Survival 101
You are alone in the middle of a vast wilderness. What brought you here does not matter – all that matters is that you… survive! What is the first thing you would do? What are the necessities needed to insure you make it out alive? Survival 101 will help you answer these questions. Through this engaging and dynamic experience, you will work with former US Air Force SERE instructors as you explore the seven priorities of survival – the seven elements of making it back alive! The seven priorities include positive mental attitude, wilderness first aid, shelter, fire craft, signaling, water, and food. Survival 101 will take you through these priorities over the course of two days and one night. In the end, after “rescue,” you will know how to cope with the psychological stresses, treat injuries, tie knots and lashings, improvise shelters, start and maintain a knee-high fire in the pouring rain, effectively communicate to rescuers, find and purify water, understand how to procure food and read topographical maps and use a compass! Begin your adventure now by registering for this course today.
Survival 101 – Women’s Course
Whether trying to survive in the wilderness or in the board room, confidence in one’s abilities is a necessary ingredient. Woman in business, in relationships, or on their own in a strange environment need strong confidence to thrive. This unique version of Survival 101 is geared toward women. Through becoming immersed in a realistic survival scenario, you will gain not only practical survival skills, but also learn how to develop the keys to success that are already inside you. Over the course of two days and one night, you will explore the seven priorities of survival; the even ingredients of building self confidence! The seven priorities include positive mental attitude, wilderness first aid, shelter, fire craft, signaling, water, and food. Through this simulation, you will also become familiar with wilderness safety, preparedness, and camping skills. While participants have the option to spend the night in a tent, they can also choose to stay in Mountain Shepherd’s lodge. Take the first step toward a new and more confident you – register today!
Humble Thunder
Looking for a real survival experience? Do you want to test your ability to conquer nature? Humble Thunder is more than the course for you! Over the course of four days and three nights, you become a proficient global survivor. Relying on the seven priorities of survival, including positive mental attitude, wilderness first aid, shelter, fire craft, signaling, water, and food, you will survive the elements as you camp in a primitive manner. Using nothing but newly learned skills, you will build shelters in which you will sleep. Campfires that you will build will cook your food. An day long off-trail hike puts your newly learned land navigation skills to the test. In the end, after you are rescued, you will recognize that yes, nature can be tamed – and you possess the skills to survive!
Rolling Thunder
An advanced adult course designed to put your skills to the psychological and physical stress challenges experienced in a survival situation. Looking for a vision quest, this is it! Over the course of four days and three nights, you will spend one day overviewing the seven priorities of survival, map reading, and basic navigation. Beginning on day 2, you will hit the trails as you traverse the Blue Ridge Mountain’s ridges and valleys, relying on nature to survive! You will build shelters, cook the food you will be carrying over open fires that you build, and identify water sources. You will survive this survival scenario – but it will take work. You will be rescued – but you will have to earn it. After your return to civilization, you will find a new you – one that is stronger, and one that is much more confident. Register today to begin this ultimate, truly life changing adventure!
Hidden Pursuit
It is anytime, anyplace. But the place is hostile, and you are behind enemy lines! Unlike a typical survival experience, you now want to stay hidden – you do not want to be seen, as being seen will mean certain capture! What do you do? How can you move across hostile territory and make it to safety? This course will help you learn how to master the art of escape and evasion as a US Air Force SERE instructor shares the skills that could mean the difference between life and death. Over the course of four days and three nights, you will learn how to evade enemy forces and then actually move across rough terrain as the “enemy” pursues you. Map reading skills and survival skills will be put to the test as you must reach safety without being captured. Do you have what it takes? Register today in order to begin this unique and challenging adventure.
Wild Comforts
Any parent navigating parenthood will probably admit that the family unit can feel like a wilderness at times! While numerous parenting books attempt to help parents navigate this foreign land, many find that their children do not fit the simple molds found in such books. If you are looking for a unique way to bond with your children, and in turn strengthen your family, you will want to enroll your family today in this two day and one night camping experience. Over the course of your family wilderness adventure, you and your family will develop better camping skills through hands-on experiences. The seven priorities of survival will serve as the foundation upon which your adventure will rest, so you will explore positive mental attitude, wilderness first aid, shelter, fire craft, signaling, water, and food. Enroll today to begin to create a memory your children will keep close to their hearts.
Wilderness First Aid
Safety always! This course is designed for the outdoor enthusiast, backpacker, dayhiker or wilderness survivalist who require or desire wilderness first aid knowledge and skills. Wilderness First Aid is an objectives-driven, skills-based course based on the ASHI Wilderness First Aid (WFA) program. The course utilizes didactic instructions and active participation to teach students foundational knowledge of the principles of first aid in a wilderness setting and application of that knowledge. Upon satisfactory completion of all requirements defined by ASHI for WFA certification, students will be issued documentation of certification.
Trail Mix
Is the Appalachian Trail or Pacific Crest Trail calling your name? Do you want to try out backpacking but don’t know where to start? Do you have experience backpacking, but are looking to lighten your load. Either way, this overnight backpacking course is designed to meet your needs. You will learn how to properly select, fit, and pack a backpack with the 7 Survival Priorities in mind. Spend two days learning all the basics of backpacking including campsite selection, camp cooking, water treatment systems, and how to stay safe and comfortable while you hike, all the while keeping an ultralight focus. You’ll also learn about Leave No Trace guidelines the importance of minimum-impact camping. Our instructor has personally completed a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail (and several other trails!), so this is a great course for those considering and overnight trip or a long-distance hike!
GEMS – Girls Summer Camp
GEMS are Girls Empowered through exploration of seven survival priorities: positive mental attitude, first aid, shelter, fire, signaling, water, and food. During a five-day overnight experience, GEMS will learn the practical skills associated with each priority. Girls will also discover the parallels between each survival priority and their lives in the “front country.” GEMS will gain an appreciation for their natural and social surroundings through fun — and deceptively educational — activities such as night hikes, team-building games, and biodiversity studies. After five days, GEMS leave with confidence and compassion, knowing more about themselves and how they interpret and interact with their world. GEMS: Girls Empowered at Mountain Shepherd! A fun week finding courage, developing confidence with compassion! Sign up your middle school aged daughter today!