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Past Natural Leaders Advanced Courses
Wilderness Survival Immersion - Level 2
Facilitated by Sammy Norris, Rhys Fontaine and Edward Brown (& possibly Trevor Cox, TBD)
May 16 - 20, 2020
Ages 12 - 17
Eastern Tennessee (transportation provided from/to Tyson's Corner, VA area)
$550
Ages 12 - 17
Eastern Tennessee (transportation provided from/to Tyson's Corner, VA area)
$550
We've done everything that we could to create an actual primitive living situation! We've taken our first WSI and expanded and improved upon it. The gear list has been simplified, the food rations have been cut, and we've selected an area with an abundance of hunting and gathering opportunities. So we will really be living off the land!
The location has been moved to the beautiful and abundant Smokey Mountains of eastern Tennessee (yes, we provide transportation from northern Virginia - about 6 hrs drive).
Students will be challenged to hunt and forage for the food that they are going eat, to find and purify the water that they are going to drink, to make the shelters that they are going to sleep in. We will be exploring the deep wilderness, places that can only be accessed by foot and where few people travel. We will have the awesome experience of experiencing the hardships and triumphs that our most distant ancestors lived through every day.
Students will also learn to conquer the mental roadblocks that wilderness survival places in front of them, and that may be the most essential survival skill. The course will end with a mini solo, which is essentially a 24 hour sit spot and has been a rite of passage for primitive cultures for tens of thousands of years.
This course is for the advanced student who has a keen interest in nature and primitive survival. Students should come with and open mind and should be ready to face mental and physical challenges. This is NL's most advanced course and is itself a rite of passage, come join us for this amazing adventure!
Prerequisite: WSI Level 1 or equivalent. If you think you have the skills necessary to come on this trip, let us know! We want every one who can to come. By instructor approval only.
The location has been moved to the beautiful and abundant Smokey Mountains of eastern Tennessee (yes, we provide transportation from northern Virginia - about 6 hrs drive).
Students will be challenged to hunt and forage for the food that they are going eat, to find and purify the water that they are going to drink, to make the shelters that they are going to sleep in. We will be exploring the deep wilderness, places that can only be accessed by foot and where few people travel. We will have the awesome experience of experiencing the hardships and triumphs that our most distant ancestors lived through every day.
Students will also learn to conquer the mental roadblocks that wilderness survival places in front of them, and that may be the most essential survival skill. The course will end with a mini solo, which is essentially a 24 hour sit spot and has been a rite of passage for primitive cultures for tens of thousands of years.
This course is for the advanced student who has a keen interest in nature and primitive survival. Students should come with and open mind and should be ready to face mental and physical challenges. This is NL's most advanced course and is itself a rite of passage, come join us for this amazing adventure!
Prerequisite: WSI Level 1 or equivalent. If you think you have the skills necessary to come on this trip, let us know! We want every one who can to come. By instructor approval only.
Wilderness Survival Immersion - Level 1
Facilitated by Sammy Norris, Rhys Fontaine, and Edward Brown, (& possibly Trevor Cox, TBD)
April 6 - 9, 2020
Ages 11 - 17 (with instructor approval)
Location to be finalized (transportation provided from/to Tyson's Corner, VA area)
$425
Ages 11 - 17 (with instructor approval)
Location to be finalized (transportation provided from/to Tyson's Corner, VA area)
$425
This will be a full-on survival immersion! Students will be sleeping in natural shelters that they will make, drinking water that they can find and purify, and eating only what they can find and carry in.
This course is perfect for advanced students. They will get the opportunity test their survival skills with experienced guides. Students will enter the woods with a knife, the clothes on their backs, and a few other essential items.
They will be challenged both physically and mentally by the rigors of survival. Students will also have the chance learn new skills, play primitive games. Join Natural Leaders for what could be the adventure of a life time!
This course is perfect for advanced students. They will get the opportunity test their survival skills with experienced guides. Students will enter the woods with a knife, the clothes on their backs, and a few other essential items.
They will be challenged both physically and mentally by the rigors of survival. Students will also have the chance learn new skills, play primitive games. Join Natural Leaders for what could be the adventure of a life time!
This course was designed for young survivalists (11 and older) who want to put their skills to the ultimate test and learn some of the finer points of survival. We will be out in the bush for four days and three nights, ideally without seeing or hearing any signs of civilization. This is a great way to get in very close touch with the natural world and to experience first hand what life was like for our distant ancestors.
The location should be finalized, probably by early January - we are evaluating a few different sites in the mountains of Virginia.
The location should be finalized, probably by early January - we are evaluating a few different sites in the mountains of Virginia.
Course Details
Prerequisite skills:
To attend this course, students should know the following:
To attend this course, students should know the following:
- The priorities of survival
- Constructing a debris hut
- Purifying water
- Using a bow drill
- Making a fire
- Able to identify a few edible plants
Gear list:
Each student bring the following
What NOT to Bring:
Each student bring the following
- Knife
- Good wool blanket, such as an army blanket
- Appropriate clothing, we will ford the river at some point, so be prepared
- Bow drill kit
- Clay or steel pot
- A full steel water bottle
- Two pairs shoes, one for land, one for water
- 6ft cordage, such as p-cord
- Rain gear
What NOT to Bring:
- Tent
- Electronics
- matches/lighters
