Rocking with the Seasons, new 3 month program4thAugust
What is nature immersion? Is it learning a lot of new skills, becoming good at a craft? Is it becoming a better person? More aware? To me, all that's secondary. What's more important is the relationship between one another, the land and the village. That's it.
Much of contemporary wilderness skills training is about "becoming better", "healed" or more "bad ass". Its treated like a martial art, where there's white or black belts. In reality there should be no system of levels, or graduation with tenure. That way of thinking is for failing schools that only perpetuate the fear that there's something wrong with or missing from us to begin with. Trackers is not here do that. Instead our mission is to sew you and all of us further and further into family and the land. We need people that feel support with their bones. We need people who's pantry is stocked with foods borne from harvesting by Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. We need village's that live and breathe by the day length and individuals that more then simply journal when the salal berries are in harvest. Instead, they can feel it coming!
We still have our 9 month program, in fact we added an option for one full year that includes a grand summer series of expeditions and rites of passage. We also made each season stand on its own so that people can also take courses in 3 month increments. The goal is to increase program access to individuals with families and other community commitments. It's even less about getting "schooled"; starting just in September and going till June by the clunky, conventional school year. Now its about doing "what's in season". And that's infinitely more hip then relying on a monochromatic curriculum. Nature's cycle's are the only fashion I give a rats rear about:) So without further adieu, we introduce the Wind Village, the Water Village, the Earth Village and the Fire Village. They turn with the harvest of Fall, the darkness of Winter, the new growth of Spring and Summer's rites of passage.
Remember, Trackers is here to rethink learning. We're don't exist to make anyone "better". We already know we're all human. All we can do is to rediscover empathy, holding that eloquent, human conversation with the life, the Earth and how the Sun rises each day.
Join the New Village of TrackerTEAMS, now in 3 month terms...
Fall Term The Wind Village: Wilderness Survival & Bushcraft
Winter Term The Water Village: Boat Building and Traditional Folk Craft
Spring Term The Earth Village: Edible Plants with Permaculture and Homesteading
And introducing The Fire Village, Summer Term 2010...
Join a collaborative team of naturalists, expats, artists, sailors, trackers & primitive skills experts on the expedition of a lifetime. Your elite team embarks from the Pacific Northwest; one of the most beautiful regions in the world. Learn about wild edible and medicinal plants, sailing and kayaking, primitive shelter, travel by the edge, stealth and invisibility while making friends for life. From dunes to ocean, mountains to rivers, urban wilds and rural permaculture farms; learn the skills of survival, shake of your domestication and walk away changed.
Class takes place every day with rest times during expeditions and intensives. Teaching hours are varied depending on the expedition and intensive. While all camping, lodging and food is provided for the entire 10 weeks. A 1 week Nature of the Village both begins and ends the term (June 13-19, August 15-21) and nearly each month we include a 3 day overnight at the Trackers Homestead or other location.
Nature of the Village Week Longs...
• June 13-19, 2010 and August 15-21, 2010
Expeditions across Cascadia...
• 4 day kayak journey
• 3 day sailing expedition
• 4 day stealth and adventure game
• 1 week ultra-lite and bushcraft backpacking trip with 2 day huckleberry camp
Intensive learning...
• 1 week primitive skills and bushcraft intensive
• 1 week tracking and nature awareness intensive
• 1 week stealth, hand to hand combat training with weapons and empty hand
• 5 day art and theater intensive
• 1 day bush and backcountry vehicle travel, getting cars out of mud, pits, damage and more
• 1 day international travel workshop. How to travel on a low profile
Rites of passage...
• 1 and 4 day solo sits
• Urban nomad 3 day overnight
