Essential Survival Skills

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Popular shows like Survivorman and Man Vs. Wild are captivating audiences nationwide, but do you have what it takes to survive? Survival stories of missing people make headlines on a weekly basis and we are faced with the sobering reality that anyone can be caught in a real survival situation. Essential Survival Skills is an action-packed  course designed to teach participants how to stay alive during a real survival situation.

To register for this course, please click the Register For A Course Today! link or call us at 303.447.1076.

During this 4-day course we will hike to a base camp where we will spend two days practicing nature awareness skills, minimum impact camping techniques, learning survival priorities, building natural shelters, and starting environmentally responsible fires using primitive and modern methods. On day three we will break into smaller groups and participate in a 24-hour survival scenario to put our skills to the test in a controlled environment. During our last day we will debrief our scenario, talk about long-term survival considerations, and complete an environmental service project to walk our talk and give back to the land.

COURSE ITINERARY:

Day 1: Introduction, Essential Camping Skills, Introduction to Wilderness Survival - We will meet at a central location in Boulder, CO for quick introductions, to check our gear and equipment, and to head to the mountains near Nederland, Colorado. We hike in a short 1-2 mile hike to our base camp where we will set up camp, practice nature awareness skills, and learn minimum impact camping skills. In the afternoon we have an introduction to wilderness survival skills, read real survival stories, and cover survival priorities, basics of natural shelters, primitive and modern fire methods, and survival kits. Be prepared for a night hike or evening nature awareness activity.

Day 2: Shelter and Fire  - We will dive in deep on day two spending our time building natural shelters, such as the pine needle bed, a lean-to survival shelter, and the classic debris shelter. We will also work on primitive and modern fire methods such as 1-match fires, magnesium striker/petroleum cotton ball fires, and friction fire methods including the bow-drill, hand-drill, and fire plow methods. We will also demonstrate and give suggestions on how to set up a survival camp.

Day 3: Survival Scenario - On the third day we will split into smaller groups and put our skill and knowledge to the test. Each group will shed their modern gear and participate in a real 24-hour survival scenario. Participants will need to come up with an action plan, address their survival priorities, set up a survival camp, create a natural shelter, start an maintain a fire, collect water, and identify rescue/signaling options.

Day 4: Debrief Survival Scenario, Long-Term Survival, Environmental Service Project, Final Celebration - In the morning we will debrief our survival scenario, take a tour of our survival shelters, discuss long-term survival considerations, break down our camp and complete a mini environmental service project to give back to the land.

To register for this course, please click the Register For A Course Today! link or call us at 303.447.1076.

NUTS AND BOLTS:

• Age: 18 or older unless accompanied by an adult.
• Host Organization: Gates Camp
• Location: Near Nederland, Colorado
• Date: October 2 - 5, 2008
• Course Code: FC-3
• Price: $495. Please Note: This price does not include airfare to and from Colorado, airport shuttles, hotel lodging, or transportation. We will meet at a central location and carpool to the Gates Camp.
  
• Difficulty: You do not need any prior camping experience or survival training, so beginners are welcome! Be prepared to hike up to 2 miles at altitude and work hard practicing survival skills and completing environmental service projects that may involve removing invasive plants, sawing and hauling wood, and clearing debris. Again, at the Cottonwood Institute, we encourage folks to work at their own pace to make the course as mild or as wild as they would like, even if it is slow and steady!
• Average Temperatures: High 80ºF / Low 50ºF. Be prepared for any kind of weather in the mountains of Colorado.
• Course Book: 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive!, by Cody Lundin.

AFTER THIS COURSE, YOU WILL:

• Practice essential camping and wilderness survival skills that could save your life.
• Complete a 24-hour survival scenario.
• Complete an important environmental service project to positively impact the natural world.
• Learn more about the Cottonwood Institute, its mission, educational programs, and philosophy.

To register for this course, please click the Register For A Course Today! link or call us at 303.447.1076.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Tell me more about the 24 hour survival scenario, will I have any gear? The goal of the survival scenario is to put the skills you have acquired to the test and to challenge yourself. You will have limited gear during the scenario, but our intention is not to create a real survival situation. For safety purposes, we will all be camped close to each other and you will have access to your modern gear if you need it.

Where will we sleep? During the first two days we will set up and sleep under poncho shelters. Think of sleeping under a tarp, with a little more versatility. Poncho shelters were used by World War II soldiers and provide a light weight, low-tech, cheap alternative to modern tents. Don't worry, they look small, but they are actually quite roomy! Make sure you get the heavy duty, rubberized GI ponchos found at most Army Surplus Stores. You will receive a detailed equipment list when you register for this course that will provide all of the details you will need to acquire the right gear for the course.

Where do we go to the bathroom? This is one thing that causes the most anxiety for beginners. Take comfort in the fact that human beings have been going to the bathroom in the woods for thousands of years. On the first day of the course, we will go through minimum impact camping considerations and techniques (yes, there are techniques and best practices!) for going to bathroom in the backcountry.

How hard is this course? This obviously depends on each individual. Expect to hike 1-2 miles per day/night. Building natural shelters, the 24-hour survival scenario, and working on our environmental service project will be most physically/mentally challenging, however, we strongly encourage students to go at their own pace to make their course as mild or as wild as they feel comfortable pushing themselves.

I am traveling from out of state, how should I get to Colorado? We have had students from California, Wyoming, Ohio, New York, and New Orleans. If you are traveling from out of state, you need to coordinate your travel arrangements so you fly to Denver International Airport (DIA) one day before your course starts and plan to leave the day after your course ends. You will need to arrange lodging the night before your course starts and the night your course ends. A Cottonwood Institute representative will pick you up from your hotel the morning your course starts and take you to our course start location. When you register for this course, you will receive a detailed registration packet outlining all of the travel logistics. (Photo Credit: Denver International Airport).

To register for this course, please click the Register For A Course Today! link or call us at 303.447.1076.

HELP SPREAD THE WORD:

Please Click Here  to download a copy of our 2008 Summer Course Schedule to your computer. We are a small grassroots organization, so if you would be willing to email a copy of this flyer to your friends or print a few copies to post at your school, office, or favorite coffee shop, we would absolutely love it!