PS1 CAP class students spent the weekend at Taylor Mountain, camping, hiking, and learning survival skills.  With only 3 students brave enough to attend this trip, the instructors were able to delve more deeply into some complex skills, and the students responded with great interest, pushing through difficult and frustrating skills until they found success.

Students learned to construct a debris hut, often the best short-term survival shelter, but, as we found, every skill has its drawbacks.  In a low-debris situation like the one we found at Taylor Mountain, the debris hut becomes less feasible, and we were able to discuss other options for a survival shelter.  We fudged the hut with a tarp, and Elijah, a first-time camper, showed a ton of moxy, spending the night in the hut, even as temperatures dropped into the 30’s overnight.  In his own words: “It was more comfortable than my own bed, man.”

Our focus then shifted from shelter to food, and students learned and constructed the Figure 4 trap, the most basic deadfall.  One of the more frustrating tasks, aside from bowdrill, the Figure 4 tested the students’ frustration tolerance, but in the end, all were successful.  Thanks to Jessie for his assistance.

We spent the night discussing natural camouflage and stalking each other until the wee hours of the morning.  See the picture below of all of us in our natural camouflage.

Pretty effective, eh?  Day two was spent recovering from the previous nights’ exploits, and students learned about water collection and purification in a survival situation.  More traps followed, and students learned and constructed a basic Rolling Snare, and a more advanced Paiute Figure 4.

Students closed the trip with a Wandering Quest, doing some blindfold work, and sharing in gratitude for the trip, the Earth, and for the group itself.