Stove in the foreground, raised bed for 8, dogs under bed. Shelter done, warm and cozy.  

Bough bed on the raised platfom, group shelter.  

Covering the dome with a parachute. Notice the guy standing on the roof.  

Building a group shelter today for the coming cold weather.  

Fly casting practice, unseasonably warm day. We’ll be swimming later.  

Dutch oven sourdough doughnuts cooked on a rocket stove. It rarely gets better than this.  

Found a baby turtle. Thought it was a kid’s toy at first. Here he’s sitting on my hand.  

What: New and coming to the folk school November 10-14, we’re taking a bunch of make your own gear projects specific to winter and combining them into a weeklong class called The Winter Craftsman. The focus for 2014 will be making your own plastic trail toboggan and sewing your own braintan mukluks. Other options will [...]

Stunning sunset over the pond. Never gets old.  

How Maine Axes Were Made In 1965. Documentary shot at Emerson & Stevens in Oakland.

In 1996 I was living in a 12-foot trailer in Sterling, Alaska, behind a friend of mine’s house. He told me about a guy who was a friend of his friend that lived in a small cabin he built across Cook Inlet in Lake Clark National Park. He also said that some of his journals [...]

The Frozen 48 is a winter survival challenge where participants head into the boreal forest of northern Maine for 48 hours with minimal gear. It’s not easy. Many people have done a night in the winter woods without a tent or sleeping bag. It’s the second night that gets you. That’s where training, skill and [...]

Arctic Manual by Vilhjalmur Stefansson as free download. This is a must have book for those interested in native life in the polar north. Thanks to Alan Halcon and his fantastic blog (if you're not reading it you're missing out) for the links. Arctic Manual…. Free E-Book – outdoor self reliance Non-professionals go to school [...]

Join the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester on a flatwater canoe trip in Aroostook County, Maine. See us canoeing, cooking and baking on the fire, demonstrating the secret ninja technique of using a wooden sword to knock arrows out of the air, and the most epic rope swing north of Knowles Corner. Up In The County

Winter is just around the corner. Looking forward to hitting the trail.  

Demonstrating wet weather fire by sectioning, splitting and contact splitting with an axe, then using a knife to carve feathers. Finally lighting with one match. First video shot during the fall, 2014 semester, and the first by our video guy, Heath Spielberg. Wet Weather Fire

First video shot this semester by our video guy, Heath Spielberg.

Leaving on a 3-day walkabout with homemade gear. Outfitter shop not needed.  

Merganser in the dutch oven. Harvested today. We heard it wasn’t good, but it turned out great!  

Feather stick fire-for-coffee exercise in camp this morning.  

Fish in a freshly-carved deadfall trap.  

Poling practice, lunch break. Beautiful day on the Aroostook River! 

Congrats to Maine’s newest registered guide, Tom Belluscio!

Log drive remnants. Rings for attaching boom chains on the Aroostook. 

Removing stubborn wood from the eye of an old Snow & Neally 2.5 lb axe head. Slow going. 

Amazing northern lights show in camp tonight. Always neat to be with people seeing them for the first time.

Grass for a blanket, first frost tonight. Farewell bugs, see you in the spring! 

My view this morning: camped on Squapan lake with the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester. 

Paddles today. Had a dutch oven dinner. Now to the river for a swim. Great time of year.