Tim Smith
Mar 15, 2023
Blog
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 [...]
Tim Smith
Mar 11, 2023
Blog
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 [...]
Tim Smith
Mar 11, 2023
Blog
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 [...]
Tim Smith
Mar 10, 2023
Blog
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 [...]
Tim Smith
Mar 9, 2023
Blog
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 [...]
Tim Smith
Mar 7, 2023
Blog
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 [...]
Tim Smith
Jan 29, 2023
Blog
We’re welcoming a new instructor to our team for the Boreal Snowshoe Expedition. Blake Towsley has a lot experience with living out in winter. Among other things, he has worked with us in the past on summer and winter programs, completed numerous extended snowshoe treks, spent several weeks with David Bosum in Quebec, taught with [...]
Tim Smith
Jan 21, 2023
Blog
Programs are filling earlier than usual for 2023. While we still have some short programs to schedule, the following programs are currently full with a waiting list: Winter Woodsman Boreal Snowshoe Expedition XI 6 Month immersion WCES – 4 week canoe expedition Wilderness Bushcraft Semester – Session 1 We still have four spots in session [...]
Tim Smith
Jan 20, 2023
Blog
I had a great trip to Alberta for the Frostbite Symposium. For my keynote I talked about using instructional design principles in designing outdoor education programming. There was a lively Q and A session at the end of the talk, which always feels good if you are speaking. At least some of the audience managed [...]
Tim Smith
Jan 8, 2023
Blog
I finished my Wilderness First Responder course today and have a current certification more advanced than first aid in a long time. Part of my motivation for taking the course was to learn how the protocols had changed in the 27 years since getting my WEMT. It turns out that while a few of the [...]
Tim Smith
Jan 5, 2023
Blog
I am taking a wilderness first responder (WFR) class this week. I have wanted to take one for a while now, but finding the time to get away is always a challenge. As we’re still in the shadow of the holidays, this seemed like a perfect opportunity. My first medical course was a wilderness emergency [...]
Tim Smith
Dec 23, 2022
Blog
This time of year we’re bombarded with ads about getting someone the perfect gift. A smaller subset of those ads suggest that we give an experience rather than a tangible item. If you are looking for that gift for the outdoors-person, consider joining us in February for an immersion experience in Cree culture with our [...]
Tim Smith
Dec 16, 2022
Blog
Are you thinking about joining us for a course in 2023? After reading through our site, many people have questions. And we have answers! Want to talk with us? Jump on one of our Office Hours Question & Answer sessions on our community platform at BushcraftSchool.com. Next session takes place on Tuesday, December 20th at [...]
Tim Smith
Dec 15, 2022
Blog
Our new online course, Foundations Of Outdoor Cooking (Cooking 401), is live on our community platform at BushcraftSchool.com. Currently there are three lessons available, with a few more ready to go. The plan is to release five lessons per week, with a total of around 30 lessons. The goal of the course is to provide [...]
Tim Smith
Dec 13, 2022
Blog
I have been fielding a lot of questions about snowshoe sizing recently, and wanted to put something down regarding getting the optimum size for your body weight. I am on the record as saying I don’t like modern snowshoes because they are usually too small, especially for bigger people. They come from the mountaineering tradition, [...]
Tim Smith
Dec 7, 2022
Blog
I’ve been working on a new online course, Foundations Of Outdoor Cooking, for a few weeks now. It is designed to prepare people to be able to feed themselves well on one of our long-term programs, as well as in any remote environment with no kitchen infrastructure. The premise behind the course is to use [...]
Tim Smith
Dec 3, 2022
Blog
This January (2023) I’m headed to Alberta to speak at the Frostbite Winter Camping Symposium. The event is a celebration of living and traveling outdoors in the north during the winter, with lots of instructional programs and experienced people. As hot tent camping and traditional winter travel skills have exploded in popularity in recent years, [...]
Tim Smith
Dec 2, 2022
Blog
After a 2 year hiatus due to covid, we’re back to running winter programs in 2023 and couldn’t be more excited about it. Since there was no way to social distance inside of a hot tent, the Boreal Snowshoe Expedition (BSE), a program we started running way back in 2003, took a two-year break. I [...]
Tim Smith
Dec 1, 2022
Blog
Photo: 24″ Packsaw from Pole & Paddle Canoe Note: This article was first posted at BushcraftSchool.com, our private online network. We are transitioning to posting all of our media for our community there, with a few things posted here. If you like this sort of thing, consider joining us there. It’s free to join. We’re [...]
Tim Smith
Nov 29, 2022
Blog
For about 20 years I have recommended the Mora Classic #2 for courses. After using a different knife for the past four years I think it’s time to update my recommendation to be inline with what I use on a daily basis; The Morakniv Wood Carving Knife 106. The Mora 106 is a smaller carving [...]
Tim Smith
Nov 28, 2022
Blog
I’m in Austin, Texas, until the New Year. I’m here a month or two each year, as my kids are in school here. Last winter I met Chris Hyde, the founder the Natureversity Outdoor School here in Austin. This morning we sat down and recorded an episode (21) for the Natureversity Podcast. Here’s a link [...]
Tim Smith
Nov 23, 2022
Blog
I have heard from a few people coming on winter programs that it has been hard to find snowshoes this year. We’ve all been dealing with supply chain woes for a few years now, so it isn’t a surprise that these, too, are hard to source. I have a bunch of military surplus magnesium-framed snowshoes [...]
Tim Smith
Oct 22, 2022
Blog
Yesterday we finished up the fall Wilderness Bushcraft Semester. It was our 56th long-term immersion program. We are running one more program, the Autumn Woodsman, in a week, to finish our 23rd year. Time flies. The picture was taken as the sun peeked over the horizon at Sunrise Cove, a campsite on a remote lake [...]
It’s been too long. After a few years of the pandemic canceling our yearly trip up to spend time with David and Anna Bosum, it looks like 2023 is going to be our first time back. Winter Living With Cree Hunters In Northern Quebec Trip Page I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it [...]
Tim Smith
Aug 20, 2022
Blog
This weekend we begin our 56th long-term immersion program, the fall Wilderness Bushcraft Semester. It has been a busy spring and summer, and I’m looking forward to the cooler weather that fall brings. I’ve had a little time since we took off the water at the end of the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester, which has [...]
Tim Smith
Aug 14, 2022
Blog
File this under alumni doing awesome things. Pat Wilson was a student on the spring semester and stayed on to work with me this summer. He started talking about doing a big canoe trip before winter, and got it in his head to canoe the length of the Mississippi river. After lots of planning and [...]
Tim Smith
Aug 10, 2022
Blog
I just put up our winter schedule for 2023 and it will include a lot of weeks spent in hot tents off the grid. For a number of years I’ve had the idea of getting a thermoelectric generator to charge batteries while out on the land in the winter. In winter we spend a few [...]
Tim Smith
Aug 9, 2022
Blog
In our 23 year history, we have had only a handful of instructors teach with us on our semester programs. These individuals represent the top of the outdoor industry. We’d like to introduce our newest instructor and the first woman to join the team, Tessa Storey. Tessa has recently completed both her Journeyman and Engagé [...]
Tim Smith
Aug 7, 2022
Blog
After spending the past 4-weeks on the water running the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester, I’m back at the field school and have tales to tell. We spent the first week training everyone and doing expedition planning. It was a deep dive into everything canoeing, including paddling and poling, as well as cooking on the fire, [...]
Tim Smith
Jul 8, 2022
Blog
Although it has been full with a waiting list for a few months, the past few days have seen 2 spots open up on this fall’s Wilderness Bushcraft Semester. This is a usual, but not predictable, occurrence. So if you’re interested in joining us for the 9-week fall course and working toward your Journeyman certification, [...]
Tim Smith
Jul 7, 2022
Blog
I just posted our schedule for 2023. There are a few changes compared to recent years. First, we won’t be offering a Wilderness Guide Training Semester. Instead, we’ll be offering the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester (WBS) twice. They have been the same course all along, but we’re going to eliminate any confusion by changing the name [...]
Tim Smith
Jun 19, 2022
Blog
Today we begin our summer term at the field school with the Summer Woodsman course, followed next week with the Canoe Expedition Skills course. After a short break for the 4th of July, we move into the 4-week Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester. It’s a busy summer schedule. But it doesn’t feel much like summer in [...]
Tim Smith
Jun 18, 2022
Blog
I just added a page to our site including updated local driving directions and arrival time info. If you’re coming to the field school, these directions should get you here.
Tim Smith
Jun 13, 2022
Blog
On May 11, 2022, our fly fishing director Paul Sveum published an article in the Orvis News titled “5 Bushcraft Tips For Anglers.” I really enjoyed reading it, as will you if you click through (link). I always enjoy Paul’s writing style, and it’s great to see him getting recognition for both his fishing and [...]
Tim Smith
Jun 12, 2022
Blog
The field school is quiet, the parking lot is empty, the course is completed. Our 54th long-term, professional training program wrapped up on Friday. As has always been the case, I spend the first day or two at the end of a course wondering what to do with myself. I’m writing this on a Sunday [...]
Tim Smith
May 11, 2022
Blog
Today is halfway day on the spring, 2022 Wilderness Guide Training Semester. The significance of the day is that we’re exactly halfway to the finish line on our 9-week semester. I haven’t been posting much media this course, but to get you up to speed we started in deep snow and a deep freeze, had [...]
Tim Smith
Mar 4, 2022
Blog
Duties: Gardening, Chicken Wrangling, Homesteading, Informal Teaching, Media Dates: May 22 – August 27, 2022 (14 Weeks). Longer duration possible Hours Per Week: 10 Compensation: $15 per hour = $150/week, We are wanting to create an incentivised economic model, something like a farm stand where staff and students pay cash for the items grown. This [...]
Tim Smith
Feb 25, 2022
Blog
Its close to the end of February and our 2022 programs are just about full. I just updated our master calendar with the current number of open spots in each of our scheduled programs through the fall. So if you want one of these spots, don’t delay! Below is a list of courses and how [...]
Here is part two, numbers 6-10 of the 1o things I wish I had known before going down the fly fishing rabbit hole. But before we get to the list, allow me a short literary ramble… Checkers and Chess are the undisputed #1 and #2 all-time top selling and most popular board games in recent [...]
Full disclosure: I started this blog post about the 10 things I wish I had read before going head first down the fly fishing rabbit hole, but much like the sport itself, things instantly got out of hand. My whole goal was/is to give you a succinct and easy to undertaad primer into fly fishing [...]