In the native lore I’ve read over the years, I’ve come across numerous mentions of the tiny people who live in the forest that white people (modern westerners) can’t see. I’ve talked to one person who, by his own account, has seen them. I’ve also always been interested in the ritual use of psychoactive substances […]
Read more
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 […]
Read more
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 […]
Read more
– Ago Puteus Foris –
We’re a bushcraft, guide training and wilderness expedition school and traditional Maine Guide service founded in 1999. We help people become more skilled, more knowledgeable, more experienced and more confident by using traditional wilderness skills, a few simple tools and field-based experience. This is our media hub. For information on our programs, go to JackMtn.com, and check out our Calendar to see all upcoming programs.
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 […] Continue Reading...
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 […] Continue Reading...
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 […] Continue Reading...
In the native lore I’ve read over the years, I’ve come across numerous mentions of the tiny people who live in the forest that white people (modern westerners) can’t see. I’ve talked to one person who, by his own account, has seen them. I’ve also always been interested in the ritual use of psychoactive substances […] Continue Reading...
New evidence is pushing back the date of humans making fire to 400,000 years before present. This is different from humans using fire, and is specifically linked to making it. From the article: In a study published today in the journal Nature, a team of researchers claims to have discovered the earliest evidence of fire-making […] Continue Reading...
In the summer of 1995 I Participated in a 4-week primitive living experiment in Alaska. We built shelters, did a lot of rock-boiling in log troughs, ate a bunch of wild foods and lived in shelters we built. It was an amazing learning experience that is still paying dividends in my personal and professional life. […] Continue Reading...
It’s officially the off season, and I’ve been in Austin, Texas for a little over a week. For the past few years I’ve spent a month or two in Austin with family each winter. I take a few seats out of the van and put in a cot, load it up with some camping gear […] Continue Reading...
The parking lot is empty, the people have gone, and all that’s left is the cleanup. Year 26 and long-term program number 67 are finished. And not a moment too soon, as there’s a bit of snow coming in tomorrow night. I’ve been going since the beginning of April, and now the season is finally […] Continue Reading...
When projects last a long time, they often get things added to them that weren’t part of the initial plan. The longer a thing lasts, the more complex it can become. Last spring I received a message from a person who was interested in coming out for a course, but mentioned that in looking through […] Continue Reading...
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 […] Continue Reading...
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. […] Continue Reading...
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 […] Continue Reading...
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 […] Continue Reading...
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 […] Continue Reading...
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: […] Continue Reading...
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 […] Continue Reading...
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... Continue Reading...
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 […] Continue Reading...
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... Continue Reading...
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... Continue Reading...
