Wilderness Survival Skills Workshop - Great Hall & Backyard

Register for this Wilderness Survival Skills Workshop directly with the Wolf College. Presented in partnership with the Tacoma Branch Hiking/Backpack​ing Committee. Fee: $15 for Mountaineers members and $20 for non-members if paid in advance via http://www.wolfcollege.com/classes-workshops/afternoon-evening/puyallup-tacoma-olympia/ or by calling 425-248-0253; or $20 for Mountaineers members and $25 for non-members if paid at the door. Dress for the weather as there will be demonstrations outside.

15-30 Minutes: Essential Tools and the Critical Order of Emergency Survival: As you probably know, beginning hikers should never leave home without the 10 Essentials, but as your wilderness skills grow, that list begins to change. For instance, if you become versed in making fire-by-friction using the “bow-drill” method of “rubbing two sticks together,” you may find that this “primitive” skill is actually the most dependable fire-starting method in our cold, damp Pacific Northwest weather. So although bringing a fire-starting kit is great, it might not be as important as bringing a metal pot. Why? Chris will lead a discussion on this fascinating perspective.

15 Minutes for the Five Minute Emergency Drill: We will present a survival scenario, and you can “go it alone” or form a small group to figure out how best to survive the situation based on the order of survival, your level of experience, and other factors.

Participant blows traditional fire by friction coal into flame

15-30 Minutes on Shelter vs. Navigation: To get a jump-start on this discussion, check out our article on shelter. We will discuss the decisions made during your Five Minute Emergency Drill, and then we’ll show you actual materials you might find in the Pacific Northwest wilderness with which you can make shelter in case of emergency. We will demonstrate the lean-to, debris hut, and finding natural shelters, plus discuss the limitations of each structure in the Pacific Northwest. If time and space allows, we will again break into groups, and each group will have 5 minutes to build the best shelter possible for the “model” we provide. This activity is a real eye-opener for understanding actual shelter-building in emergency situations.

15 Minutes on Water: Now that giardia is pervasive in fresh water throughout North America, if your water filter fails, or you run out of purification tabs, what then? We will bring samples of “burn bowls” and show you how to make them in case you are caught without a metal pot to boil water in, and show you how to “rock boil” water in order to purify it.

15 Minutes on Fire: Of course, if you don’t have a fire source, then you can’t boil water or enjoy comforting external warmth. It is critical to practice making fire with all-natural materials. Unfortunately, few people actually practice this, and it’s hard to do, especially in wet Pacific Northwest climates. We will set up “tipi” and “lean-to” and “log cabin” style fire demonstrations, discuss proper use of matches, lighters and magnesium, and then actually light (but of course immediately put out) a fire by “rubbing two sticks together” using the bow-drill fire-by-friction method. You can also get a jump-start on this lesson by reading our article on fire.

15 Minutes on Food: The depth to which we will discuss food will be entirely time dependent. We will start with wild edible plants that grow locally as well as out in the wilderness. We will also discuss the Big 5 foods you would seek out right away in a wilderness survival situation, even before resorting to hunting and fishing. Then join us in March for our full class on wild foods!

Register for this Wilderness Survival Skills Workshop directly with the Wolf College. Presented in partnership with the Tacoma Branch Hiking/Backpack​ing Committee. Fee: $15 for Mountaineers members and $20 for non-members if paid in advance via http://www.wolfcollege.com/classes-workshops/afternoon-evening/puyallup-tacoma-olympia/ or by calling 425-248-0253; or $20 for Mountaineers members and $25 for non-members if paid at the door. Dress for the weather as there will be demonstrations outside.