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 page.

In the early days of the program, there was a greater emphasis on travel than in recent years, and we’re moving back to it. This means more time spent in the field and less time spent at the field school. As a result, included in the tuition will be an unlimited camping pass from the North Maine Woods. In addition to allowing us to spend as much time as we want on the river, it also allows students to spend weeks or months after the course camping in the North Maine Woods.

We’re also bringing back the end-of-course symposium after a ten-year hiatus. This is a day where students present their projects and research to each other and the public. We devote most of the the final week to these independent studies. This is self-directed learning, not direct instruction, and it takes a mature and motivated student to use the time wisely. This is one reason why this is not a kids or teens program; we want motivated adult learners who are going to take the initiative and use the time wisely.

Trips planned for the spring include canoeing the Aroostook from the headwaters to the field school (66 miles), canoeing the St. John River from Baker Lake to Allagash Village (105 miles) and hiking and fishing at Deboullie Mountain in the North Maine Woods.

These are the highlights.  For the rest of it, head over the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester page.