First day on the water for 2015. Beautiful sunny day, still some ice.  

Beautiful day, had my first outdoor shower of the year. Feeling clean! Solar hot water, hoist a bucket.  

Windy and rainy lately, so we made a windbreak/raincoat for dutch oven cooking out of blocks and a barrel lid.  

Found a dead moose halfway up the mountain. He hadn't been dead long.  

Great hike up Deboulie mountain in the north Maine woods Saturday. Still some pockets of deep snow.  

Finished crooked knife. Heated in an open fire, shaped with a file.  

Making buck saws. Carry the blade, make the rest in the forest.  

Coal burning a burl to make a wooden bowl. The slow way to make a container.  

Bending crooked knives, heated in a small rocket stove. No forge, simple knife making.  

Cutting the bevel on a crooked knife in progress. Making simple knives during week 2 of the WB semester.  

The 2015 Woodsman course is full and registration is closed.  We’ve received numerous inquiries, so we’re opening another week long course in August.  There’s been a two year gap since we’ve ran the Bushman Course, a primitive skills and primitive survival intensive, but we’ve got it on the calendar for August 8-15.  If you’re looking [...]

Bow drill fire lighting this morning. Newly-carved sets and challenging cold and damp conditions.  

Great weekend in New Brunswick with my old friend Jeff Butler from Northwoods Survival. Good talks. Inspiring.  

Field school rocket stoves. Snow is melting in open spots. Still deep in the bush, but not for long.  

Open fire lunch on the snow. Bannock, soup, coffee and tea.  

Our 30th bushcraft semester course begins today. And yes, there's a story behind this photo.  

Ice is going out on the Aroostook. 7 foot snow drifts on the road. We'll be walking in for a while.  

Canoe, Pack Basket, Axe. Traditional Maine Guide tools.  

Dome Thatched With Fir Boughs. Built a few years back during a fall semester.  

Wall Tents At The Field School. One week until the spring semester begins, getting excited.  

Morning Paddle. These days will be here soon. Ice is melting!  

Snow is melting and I'm thinking dangerous thoughts. Is this the year we canoe the Mosie river?  

Breakfast In Camp. Eggs and sourdough biscuits.  

End Of The Carry. End of the carry around Munsungun Falls in the north Maine woods.  

Canoe Tarp Shelter. Traditional gear on a north Maine woods river trip.  

Twenty Footer Rigged To Carry. Paddles lashed in to help distribute the weight of the boat when it's on my shoulders.  

Morning Paddle. Mist and bright sunshine.  

Mist and bright sunlight at Round Pond on the Allagash.  

After lots of discussion and staring at maps, we’ve decided on the route for this summer’s 4-week Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester. We’ll be running the Allagash from Chamberlain bridge to Allagash Village. Then we’ll rest and resupply at the field school for 2 days before hiking with minimal gear in Baxter state park for four [...]

Beautiful lines of a 20' wood canvas canoe.  

A double stack of dutch ovens, sourdough biscuits in the reflector oven, kettles of coffee and water and the clear blue sky for a roof. This is living.  

Waterfall at the north end of Baxter State Park in Maine. Hot summer day, and the water was freezing. It never warms up. We all got ice cream headaches as a result of swimming, but so refreshing after a long hike.  

Canoes and Katahdin, Epic Maine photo shot by Sam Racioppi during the fall Wilderness Bushcraft Semester.  

Twilight At The Waters' Edge. Inch of snow today, but spring is right around the corner.  

http://photos.nickgallop.com  

Canoe reflection. I love these shots when the water is like glass, reflecting back the world above it.  

Grouse In The Alders. Shot at the field school. Grouse are often hanging around, but somehow they know to not hang around during hunting season!  

Katahdin In The Morning. Loading canoes with Katahdin in the background on a beautiful fall morning.  

Morning In Camp. Coffee, oats and sourdough biscuits.  

Flat Water Paddling Practice. First day of spring, excited about getting out on the liquid water.  

Winter Won't Quit! Still tons of snow on the ground and we've had crazy wind for the past few days. Really, really looking forward to some warmer weather. Pic is from the Boreal Snowshoe Expedition, taken on a cold and windy day.  

We’re just over four weeks out from the start of the spring Wilderness Bushcraft Semester. We’re making some changes to the course this spring, most notably planning more time out on the trail canoeing the remote waterways of northern Maine. We’ll be all over the Aroostook drainage and I’m leaving the door open for the [...]

Two Different Sleds. In the foreground, a 3-strake wooden toboggan. In the background, a sled with runners. They perform differently and are built for different conditions.  

Sawing Up Firewood. We cut a lot of firewood during the Boreal Snowshoe Expedition. Love the wide angle gopro shots.  

Long Walk To The Water Hole. Filling pails to cook dinner.  

Life Under Canvas. Living the good life on the trail.  

Cranberry dutch oven cake. Snow day, kids have cabin fever so I put them to work in the kitchen.  

Hauling toboggans after the lunch stop on a perfect winter day.  

The GI Bill covers 100% of tuition and fees for our immersion programs. I get asked this question often, so I added it to the FAQ on our GI Bill page. We’re changing our deposit policy for those on the GI Bill beginning beginning after the fall, 2015 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester. Going forward, we’re adding [...]

The Backlit Axeman. Heading out for a load of firewood on the Boreal Snowshoe Expeditions.  

Never get tired of this view. And I never take my good fortune for granted.  

I can’t remember if someone told me or if I read that coffin-shaped toboggans, widest a few feet from the bow and tapered at both ends, pull better than rectangular toboggans. Regardless of how I came to know that as true, I’ve believed it since I started pulling toboggans and camping with them in the [...]

Snow sculpted by the wind.  

Quickie Snow Shelter. Dug in 5 minutes with a snowshoe in wind-packed snow. It was well below zero degrees F, which is when snow shelters are at their best. Note the stylish, relaxed pose, making it look extra-inviting.  

Meanwhile our crack team of trackers have been scouring the remote corners of the north woods searching for sign of the elusive samsquantch.  

Although the snow is still more than waist deep and we have yet to hit mud season, today will be the second day in a row where the mercury tops 40 degrees F. Spring isn’t here yet, but it’s coming. So I wanted to take a look back on a really busy, amazing winter. It [...]

Tending the cooking fire on the BSE. I love the way the flames look in this photo.  

Broken Axe Handle. He had just hung that old Emerson & Stevens head before the trip. Must have been some bad wood.  

Axe Safety? This technique was not covered during the axe safety lecture, but what could go wrong?  

Quick look around our 8-sided tent on the Boreal Snowshoe Expedition.

After some shovel work, I'm declaring the dutch oven cooking season open! Tired of waiting.  

Tent Bound. Cozy in the tent while the wind howls outside on the 2015 Boreal Snowshoe Expedition.  

Snowshoeing Through The Birches. A beautiful birch glade in Quebec.  

Tom by the tent at the winter carnival. Tent and stove from the incomparable Don Kevilus at Four Dog Stove.  

Cooking birds next to the wood stove in Quebec.  

We'll be a the winter carnival all afternoon. Stop by the tent and say hi! Town of Wolfeboro – Wolfeboro Winter Carnival! Wolfeboro Winter Carnival!

New Toboggans. We made a bunch of them for the trip. It really helped to spread out the load of gear and food when everyone had a ten-foot sled.  

Walking out to the water hole.  

Peaceful Winter Camp. Tom Belluscio shot this one, and when we looked at the trip pictures everyone loved it.  

Endless Winter. It was ten below with a gusty wind when the boys decided to have a little fun and take a 'tasteful nude' photo. There was even talk of a men of Jack Mountain calendar. This photo reminds me that winter expeditions aren't just a lot of work, they're a lot of fun.  

Congratulations to Maine's newest registered guide, Nikki Calhoun!

Congratulations to Maine's newest registered guide, Fil Salonek!

Winter Expedition Kit. From the Boreal Snowshoe Expedition, wooden toboggan, snowshoes, axe, ice chisel, wood stove, wall tent, folding saw.  

2015 Boreal Snowshoe Expedition Team  

Amazing photos shot on our recent trip to Quebec by Nick Gallop. Nick Gallop Photography http://photos.nickgallop.com/#!/index/G0000oDbqMaxEi9k Nick Gallop Photography – Documentary wilderness and outdoor photography. Commercial photographer.

Bacon bannock. It was as good as it looks. We ate well on the Boreal Snowshoe Expedition.  

Camp 2, nestled among the hemlocks and balsam fir. Home from the expedition, unpacking today.  

Boreal Snowshoe Expedition last day, tent bound because of a howling wind. Back to the world tomorrow. Great trip.

Back in cell coverage. Day 12 of the Boreal Snowshoe Expedition, 2 days to go. Group is comfortable and happy. Great trip!

Photos aren't posting, on the ragged edge of cell coverage. Will post them when we get back.

Camp 3, tents snuggled under large spruces and hemlocks. No break in the cold, and windy.

Content. A warm stove, big pile of wood and cozy, dry tent. Living well on the trail in northern Maine.

Warm in a tent tonight. The stove is hot, gear is dry and the laughs are many.

On the trail, Boreal snowshoe Expedition 2015.  

Sleeping under the stars at -18F. Bad day of driving. Boreal Snowshoe Expedition night 1. Warm sleeping bag = good.

Chiseling a series of holes in order to set a fish net under the ice. Notice the net being stretched on the left.  

Tips on staying warm during Maine winters from the Bangor Daily News, with a few quotes by yours truly. Ways to stay warm in Maine’s snowy outdoors As the temperature drops and snow piles up, many people hide indoors. And it’s no surprise. The frozen Maine wilderness can be a harsh and unforgiving place. But [...]

On the snowshoe trail in northern Quebec. Surrounded by snow covered black spruce, it was stunningly cold, harsh and beautiful.  

Tim on the ice.  

Our tent camp in northern Quebec, nestled among the black spruce on the shore of a lake.  

On the trail in Quebec. Snowshoes, spruce and fur.  

Back in NH from a week in northern Quebec. Amazing experience. Pic of the truck thermometer showing -40.  

On the road to northern Quebec!  

They’re trickling in from far and wide. England arrived yesterday. Texas and Chicago tomorrow. Ohio, Connecticut and California on Thursday. New Hampshire is ready to go. Alberta and Montreal are meeting us on the road. In two days our small group (on the Jack Mountain calendar as the Subarctic Snowshoe Expedition With The Cree) is [...]

Cold wind whipping across frozen lake Winnepesaukee.  

Monday morning inventory: Dog getting quilled by porcupine? Check Kid throwing up all night? Check Overnight rain making road glare ice that is unsafe to walk on? Check But, we did have a great weekend in the woods with the Winter Survival Weekend Course. Met some great people, got them on snowshoes with traditional bindings [...]

Dog with porcupine quill beard. Not going to be a fun afternoon.  

Derek checking a pot of hemlock tea. Winter survival weekend course, January 2015.  

This weekend we’re running our Winter Survival Weekend Course at the folk school in New Hampshire. It’s a short course designed to teach the fundamentals of living in the winter woods. We’ve been running it for more than a decade, and I think that it has provided a basic skill set to a lot of [...]

Last night Discovery again aired the Norway episode of Dude, You’re Screwed featuring yours truly. It was a great experience from start to finish; great people, beautiful place and a little boat that grew on me over time. Being on the show has given me a lot of great memories, as well as my first [...]

It’s easy to make something that looks like a bucksaw frame, but it’s much more difficult to make one that will cut a lot of wood without coming apart. It’s easy to make something that looks like a snowshoe, but much more difficult to make one that will allow you to walk on it all [...]

Lucky dog pouncing during a twilight walk on the pond. Looks like a chupacabra.  

Last week we ran our first program of 2015; the Winter Woodsman course. In summing up the experience, it was cold. Really cold. -50F (with wind chill, -25 in still air at night) cold. While those temperatures aren’t unheard of on winter expeditions, the Winter Woodsman is an introductory course in living out in the [...]

Trip planning, even for day trips, should start with reading Paul Petzoldt on expedition behavior (ch. 10).  

The Guppy, Tim Cole's paddle, on display at Freem's bar in Ashland, Maine. End of a long, cold week.  

Fishing and ice safety on the lake during the winter woodsman course. Skunked! No fish, but we'll be back.  

Checking out the vent hole on an active beaver lodge during the winter woodsman course.  

Axe class, winter woodsman. -20 tonight, -50 with the wind chill. BRRRR! Having fun despite the cold.  

Weaving a pair of snowshoes in the guide shack. Cozy inside, -10 outside.  

Enjoying an evening in the guide shack before the Winter Woodsman course. New wood stove.  

I started blogging in 2004, but that first blog was hacked in 2006 and all the posts deleted. I don’t know how many posts I had, but somebody thought it would be fun to delete them all, and they did. I started this blog in 2006, and this is post 1001. I had no idea [...]

2015 marks my 20th year composting humanure, also known as human poop. In that time I’ve managed numerous compost piles, scrubbed countless buckets, read The Humanure Handbook about five times, built a variety of structures to serve as outhouses, had numerous outhouses built by others, and created a lot of soil. What started me down [...]

A variation of the promontory peg that hails from Siberia and was made famous by the documentary Happy People, the Koolyomka is an interesting deadfall and a fun one to carve in camp. This was carved during downtime on the 2014 Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester.

Video 9 in the 2014 WCES (Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester) series. Join us as we run the Telos Cut. Running Telos Cut We finished our trip down the Allagash in the last video. After taking out in Allagash Village, we had a big lunch at Rock’s Diner in Fort Kent, then went back to the [...]

Join Tim and instructor Tom Belluscio as they discuss how Jack Mountain got it’s name (the Jack Mountain origin story) and the summer, 2015 Teen Bushcraft And Wilderness Canoe Expedition. Recorded in the truck on the way back to the folk school after picking up three toboggan blanks and two paddle blanks. iTunes Link | [...]

Video 8 in the WCES (Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester) series. Join us as we swim below Allagash falls and paddle the lower river. At Allagash Falls

7 gallons of Ankle Breaker apple wine done bubbling just in time for new years. Taste-testing tonight. All good.  

Shopping for a new canoe paddle blank. Seeing a few beauties, a lot of chaff.  

Video 7 in the WCES (Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester) series. Join us as we paddle into Round Pond, and Tim does a walk-through of our campsite. At Round Pond

Video 6 in the WCES (Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester) series. Join us as we line canoes down Long Lake dam, an old logging dam. It’s unsafe to run because of metal spikes that move each year when the ice goes out, so we tie up lining bridles and line it, or lower canoes over the [...]

Video 5 in the WCES (Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester) series. Join us as we pole Chase Rapids, the most challenging water on the Allagash. Poling Chase Rapids

Video 4 in the WCES (Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester) series. Join the guys out on Eagle Lake looking for fish. Looking For Fish

Video 3 in the WCES (Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester) series, shot during the aftermath of the big storm. Also some introductions a few days later on a beautiful day with views of the mountains. After The Storm And Introductions

Shot on the first day of our 2014 Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester, on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway at Chamberlain Lake. We spent the afternoon paddling with a tailwind and were right on the tail end of a big storm system. Storm On Chamberlain Lake

Last summer, during the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester, we shot a lot of video. It’s taken some time, but now we’re ready to post that video. Instead of spending a lot of time editing it into a long video no one will watch, I’m going to post it as a series of short clips. I [...]

There is a surging trend for people to get their names on things. Lots of guys have their signature knife or other piece of gear. Others are trying to attach their name to certain techniques. I saw in a video a while back a guy had named a method for determining where the top of [...]

I have a question and need some education, so I’m looking for input. What are the ethics of posting digitized versions of old books online? Is there an ethical difference between a book that is still under copyright, but is impossible to find, as opposed to a book where the copyright has run out? I [...]

Stunning twilight on the pond. Still and beautiful. Ice still not in. Short but beautiful days.  

It's important to remember that the things done on Dude You're Screwed are done to win a game. In a real survival situation, don't take chances. For more info on actual survival situations, check out this podcast: Principles Of Wilderness Survival Podcast | JMB Podcast 03 Learn the principles of wilderness survival without the hype. [...]

The final episode of season 2 from Dude You're Screwed featuring yours truly. It was a lot of fun to make.

While he’ll never hear me say it, Paul Sveum is a wealth of knowledge and a great instructor. Our friend Derek Faria from The Woodsman School shot and edited this video of Paul teaching a bannock 101 class at the Snow Walker’s Rendezvous. Solid information from a man who has made a lot of bannock [...]

Babbling brook we encountered on our tracking hike. Beautiful clear water.

Lucky Dog and I had a great afternoon in the woods tracking yesterday. I shot a bunch of pictures, but only a few turned out well. We found tracks of deer, turkey (foot and wing), grey squirrel, snowshoe hare and fisher. The snow conditions were perfect for tracking; a layer of crusty snow covered with [...]

The second podcast from the 2014 Boreal Snowshoe Expedition, recorded on our last night of the trip. Listen as participants reflect on the two weeks and what they’ve learned, have a few laughs and discuss their favorite bannock of the trip. iTunes Link | Play, Download Or Subscribe In iTunes Stitcher Link | Play, Download [...]

Recorded in the warmth of a tent on a bitter cold night during the 2014 Boreal Snowshoe Expedition, join us as we discuss the trip and the biggest lessons learned while on it. We recorded part 1 (this) in the middle of our 14-day snowshoe expedition. We also recorded a part 2 on our final [...]

Brook trout over the fire, sourdough biscuits in the reflector oven.  

Getting excited for upcoming winter programs. Just have to make it through the holidays with sanity intact. Not a sure thing.  

Rainy morning, headwaters of the Aroostook River.  

Christmas play, both kids are in it. Forty minutes to showtime, kids are cool as ice, no jitters.  

Went for a walk in the hills with Tom Belluscio and our dogs earlier this week, just before the storm hit.  This photo shows Tom with Lake Winnipesaukee in the background.  We’re fortunate to live in a beautiful place.  There is also a huge variety of conservation land plots nearby.  We’re going to explore many [...]

We’ve got the overview for the spring, 2015 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester, our 30th long-term course, published.  We’re making some changes, mostly in the form of going back to the roots of the program and doing more traveling.  Some of the changes are included below, but you can read them all on the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester [...]

Slick website? Check. Impressive-sounding resume? Check. Made up success and fraud? Check. Reputation checks should go beyond Google if you're looking to hire a guide. Former associates question claims of man behind adventure company at centre of B.C. rights complaint | National Post ‘He thinks he’s a cross between James Bond and a soldier of [...]

Ice in on the pond this morning. We'll see if it makes it through the storm tomorrow.  

I spend 6-7 months per year off the grid.  The rest of the time I’m at home in a modern house. Most modern houses become unlivable when external inputs such as electricity and running water stop being piped in.  I’ve scratched my head for decades as to why they were designed like this, and I [...]

Ice storms, power outages, not concerned. My sawdust toilet doesn't need water or electricity. #selfrelianthome  

Unsupported remote winter trips result in feeling a freedom that's hard to define, but strongly felt.  

Open spots on upcoming winter and spring courses are dwindling. We’ve been adding people here and there and the result is that all upcoming programs are 60% or more full. Here are the current available spaces per upcoming program as of December 4th. Winter Woodsman:  3 Wilderness Survival Weekend Course:  4 Boreal Snowshoe Expedition:  3 [...]

Even though it doesn't benefit me and I have to shovel the stairs, I still love a snow day. No school!  

Pond of clear ice makes me think pond hockey. Wish I had my skates, stick and a team right now.  

Surviving Cold Water Immersion. Great resource by the Northern Forest Canoe Trail on the facts around what cold water immersion does to the body. www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/media/Preparing%20for%20and%20Survivng%20Cold%20Water.pdf

Out sledding with the kids at the Xmas parade and a beautiful sunset over the lake.  

Putting together the media kit for this winter's snowshoe trips. One box that fits on a toboggan.  

If you’re interested in learning how to live, work and play in the boreal forest in the bitter cold of winter, we created the Winter Woodsman course just for you. Part survival course, part bushcraft, part winter guide training, the goal is make you feel comfortable and at home in the winter wilderness with a [...]

We’re adding two new bits of information to our program descriptions: physical challenge and technical challenge. Each of these operate on a 1-5 numerical scale with 1 being the easiest/lowest and 5 being the most challenging. Physical challenge refers to how physically challenging a particular program is, as well as whether or not a person [...]

Dirty bird in the 14 deep, pumpkin pie in the 12. It's a dutch oven Thanksgiving !  

What does your road look like this morning?  

Beauty after the storm. Happy Thanksgiving!  

Originally shared by +MRC Custom Leather Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Stay home, spend time with family. Skip black friday and wait for small business Saturday! Support small business :)

Out in the new snow. Never too early to get ready for a winter expedition.  

Snow is starting. Looking across the pond through a sea of snowflakes  

Although we’ve managed to keep our tuition frozen for a number of years, we’re increasing the tuition on our immersion programs for 2015.  Tuition for the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester and the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester will increase by $250.  Tuition for the Boreal Snowshoe Expedition will increase by $100. But it isn’t all bad news.  [...]

We’ve got a new forum up and running, and we’ll be using it for the next few weeks to see if it works for us. I found some great looking software called muut that, without going into a lot of detail, looks like it will be a good fit. Most, if not all, of the [...]

Our forum recently took it’s last breath and is no longer with us. It wasn’t a sad parting. 100+ new spam users per day, old and clunky interface requiring lots of time and input, not viewable from a mobile device; let’s just say no tears were shed on our end. We did lose some content, [...]

Family walks are the best walks.  

Home with my kids today and my five-year-old said she wanted something sweet.  I haven’t baked a sourdough cake in the dutch oven for a while, so I decided to mix it up, figuratively and literally.  Behold the Sourdough Oatmeal Quick Cake; quick to mix (3-5 minutes), an hour to bake. I started with some [...]

Pics from our recent campfire cooking class. Cooking in the dark never tasted so good! Campfire Cooking: NH Monthly Self Reliance Workshops Series View the album on Flickr.

Latest design from Pole And Paddle Canoe: Battery powered broad hatchet.  

Unstructured play in the woods is a tonic for all ages. Out with the boys and the dog.  

Fermented foods yes, giardia no. Kraut and kimchee put up this morning.

Favorite traveling sourdough container once its empty. Gallon plastic mayo jar.

Best part about traveling is coming home. Look who was waiting for me when I came in the door.  

On the morning show in Denver this AM: Discovery Channel’s “Dude, You’re Screwed” Jake, Terry, John and Tim tell us all about the second season of the Discovery Channel’s “Dude, You’re Screwed.”

Number 3, the photo by Nick Gallop, was shot near the field school in one of our canoes. 39 Reasons Living In Maine Ruins You For Life Ayuh.

Two days in Denver. The mountains are stunning, just like I remember them.  

First time in many years I'm reading a print newspaper with morning coffee. Feels like I went back in time.  

Kids around campfire. Shelters done. What its all about. School Of The Forest.  

What woodpecker made this hole? Tom teaching at the School Of The Forest.  

School Of The Forest, stopping for lunch on a ridge near the folk school.  

I've said this before, it's cool to be written up in the media, but when your friends and colleagues say it, it means that much more. The incomparable fellow Maine Guide Tom Jamrog wrote a flattering bit about me and Lou Falank at Snow Walkers on his blog. Tom is a big reason why you [...]

Neat article on how constellations change over time. We're not seeing the same constellations as our ancestors. The Constellations Won’t Always Look That Way Over time, stars change their position in the sky. A new app shows you how the patterns we recognize today have shifted.

I’ve been playing around with a new kind of blog post for a few months now. I’m calling them updates, and they are short bits and photos that aren’t complete ideas. They’re the type of thing that end up on social media sites, but as I’ve always had a healthy distrust of social media I [...]

Our next School of the Forest is scheduled for November 15th. We’ll get started at 10am as usual but we won’t be wrapping up at 2 o’clock this time around; we’ll be sleeping in the shelters we build! Staying the night isn’t mandatory, but it will be fun! Cost will be the standard thirty dollars [...]

I cook with cast iron daily, and have a bunch of it at our field school for students to use. There are many good reasons why I think cast iron is superior cookware, both at home and on the campfire. And with all those benefits comes one major drawback; disposable cleaning and upkeep products. When [...]

Another reason to wear and use natural fibers: keep micro-plastics out of the ocean. Your clothes are polluting the ocean every time you do laundry An estimated 1,900 microfibers can get rinsed out of a single piece of synthetic clothing each time it’s washed, and these microplastic fibers might be the biggest contributors to ocean [...]

Are you looking for a cheap, fun night out this Wednesday? For the November installment of our Self Reliance Workshop Series with GALA, we’re having an instructional campfire cooking dinner. Learn to cook over a campfire, build a sturdy pot suspension system, and use a dutch oven and a reflector oven like a seasoned professional. [...]

Had a blast at the Snow Walkers' Rendezvous. Now thinking about all kinds of remote winter expeditions. Winter isn't long enough. For planning purposes anyway.

Daughter, dog and ducks on a walk around the pond on a beautiful fall afternoon.  

Variety of tent styles at the Snow Walkers' Rendezvous.  

Snow Walkers' Rendezvous, in the tent with Derek and Paul. Living the good life under canvas.  

Making a grip of sourdough pancakes this morning. Indoor kitchens are great!  

Chest-deep in the lake for 20 minutes taking the dock out today. Cold water is serious business, really tired afterward.  

The Snow Walker’s Rendezvous is this weekend in Fairlee, Vermont. If you’re interested in traditional winter gear and techniques in the north, it’s one that you shouldn’t miss. I’ve been going for 15 years, and it keeps getting better. This year I’m traveling with Paul Sveum, who will be presenting on the 21-day Boundary Waters [...]

Winter survival and preparedness article by Jonathan Olivier, in which we're quoted heavily. Prepare for Winter Emergencies with These Simple Survival Practices Fire was my saving grace as a kid, camping in the dead of winter with a few friends on our breaks from school. We would often only sleep a few hour…

Every time I vote I think about the American revolution. I wish current generations valued democracy like they did in 1776.  

After seven busy years, we will no longer be offering programs at our 41 acre field school. Today we’re closing on an adjacent piece of property, and now we’ll be offering programs at our 61 acre field school. If you know the lay of the land around here, the purchase includes the land from the [...]

When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time playing street hockey during the warm seasons and pond hockey during the frozen one. As we were in New Hampshire, we all wanted to be players from the Boston Bruins. My brother would usually pretend he was Bobby Orr. I always liked the scrappy [...]

I heard a while back that there are no other places named Masardis in the USA or Canada. A quick internet search led me to a page that said there are no other places named Masardis in the world. As such, I’ve decided to refer to it as simply Masardis, and no longer Masardis, Maine. [...]

At the town docks for the Halloween parade and the lake looks beautiful.  

This past week saw several interesting developments for me as my sphere of influence has seemingly broadened. Yes, the tv show for which I’m part of the cast debuted it’s second season. It’s called Dude You’re Screwed and I’ll be in an episode on Christmas eve. More on that later. This isn’t about that. For [...]