The wild wood in winter is a very special place to explore and dream in.
2014 Winter Camping & Bushcraft Course
Location: Northeast Nova Scotia, Twa Corbies Hollow, approx. 1 hr from New Glasgow and Antigonish
Date & Time: Feb 15 & 16
Cost: $75 per person
Campfire cooked dinner and breakfast provided.
Level: Novice through intermediate
Contact: twa.corbies.hollow@gmail.com
Course Description: In winter, up north, people tend to think of the outdoors as great . . . when they are looking at it from inside with a mug of hot cocoa between their palms. Yet winter offers a wealth of outdoor opportunities for the knowledgeable and the additional benefit that one who takes to the woods come winter will find a wealth of quiet solitude and unexplored natural beauty. With a bit of skill, any fit person can get out and camp and enjoy numerous activities in the winter woods.This course will be offered in the vast forest surrounding the semi-remote homestead of Twa Corbies Hollow in the Nova Scotia highlands. Participants will learn how set up a warm winter camp taking advantage of natural shelter, how to create a warm, dry sleeping area, how to build a fire from wet or dry wood using techniques such as creating feather sticks, how to fashion a makeshift torch from natural materials, how to make best use of campfires, how to dress for warmth without overheating or over cooling, and how to assess for hypothermia and what to do about it. We will go into campfire cooking to round out the evening, including how to set up cooking tripods and make bread on a stick.
Campfire-cooked dinner and breakfast will be provided. Participants should plan for their own lunches and snacks. Simple foods that provide lots of energy such as sandwiches and granola bars are recommended.
Tipis or lean-to’s will be available at the site, but participants will require their own sleeping bags and pads.
Please email and reserve a placer if you plan to attend. Maximum 12 students. A non-refundable deposit of $25 is required. Watch your email as updates will be provided. And please be aware that, as with all outdoor activities, unanticipated inclement weather may change plans and dates.
Course begins at 1000, Saturday, February 15 and concludes at 1600, Sunday, February 16.
Course Requirements: Must have adequate insulation. Dress in layers–long johns, ordinary outdoors clothes, water resistant, tough insulated shell pants and top, sweaters and coats and insulated hat. Must have adequate insulated boots* rated to -40 F/C. Must have a woods knife, folding or straight blade, a flashlight with extra batteries, a sufficient sleeping bag rated to -20F and extra blanket, and sleeping pad*, and your own hatchet or heavy duty chopping toos such as parang or Bowie knife. A small tarp about 12′x12′ and a couple 25′ lengths of rope are highly recommended.
*Be sure to have tough, sufficient boots, sleeping pad and sleeping bag. Boots must be hiker or outdoors winter work grade, and should be broken in before starting the course as there will be some hiking over rough ground. Sleeping bags must indicate that they are sufficiently insulated to at least -20F, or you can double up two -10F sleeping bags though it is much bulkier. Do not get the bargain basement stuff available from your local supermarket or department store; that is one of the most common mistakes students make, and it will make for a cold, miserable night. Remember, with sleeping bags especially, it is better rated for colder than you think you’ll need than not rated cold enough.
Your teacher: Cliff Seruntine is a certified psychotherapist, shaman, horseman, naturalist and writer. He is also a veteran of some of the most rugged wilderness on Earth–the Alaskan bush, where he dwelt at a remote cabin for many years–as well as the challenges of the hot, steamy Deep South bayou country and the Mojave Desert from Mexico to Arizona, and the high prairies. Cliff brings a polymath, spiritual perspective to Nature experiences and decades of wilderness experience to his courses.
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