Wilderness Survival: Part 1, The Basics

This introductory class will set you up with the basic skills to keep your self warm, hydrated, and fed in the wilderness. Foundational skills for hikers, backpackers, hunters, trail runners, or anyone wishing to enjoy the outdoors. Wilderness Survival: Part 1 prepares you with basic outdoor skills that will build your confidence, expand your knowledge, and deepen your connection to nature. Wilderness Survival 1 can be taken as a standalone class, or with the intention to continue further with other OEWS classes involved in the Alula Certification. Students who finish Wilderness Survival: Part 1 will have met the prerequisites to take Wilderness Survival Part 2, 3, 4 or 5. These classes do not have to be taken in any order after your completion in Wilderness Survival: Part 1. Although WS1 is an amazing basic course, and will set you up for amazing skills all on its own, we have designed our 5 part series to provide 35 hours of professional quality survival skills training. These classes combine to offer you countless skills to practice and take with you on your own outdoor adventures. You are welcome to take these courses at your own pace. Students will be rewarded with an OEWS logo patch at the end of this class. SKILLS COVERED: • Survival Carving Tool Use/Sharpening/Safety • 5 Basic Knots • Fire Building with Modern Tools • Rabbit Sticks • Emergency Shelter Building • Water Disinfection • Outdoor Clothing Selection • Foraging Ethics and Guidelines • How to Build a Survival Kit • Survival Logistics and Psychology • Map & Compass • Wood Carving 3 Different Projects (rabbit sticks, feather sticks, tent stakes) REQUIRED MATERIALS: • OEWS BASIC, COMPLETE, or ULTIMATE Survival Kit or equivalent. The COMPLETE Kit is most recommended as it has what you need in one package. Each piece of gear has been hand selected by Tim Swanson to fit the needs of Owl Eyes Wilderness Survival's curriculum. • Appropriate clothing for weather and bugs. • Water, lunch, and snacks (extra water to extinguish fires). • Notebook and Pen. (optional, but we highly encourage note taking). • Camping chair or something to sit on. • Baseplate Compass • At a minimum, please bring your own carving tool, ferro rod or matches, poncho (or trash bag), 12 feet of rope, and everything to keep your basic needs met. • Regardless of the gear list, we have tools to borrow, as well as carving tools and fire starters for sale at the beginning of class. The Complete Kit is a great place to start should you choose to purchase your own gear, choose to add a compass and poncho to that and you will have a great survival kit throughout your hiking and camping experiences! **The linked products above are quality and affordable compared to all of the other gear we have tested throughout the years. OEWS will never recommend gear that we have not tested and approved ourselves. It is important that students dress prepared for weather, especially cold weather. Class is 100% outside and although class is held off-trail in the forest, it will only be held a short walking distance to the parking area. Please bring extra layers, even if you do not think you will need them. This class is geared for adults, however mature minors are welcome to join. We do not set an age minimum but rather set a maturity standard. It is up to the parents to decide if they feel their child or teen is mature enough for a 7 hour survival class. All students are expected to maintain a level of respect for all students and carry themselves as individuals. If you feel your child will be interruptive to the flow of class, or hinder your independent learning, this class will not be for them and we encourage you to look at our children's survival classes, which are specifically structured for kids. Students below the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The ticket price covers the cost of 1 student, regardless of age. This class is held year round, completely outside, and runs rain or shine. If weather conditions make outdoor conditions unsafe, class will be cancelled and students can reschedule into another class. *Please note that although this class is a great stand-alone basic survival class, it is also designed to set you up with the foundation to take our more advanced Wilderness Survival classes (parts 2-5). This will give students a well rounded curriculum with lots of survival skills, and a variety of different methods to keep yourself alive in an emergency situation, connect with nature, and have more confidence during adverse situations. Tim Swanson, founder and lead instructor of Owl Eyes Wilderness Survival will be teaching this class along with his apprentices and co-instructors. For more information on Tim's background and experience, please click HERE. Thank you for joining in on the fun with Owl Eyes Wilderness Survival!