We’re introducing several new week-long courses in 2010, the first of which is the Woodsman course. It’s a comprehensive introduction to bushcraft and wilderness survival in the northern forest, and will serve as the basic course for our week-long programs.

Topics will include:
* Wilderness Survival 101
* Introduction To Bushcraft
* Fire Making: The Five Stages With An Emphasis On 1-Match Fires
* Bushcraft Tools: Axe, Knife, Saw And How To Care For And Maintain Them
* Basic Axemanship: The 4 Major Processes (Felling, Limbing, Sectioning And Splitting)
* Safe Knife Use And Carving
* Sawing Technique And Building Bucksaws
* Shelter Theory, Design, And Construction
* Navigation With Map And Compass
* Open Fire Cooking: Hanging A Pot, Baking In A Reflector, Using A Dutch Oven
* Cordage, Rope Making And Essential Knots
* Group Sanitation And Composting Toilets
* Purifying Water
* Principles Of A Simple Solar Power System
* Introduction To Field Ecology: Edible And Medicinal Plants, Mammal Tracking, The Night Sky, Weather Forecasting, etc.
* Optional final exercise of spending the night in a shelter you construct.

The course runs from Sunday afternoon to Friday afternoon. Included in the tuition is lodging Friday night at Blackwater Outfitters where you can get a shower and a good night’s sleep before hitting the road Saturday morning. We’re running two sessions of the Woodsman course in 2010. Maximum group size for each is 12. Tuition is $800.

More information at jackmtn.com/northwoodsbushcraft.html.