features modern facilities. The new facility will be a significant benefit to the veterans we work with. From the article at thecounty.me: The 7,500-square-foot facility at 732 Main St. replaces the VA outpatient clinic [...]

I’ve been busy getting ready for our first field school program of the year. In The week and a half that I’ve been home, I went from getting vehicles stuck in the snow to bare ground. A lot of water has moved across the landscape. I only had to clear two trees from the road [...]

I recently vacated Texas and made the jump for home in Aroostook County, Maine. We have a 15 passenger van for getting people onto canoe trips, hauling trailers, etc. Last fall I took out a bunch of seats, put a cot in the back, and lived like a king while traveling. #vanlife I took it [...]

Last video from the the Texas/Mexico border, video 6 of 6. #FullTangLifestyle

More good times on the Texas/Mexico border, video 5 of 6. We are on the lower portion of the river now, and the canyons are not as tall. We haven’t seen any sign of people since the put in. #FullTangLifestyle

More good times on the Texas/Mexico border, video 4 of 6. #FullTangLifestyle

More good times on the Texas/Mexico border, video 3 of 6. #FullTangLifestyle

Sorry for the excessive wind noise as I know it is annoying. It can also be a bit annoying to paddle into that wind for 7 days. #FullTangLifestyle

Beginning of the journey. At the put-in of the Rio Grande lower canyons trip. The video is a little weird, as I was playing around with stabilizing the footage in the editing software. #FullTangLifestyle

An evening camp scene from our first night on the Rio Grande lower canyons trip. It was a big stone beach that backed up to a small field, and only a few miles from the put-in. We had great sunset light here, as well as room to spread out. Because the water contained a lot [...]

Recently I joined up with two almuni in west Texas to canoe the 83-mile lower canyons of the Rio Grande river. We put in at Heath Canyon Ranch near La Linda, and paddled/poled/dragged 83 miles downriver to Dryden Crossing. It was a hard trip, marked by low water levels and headwinds, but the scenery was [...]

I was off the grid for a while recently, came home to finish some documentation for an ongoing project, and had to do some research on outfitters in Maine. Several had listed themselves as the “premier” outfitter in Maine. What does this mean? I don’t begrudge anyone for a bit of self-promotion; it comes with [...]

I’m en route to west Texas to rendezvous with a few old friends. We’re going to meet at Monahans Sandhills State Park (where one of our party is the honcho), spend the night discussing tales of derring-do around a fire, then get up and head south to the border. The put-in for the trip through [...]

We’ve had a bunch of registrations recently and I wanted to let people know where we are with regard to available spots in our spring, summer and fall immersion programs for 2024. 2 Spots Remaining. Spring Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester (4-weeks) 2 Spots Remaining. Summer Wilderness Bushcraft Semester (9-weeks) 4 Spots Remaining. Fall Wilderness Bushcraft [...]

I have updated my contact info our our Contact page. As time has gone by, the phone has become less and less useful to me. Spam texts, spam calls, dealing with Google Voice, etc., have all made it a less-than-pleasant experience. More like an annoyance. So in a bid for simplification and to avoid the [...]

It can be expensive to buy all the gear you need to participate in outdoor activities, especially when you’re starting from scratch. If you’re coming to the field school, you can rent most of the camping gear needed to participate. This is a great option for those coming for a few days to a few [...]

I’m adding a stop on my trip north after the Rio Grande trip in March; A Buffalo river trip in Arkansas in April. In 2008 we had a student on a semester course who lived off the grid near the Buffalo river in Arkansas. When we were out on the Allagash he told me several [...]

I don’t like to comment on gear until I’ve had it for a few years and used it hard. And I am wary of gear reviews on the internet. Now, after several hard years of use, I’m ready to spill the beans on something I bring with me on all trips. (Note: I don’t get [...]

We are (slightly) changing the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester for 2024. First, we’re adding a new subtitle to reflect what the course is, the Maine Guide Traditional Canoe Expedition Leadership 4-Week Training Course. I considered changing the course name, but we’ve been running this program for a lot of years, and changing the title would [...]

Sometimes you get to a campsite on a remote river and the firewood has been picked over. Especially if it has been used for a while. But there is almost always firewood on the other side of the river. In this (grainy) photo, I’m transporting a canoe full of firewood for the night’s cook fire [...]

It’s been ten years since Brian Kevin’s article The Survivors, about military veterans attending the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester, was published in DownEast Magazine. Of all the media coverage we’ve had over the years, this article is my favorite. The author came and camped with us, got to know the people he was writing about, and [...]

Recently someone asked me if I had ever paddled the Big Black river. It is a major tributary to the St. John, flowing in across the border from Quebec. It joins the St. John just below the appropriately-named Big Black Rapids. I told them not only had I been down it, but it was written [...]

I learned a new term yesterday for something we have been doing for five years. The term is Daylight Drive, and it is used to describe an off-grid solar power system that doesn’t include batteries. When you are charging off of our solar panels at the field school, we recommend that you bring your own [...]

We’re currently in the planning stages of a canoe trip through the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande river along the Texas/Mexico border. A few friends did this several years ago, and I’m really excited about it. We’ve got dates on the calendar for mid-March, and we’re currently looking at shuttles, prepping gear, etc. I [...]

You can follow us on the Fediverse at: @blog.jackmtn.com@blog.jackmtn.com I’m not usually one to prognosticate about the future of the web, but I am often thinking about how to make our stuff available to our audience, and to give good advice to our students and those just starting out running a business. For years I [...]

I just read The Compost Toilet Handbook by Joseph Jenkins. If you are coming to the field school you shoulld read it because this is the dry toilet system we’ve been using since 1996. I still recommend that teacher read the humanure handbook as well, but this book separates out the how-to information from the [...]

Nesting bowl for the JMBS Pot System. More about it in this blog post. And here’s a link to the bowl, available in many stores. Update 3/15/24: I bought a second bowl and the two nest perfectly in the 2-quart pail. #FullTangLifestyle

The JMBS pot system is designed to be functional and economical. The biggest item lacking is a properly-sized bowl for eating out of that nests with the rest of the kit, because the 6-inch pie tins, while they work great as pot lids, are not sized well for use as an eating bowl for an [...]

When I first met Mors Kochanski in 1996 he showed those of us on the course his collection of books. He had a lot of them. At the time he had been teaching a course for the University of Alberta for 25 years or so, had written extensively, and was a lifelong student of everything [...]

The woods are white now, covered in snow. Watching the changing moods, the changing light of the natural world has been one of my lifelong passions. I work to become a better photographer in order to share what I see, but the images my eyes see are often not well-represented with what my camera sees. [...]

It has snowed off and on for the last five days, and as I’m writing this it is -6 degrees F and there is 8 inches of fresh snow on the ground. Winter has definitely arrived, and I’m getting excited for winter programs in February. This photo was taken a while back, showing a line [...]

Learning how to wash your clothing by hand with limited or no infrastructure, such as when on a long expedition or living off the grid for a length of time, is a useful skill to learn. It is one we are adding to our long-term programs because as the years go by, fewer and fewer [...]

Recorded on November 20, 2023. We just wrapped up the field school season, and in this episode I look back and reflect on the experiments we ran during 2023. I discuss the Expedition Instructor (XI) as a continuous 6-month, residential program, moving the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester back to May and the high waters of [...]

Maybe the rest of the world is catching on. Here’s a link to an article about the use of human urine as fertilizer to contribute to food security: phys.org. From the article, :”Urine contains nitrogen and phosphorus, two essential nutrients for plant growth. Urine can thus serve as an almost cost-free and locally available nutrient [...]

Many of our alunmi have become Registered Maine Guides. A guide license is necessary in Maine to receive any form of payment for your services in the field. It is a state license which is granted at the end of a testing process. In recent years students on long courses have tried to get all [...]

The USDA recently updated it’s hardiness zone map with data from the last few years, and northern Maine is getting warmer. On the older maps, Masardis was zone 3B. On the updated map, we’re zone 4A. It’s an indicator of changing times. It also opens us up to a wider variety of perennials we can [...]

From the spring. We went up to our local lake for some paddling and Maine IFW was stocking remote trout ponds by float plane. They would load the young trout from a stock truck into the floats of the plane, then it would fly off and dump them in the ponds. Since I was a [...]

Out on a grey November day foraging for sunchokes. #FullTangLifestyle

It has been cold and snowy in Aroostook County this week for the Autumn Woodsman course. We’re past the halfway mark on the course, and thus far we have covered a lot of ground, including axemanship, fire making and management, fire by friction, navigation, hot tents and stoves, woodstove lighting and management, and a bunch [...]

My wood canvas canoe, rigged up and ready for the carry around Allagash Falls. Notice this canoe has a center thwart, not a carved yoke. Notice how the paddles are tied to the thwarts so that when it is carried, the weight of the boat is distributed by the paddle blades onto the shoulders as [...]

A young moose by the pond at the field school. #FullTangLifestyle #Maine #AroostookCounty

A small shelter next to a long fire, spending the night with no sleeping bag in the cold. The details all matter: The size of the fire, the quality of the fuel, the width of the bed, the distance from the edge of the fire to the back of the shelter, the overhead volume of [...]

One of the shelters students spend the night in on the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester is one with no insulation, just a fire to keep warm. This image is from that night a few weeks ago. It is a great learning experience with regard to the use of fire to keep warm, the science involved with [...]

Canoes on the beach on the Allagash, high and dry and ready for night. #FullTangLifestyle

A misty morning on a northern Maine lake poling canoes. #FullTangLifestyle

I’m currently in Austin, Texas for a week visiting family. My son is a freshman in the film program at the University of Texas at Austin. Today a film of his is being shown at the Austin Film Festival as part of their Young Filmmakers Competition. So I’m spending the day as a proud father [...]

I was interviewed on CNN last night, on the show Laura Coates Live. They wanted a Registered Master Maine Guide and survival instructor perspective on the fugitive from the Lewiston shootings, potentially hiding out in the woods. It was an interesting experience. Here’s how things like this work, or at least how it worked for [...]

Using a compass to take a bearing in the field. #FullTangLifestyle

A brief respite from the rain and bugs in the form of a navigation exercise with map and compass in the Guide Shack on the summer, 2023 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester. #FullTangLifestyle

The parking lot is empty. The people are on their way to Austria, England, Thailand, California, Colorado, Illinois, etc., A day to clean up camp a bit before I hit the road for Texas to see my family. We had a great finish to the fall, 2023 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester with three new Journeyman certificate [...]

Tessa was meditating on the edge of the forest, holding her knife and spoon she was carving tight to her hands with her magical powers. Someone walked up and snapped a photo while she was deep in meditation. #FullTangLifestyle

It is Friday of week 8 (of 9) on the fall, 2023 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester. Everyone has been hard at work and the finish line is coming into view. What remains to finish are some practical exams, the solo, and a night spent in front of a fire with no sleeping bag or blanket. The [...]

This photo is 10 years old and was taken on a -20 F day with a stiff breeze while we were out on the Boreal Snowshoe Expedition. It was a great group of people and a few of the guys got it in mind to take a “tasteful nude” photo with the toboggans. So they [...]

We’re at peak foliage in northern Maine right now. The nights are cooling off and it feels like fall. I have been seeing a lot of animals as they get ready for the cold season. Yesterday morning I jumped a deer while riding my bike, and in the evening I saw a lynx crossing the [...]

I picked up a new piece of software called Retrobatch that batch processes photos and went through all the old hard drives full of photos to make an archive. My rough count is around 37,000 images that I’ve shot over the years. Not all of them are mine; maybe 1000 were taken by others, but [...]

On a fall, 2023 trip, paddling a 20-footer while kneeling. #FullTangLifestyle

First canoe trip of the fall, 2023 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester with new canoe paddles. Lots of water this year.

Last week we were out on the St. Croix river, which forms the border between the USA and Canada. We had a great week of high water, peak foliage, and warm water. It isn’t often that you get to swim every day of an October canoe trip, but we did. As we begin week 8, [...]

Congratulations to the newest Registered Maine Guide, our own Tessa Storey. Wear that patch with pride because it was earned. We are all proud of you. #fulltanglifestyle

Today is halfway day for the fall, 2023 semester. To celebrate it we are heading out on the Aroostook river for a few days in canoes. We have had the wettest September I remember, and the rivers in northern Maine are near or at spring flood levels. This means that traveling downstream will be easy, [...]

Dutch ovens have been difficult to find since the pandemic took over American life. Because we design our gear list to provide you with useful items, not just things that will get put in an “outdoor gear” box and collect dust, we’re changing our recommendation for a dutch oven for students. In short, we’re removing [...]

We’re adding the Autumn Woodsman, session 2, to our schedule for this November. This course is a great introduction to living in the cold, but without the difficulties that deep snow and deep, midwinter cold can bring. The weather in northern Maine in November can be quite cold, but usually we do not have enough [...]

This morning the parking lot is empty for the first time in 14 weeks. We finished the summer Wilderness Bushcraft Semester with three people receiving their Journeyman Certification. It was a challenging course. June started cold and rainy, then got very hot, humid and buggy. But it was a solid group of people and they [...]

We bought an inexpensive drone this past winter and have been getting some aerial photographs. This image is shot directly above Moose Vegas, looking toward the pond, Guide Shack, big field and the river on the right. We are excited to get better at using it so as to get some great canoe expedition photos.

On expeditions and long courses there are many things we have no control over. These include, but are not limited to, water level, weather, wind, bugs, etc., and the list goes on and on. I frequently tell our students that we are not in control when we head out into the woods or on the [...]

We’ve reached halfway day on the summer Wilderness Bushcraft Semester course. We’ve been busy with camp projects and making things, and today everyone will be bringing their newly-made canoe paddles and poles out on a three-day trip. I love it when a group of individuals become a team, and that’s the point of the course [...]

Recorded on June 26th, 2023, this is a stab at a new format for the JMB Podcast; doing it solo. The topic for the day is differentiating between professional training and personal enrichment. We embrace both styles of program, but they are definitely not the same thing. The student has to decide what they want [...]

I’ve guided a lot of trips over the years, and some stand out in my mind, often because everything didn’t go as planned. Like the one in this picture. It was the second week of June, 2018, and a small group of friends and I were on the Gaspé peninsula in Quebec, coming down the [...]

This time of the year days are long here. First light this morning was at 4:01 am, and last light is at 9:10 pm. That is a great thing, because there is a lot of stuff to get done. We’re starting week 3 of the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester (session 1) today, and have a full [...]

Beginning canoe paddle carving on the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester.

Update on Thursday of week 2 of the summer, 2023 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester. We’re on the river practicing poling.

In the photo is my kit for snowshoe expeditions and winter camping excursions in northern Maine and further north. Starting in the bottom right is my axe, a 3.25 lb. head on a 30″ handle. Moving clockwise to the left is my 3-strake toboggan for hauling everything. I made this one a while back out [...]

It has been a cold and wet start to June in northern Maine. To keep things in perspective I will occasionally look at this picture from a few winters ago when the thermometer in my truck registered negative forty degrees below zero. This is the spot where the F (freedom) and C (Canadian) scales cross.

“These legends and these men are true and alive, and are known throughout the big woods north of Katahdin. They are men of the forest, and they smell of woodsmoke, fly dope, hard work, tall mountains and pine spills. Given a junk of salt pork, some dry beans and flour, any of these men can [...]

Today we begin the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester, our 59th long-term immersion program. One of the things I did with the few days of rest between programs was to go through a bunch of old photos on a few hard drives, going back as far as the fall, 2004 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester course. That was the [...]

Huddling by the cook fire to keep warm on the Boreal Snowshoe Expedition.

Recorded on June 3rd, 2023 at the headquarters of Full Tang Outfitters in Tracy, New Brunswick, Canada. Tim and returning guest Blake Towsley discuss scheming for winter trips, dishonesty in marketing knives from people who have been on the tv show “Solo, By Myself, Without Clothes”, and the currently trending topic of Wild Pooping, or [...]

Looking down from the bluff at a beautiful Maine river.

Big thanks to JC, camera-person extrordinaire! Join us as we paddle and pole down Chase Rapids on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in Maine. This video shows the first 2 miles, which is the challenging section and toughest on the 99-mile waterway. Some good footage of poling and paddling in fast water. This is from the [...]

This might have been the one moment, early in the morning, where the wind wasn’t howling for the entire month of May 2023.

Maine lake reflecting the sky.

The sun sinking into the horizon.

On Friday we finished the 2023 Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester with practical testing of fast-water canoe poling maneuvers at a local rip. The water was deep and fast and the black flies had just emerged, adding to the difficulty. But we had a few people pass the tests by demonstrating their mastery of the material [...]

Your old foraging and edible wild plant field guides are now outclassed and irrelevant. I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy of Samuel Thayer’s new book, Samuel Thayer’s Field Guide To Edible Wild Plants of Eastern & Central North America, while on a 2-day break from guiding river trips this spring. We have a [...]

Recorded on May 25th, 2023 in the Guide Shack, with an outside temperature of 43 degrees F, Tessa and Tim talk about the spring, 2023 Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester and making hard decisions. It has been a long month and we were both tired while recording this, and we’re still looking forward to the weather [...]

We’re back at the field school after our latest trip. All that remains of the 2023 Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester is testing, our field-based practical exams for those seeking the Engagé certification.

Our big canoe trailer broke on a woods road on the Allagash trip. Like the phoenix, it will rise again. Woods roads are tough on gear, especially trailers.

Canoeing down St. Croix Stream back to Masardis, and a rumor about q local guy. #FullTangLifestyle

We are back at the field school after our first expedition of the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester. It was challenging. We encountered cold air and water temperatures, strong and unyielding head winds, and a few long days of paddling. But everyone got better and everyone got stronger. On our final day we paddled 28 miles. [...]

Our first day on the water in 2023. Paddling from the Masardis boat launch back to the field school into a big headwind. At least I was paddling solo in a 20-footer with no weight in it. #fulltanglifestyle

This photo was shot on a cold morning in May of 2023, so I was wearing the wool toque under my big hat. Beautiful spot, beautiful lake, beautiful Maine. #FullTangLifestyle

We’re back on the grid for two days in the middle of the spring, 2023 Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester. In this episode we discuss our recent canoe expedition and the challenges we have been facing on the course. We also discuss not believing the hype about rankings and which school or outfit belongs on the [...]

In 2022 I picked up a fat tire ebike to get around the field school. Here’s a short video showing my daily commute from our HQ to the Guide Shack. The bike is an Aventon Aventure and I’ve been really happy with it.

On or long programs students make their own ropes for using in the field.

The pond at the field school, photo taken from above.

Spring finally showed up at the field school at the end of week 1 of the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester. We had a day of sun and made it our first day on the water. On this episode of the podcast, we discuss the arrival of spring and the skills necessary to get our people [...]

Beautiful lichen with red top.

We’re at the tail end of the first week of our spring canoe semester. I had been worried that the road wouldn’t be passable for week one, and although we were able to drive into camp it was a close call. This time of year in Aroostook county can bring a variety of weather, from [...]

Selfie first, safety last.

Tree felling on the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester. The importance of working with gravity and why we should be thankful to Isaac Newton and his great invention from 1514.

On the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester we cooked a campfire dinner using the outdoor kitchen at the Guide Shack. Dutch oven chicken, Dutch oven pork, grilled pork chops, lentils in the thermal cooker and rice on a rocket stove. It turned out great.

Note: This post was originally published on this site in December, 2010. I was rereading it this morning and thought the modern world could use a good role model for self reliance, one that wasn’t interested in selling them guns, survival gear and an end of the world mentality. —- I’ve been writing a lot [...]

The iconic Moose Vegas sign, deep in the woods of Aroostook County, Maine.

It’s been a long break, but we’re back. Introducing instructor Tessa Storey and recorded in the Guide Shack, we discuss current events, our upcoming programs and the best beer of 2022. Here are two photos of that beer on the East Branch of the Penobscot that we talked about on the podcast. PHOTOS:Tessa and Tim [...]

Today we begin the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester, our 4-week canoe guide training course. It is our 58th long-term program, and our 24th year. Spring has been slow to arrive to Aroostook county, but the snow has retreated and we can finally drive into the field school (it is deep snow that stops us, not [...]

Tussilago farfara, coltsfoot. The first flower we get in the spring. This plant flowers before the leaves come out. This ground was covered in snow six days ago.

First mushroom of the year, Gyromitra esculenta or false morel. Don’t eat this one. Growing on ground that was covered with snow six days ago.

Our new ride, the Tater Raisin’ Van. Just a few days out from the start of the spring season, have spent a lot of hours on the road lately getting this thing back to the county. Named after the one and only Dick Curless of Fort Fairfield, Maine. Read about Dick Curless Listen to Tater [...]

Shot on April 26, 2023, opening up the road into camp and the first drive in of the year. The snow is still deep in spots, and I had to move a few trees, but I was able to drive into the field school. And just in time, as people will be arriving in a [...]

Ice going out on the Aroostook river in Masardis on April 14, 2023.

We filled our spring and summer courses exceptionally early this year, and now we’re into the season of the churn. The churn is what I refer to as the season where people realize they will be unable to attend due to injury, change in life situation, etc. To date this year we have lost 2 [...]

If you want to learn to fish, there are four steps. Learn about water, specifically freshwater ecology. Learn the natural history of fish in general, as well as the individual species you are targeting. Learn about what fish eat and how to mimic these foods. Learn about tackle and techniques. In our modern world, people [...]

We are excited to announce the route for the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester coming in May. For the past decade we have been running this program during the summer, which has limited where we could go to those waterways that had water during the frequent summer droughts. By moving it back to May, it has [...]

For 25 yeas I have been guaranteed by cigarette smokers that they never leave their butts laying around. And for 25 years, I have been picking up cigarette butts off the ground, likely from the people who have previously guaranteed me that they never drop their butts on the ground. In 2023 I am saying [...]

Spring is right around the corner, and we’re looking forward to an exciting month on the remote rivers of northern Maine in May on the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester. We get a lot of questions about recommended fishing gear for our spring programs, so today I want to address this. While we do have fly [...]

If you are coming to the field school from late May through mid-July, you’re going to want to have a smudge pot. These are metal cans in which you keep a smokey fire going to deter the bugs. Now is the time to start preparing for this need by getting a metal coffee can, which [...]

I just finished a 7-day fast where the only things I took in were water and strong black coffee (because weak coffee is the devil). I have done a bunch of these, stretching back to the mid-1990’s, and while there is a renewed interest in fasting as a result of the intermittent fasting diets, it [...]