Surrounded by the beauty of Echo Lake and Mt. Evans, the staff of Cottonwood Institute came together for an amazing staff training session.

Ford Church, the Founder and Executive Director, walked us through a variety of survival scenarios and taught us skills to last a lifetime.  We teamed up to build survival shelters and started fires using several methods including strikers, one match, and the primitive bow drill method. We also practiced essential camping skills, such as how to properly set up base camp, and shared tips, techniques, and strategies for teaching these skills to a wide variety of audiences.

At the end of our day, we celebrated with a tasty outdoor potluck and camaraderie around the campfire with our friends from Colorado Fourteeners Initiatives (CFI) and hearty volunteers from our Mt. Evans Volunteer Project.

“I feel lucky to have met such dedicated instructors,” says Derek Rusnak, Cottonwood Instructor.

Cottonwood Institute’s Instructors are top-notch.

If you have a group interested in practicing these skills, we would be happy to design a course to suit your needs.  Contact us today and start “changing the world one adventure at a time!”