I first became inspired to learn
primitive skills while on a backpacking trip on Isle Royale, Michigan. The leader of our group was a man named Brian Rajdl, and he was a master tracker and master at earth living skills. He pointed out edible/medicinal plants, read the animal tracks, and talked about hunting and tanning hides. It was like he opened up a door for me to a world that I had always dreamed about but didn’t know existed. I picked his brain for 2 weeks about making braintan buckskin and all sorts of other skills. When I got home from the trip he mailed me a copy of the book The Tracker by Tom Brown Jr. I read that book and felt like I found what I had been looking for my whole life. I picked up a roadkill deer and began the long process of learning butchering and hide tanning through trial and error. Through my own stubbornness and perseverance I failed miserably over and over however this brought me a deep level of understanding of the skills I practiced. Hide tanning led me towards other earth living skills like friction fire, hunting, stalking, etc…
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I had begun a journey
towards a deeper understanding of earth living skills and all I would find is that with the more I learned the more I realized how little I actually knew. I’ve been practicing these skills now for over 6 years and still feel like I haven’t scratched the surface with the amount of knowledge that is out there. I have passionately pursued my interest in traditional bow making, hide tanning, and flintknapping, as well as more classic “survival skills”. At college in Syracuse at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry I started a club dedicated to learning and teaching these earth living skills. Every week I taught something new to help students learn these skills and develop a deeper connection to nature. I have worked for the Children of the Earth Foundation as an instructor at summer camp, as well as Primitive Pursuits of Ithaca as a primitive skills specialist. I have taken several classes at Tom Brown Jr’s Tracker School, as well as had the privilege to learn from some other great mentors.
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Certifications/What I offer
I am a certified Wilderness Skills Instructor through a comprehensive training course offered by Ithaca Primitive Pursuits. I also have a current Wilderness First Responder certification.
I am certified through Putnum/Westchester B.O.C.E.S as an Environmental Educator, and am available to teach in school programs eligible to be paid for by state aid.
I teach adult workshops, kids workshops, family workshops, and all other sorts of teaching arrangements. I do one on one primitive skills mentoring with all ages, small group mentoring or after school programs for children.
Please contact me for further information about program costs or custom teaching arrangements.
I am a certified Wilderness Skills Instructor through a comprehensive training course offered by Ithaca Primitive Pursuits. I also have a current Wilderness First Responder certification.
I am certified through Putnum/Westchester B.O.C.E.S as an Environmental Educator, and am available to teach in school programs eligible to be paid for by state aid.
I teach adult workshops, kids workshops, family workshops, and all other sorts of teaching arrangements. I do one on one primitive skills mentoring with all ages, small group mentoring or after school programs for children.
Please contact me for further information about program costs or custom teaching arrangements.