Having survival skills allows people to understand what the scrub and sticks of Florida have to offer—to really understand the wilderness, to live in it and not be afraid of it. It gives people a level of comfort in the natural world that they wouldn’t normally have because they realize they can survive and thrive in any place and under any condition. Survival helps you to recognize what God has provided on every acre of land. It’s life saving and it’s life affirming.
Anybody, whether they’ve never camped before or they are an expert backpacker, can learn from the simple ways of survival.
How to make a shelter with no tools at all.
How to make a fire by friction— a primitive method without matches or a lighter.
How to find water and what to do with it once you’ve found it.
Where to look for food.
What to do if you get lost.
Building a shelter with available materials
A completed shelter
Using a hot coal to make a cooking bowl
Cooking breakfast in the completed bowl.
Primitive tools that Stephen has created through burning and carving.
These are skills that keep you alive in an emergency but also keep you alive while you are enjoying nature. During the Survival Workshop we go through a couple of scenarios and teach the foundations of how you can keep yourself safe. And we try to make it fun.
Gathering grasses to make rope
Much of what Hollywood shows on television in survival themed shows is designed to be dramatic television. Although I find some of these shows entertaining, some make me very upset. What they are doing is making great television and most show inaccurate or harmful information. I am weary of all the misinformation learned by people through this entertainment. When I teach wilderness survival I am aware that someday this information may save someone’s life. I consider myself a purist, I try to practice survival in its simplest forms without the tools of civilization and rely completely on mother-nature to provide. Although I take the teaching of this very seriously I believe the learning of wilderness survival should be fun!
Consider joining us for our 2017 Survival Weekend Workshop. Early bird and Family Discounts are available!
Post by Stephen Kane
Stephen serves on the h.e.a.r.t. Board of Directors and teaches a Survivor Workshop each year.