Jack Mountain Bushcraft Network

It’s been a busy few days since arriving at the field school. Lots of cleaning, gear preparation, varnishing wannigans, canoe chairs, etc., but it’s finished and this morning we leave to paddle and pole the headwaters of the Aroostook river. We’ll be camping, fishing and canoeing back to the field school over the next week. Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogHeading For Aroostook Headwaters

If you have old outdoor books and magazines, I want you to join me in donating one (or more) of them to the troops.  Email me and I’ll pass along where to send them. Yesterday I received an email from a soldier serving in an infantry unit getting ready for a 12-month deployment to Afghanistan.  Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogSupport The Troops – Donate An Outdoor Book

A reporter asked me a while ago why I thought survival TV shows have attracted such big audiences. I answered that if you filmed some gorillas in the wild, then showed that video to gorillas in a cage at the zoo, they’d be fascinated to see members of their species in their natural environment. If Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogWhy Are Survival TV Shows So Popular?

If you read the Jack Mountain Bushcraft Blog feed on the web, or if you get it delivered via email, I’d like to invite you to check it out on our site again. I’ve recently made some big changes to the layout, making it a hub for JMBS videos, podcasts and photos. My goal is Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogNew Look To An Old Blog

In a few days, I’ll be there.  A river in northern Maine.  A remote campsite, only accessible by water.  But in those few remaining days, there’s lots of work to be done.  Today, it was varnishing a new dutch oven wannigan and canoe chair.  Tomorrow it will be putting several coats of shellac on my Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogPreparing For Canoe Expedition

The updated requirements for the Journeyman certification program are live on the web. You can read them here.  I’m excited about the direction our certification programs are headed, and will be writing more about them in the coming weeks. Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogJourneyman Program Requirements UpdatedPost from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogJourneyman Program Requirements Updated

I’m adding a new photo digest here starting today.  I post lots of photos to our Flickr, Google+ and Facebook pages, but  those of you who only read the blog will now be able to check them out. You can see a full-size version of the image by clicking the title.  Let me know what Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogNew Photo Digest

Sustainable cooking as demonstrated by Whiskey Jack.  Rice cooked in a sun oven, then fried over a twig-fueled rocket stove.   Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogRocket Stove CookingPost from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogRocket Stove Cooking

Ross Morgan wrote a great comment on a recent post about Spiller axes, including some history of revered Maine axes and how the Gransfors Bruks American felling axe design started in the woods of New England.  I’ve heard stories about how the Gransfors was patterned after a Maine axe, and wrote as much in the Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogOrigins Of Gransfors American Felling Axe

“Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked.”  – Lord Chesterfield No one like a know-it-all. Most people don’t even like a know-it-some. Is there Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogSound Advice For A Young Wilderness Guide And Bushcraft Instructor

There’s an attitude I’ve seen a few times that warrants mention because it will stop a person from becoming at home in the natural world. That attitude is busyness. For some a foray into the forest is a non-stop to do list without a break between projects. For some the constant stream of activity is Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogAlways Busy

Now that our winter programs are completed, I’m turning my attention to the spring canoe expedition semester. The course lasts 28 days. The first 2 are spent in camp planning, provisioning, packing and preparing gear. Then it’s off to run the length of our home river, the Aroostook. We’ve got an optional leg of the Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogRoute for Spring Bushcraft Canoe Expedition Semester Set

After studying the manual and talking with the Veterans Administration, I’m up to speed with the registration procedures for the GI Bill. It’s a simple, 3-step process. Step 1: Fill out the registration form on our site. Step 2: Email us a copy of your certificate of eligibility (sometimes called letter of eligibility). Step 3: Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogGI Bill Registration Process

I recently announced that we were changing our summer course lineup.  The new, revised summer lineup is now posted on our Calendar.  It includes: Woodsman Course – 6/10 – 6/16 Bushman Course – 6/17 – 6/23 Riverman Course – 6/24 – 6/30 Teen Bushcraft & Survival Course – 7/8 – 7/14 Family Bushcraft & Survival Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogNew Summer Program Lineup

On my way south from the county I stopped in to see my old friend Don Merchant at Pole And Paddle Canoe. He had a sweet Spiller axe for sale for $90. Spiller was an axe making company in Oakland, Maine, back in the day. I’ve been told that Gransfors patterned their American felling axe Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogSpiller Axe, Oakland Maine

3 week minimum. For Immersion program students, by immersion program students. There comes a point in a person’s bushcraft education where they need to be kicked out of the nest to do things on their own and gain a level of experience that is difficult to obtain during a formal course. Once a certain level Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogMaine Bushcraft Practicum

After a lot of thought and discussions with students, we’re scrapping our current Journeyman Certification Program. Instead of being based on a 4-week summer field course, the Journeyman Certification will now be based on the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester in the fall. Like the XI (Expedition Instructor Certification), it will be comprised of benchmarks, minimum competencies Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogNew Direction For Journeyman Bushcraft Instructor And Guide Certification Program

Campen är vad jag brukar kalla den plats där vi bedriver de flesta av våra kurser. Men det är inte bara en kursplats, det är också min personliga lekpark och experimentverkstad. Här händer mycket mellan kurserna, saker byggs och rivs … Continue reading →

2012 har bara börjat men aktivitet hos Nordic Bushcraft är hög. Vi har massor av nya aktiviteter på gång i år. Detta är planeringen av årets kurser kommer se ut (det kan tillkomma fler datum). Februari 3-5 februari Helg 2 … Continue reading →

I just received some more information on Woodsmoke, a classic camping and bushcraft rendezvous taking place this summer and organized by Dave Wescott.  The dates are set and they’re currently accepting applications to fill the 100 slots. Date: July 8-14, 2012 Location: Tetonia, Idaho Cost: $275.00 For detailed info, check out this .pdf I received Post from: The Jack Mountain Bushcraft BlogWoodsmoke International Bushcraft Symposium