Tracking • Wilderness Survival • Plant Uses • Traditional Skills • Earth Philosophy

2009 Class Descriptions

Below are the descriptions of the classes offered at Earth Skills. You can also download the information here. (Includes the summary schedule and the enrollment form)

TRACKING
SURVIVAL
TRADITIONAL SKILLS
EARTH PHILOSOPHY

NEW -- JOIN A PILOT MENTORING PROGRAM IN TRACKING: Learn tracking at home and send in assignments for critique.

Tracking

Basic Tracking & Awareness

(No Prerequisite)

• February 20-21 (Friday night-Saturday) Tracking in Joshua Tree, see below
• February 28 (Saturday), Malibu Creek State Park (rescheduled from Feb. 7 due to rain)
  March 27 (Friday)*, Sage Ranch
• July 10 (Friday)*, Windy Springs Preserve
  
• November 14 (Saturday), Malibu Creek State Park or Ft. Tejon State Park, depending upon fire danger closure at MCSP
  

* May be taken by itself or in conjunction with Advanced Tracking.

$68 / (+$15**) for all one-day classes

Basic Tracking gives you a solid introduction into mammal track and sign identification, as well as nature awareness techniques that will make your future outings exponentially richer. Working closely with the instructors, you will practice identifying and interpreting tracks from clear prints and patterns, and will learn how to read signs and what they say about animal feeding, breeding and behavior. We show you how tracks are "windows" to animals' body language and biology. Finally, you learn methods to slow the mind and body so that you see, hear and experience more than you ever have -- a building block to become " the complete tracker. "

** One copy of The Tracker's Field Guide is also available to each Basic Tracking enrollee at a discounted price of $15.00 including tax (reg. $19.95 + tax); see enrollment form.

Basic Tracking in Joshua Tree

(No Prerequisite)

February 20-21 (Friday night - Saturday), Joshua Tree National Park

$75

This will be a Basic Tracking class as described above, that takes advantage of a splendid location, a private campground in Joshua Tree. We will be introducing track identification and interpretation at a Friday evening lecture, and then spending Saturday in the field tracking jackrabbits, foxes, bobcats, coyotes and other desert animals. We will cover mammal signs, track interpretation and awareness skills. This class will offered through the Desert Institute. To enroll, call the Desert Institute at 760-367-5535 or go to www.joshuatree.org/survivalclasses.html.

This class counts as a Basic Tracking class, but is also open to those who have already taken Basic Tracking.

Advanced Tracking

(Basic Tracking Required)

March 27-29 * (Friday evening - Sunday afternoon), location TBA
July 10-12* (Friday evening - Sunday afternoon), Windy Springs Preserve

* May be taken by itself or in conjunction with Basic Tracking.

$210

Becoming an advanced tracker means above all being able to see nuances the novice would miss: spotting tracks in pine needles, leaves or on hard-packed ground; noticing subtleties in track aging; being able to follow an animal across difficult terrain. The advanced tracker also gains confidence in reading tracks for motion and in distinguishing tracks of individual animals of the same species. Finally, he or she learns to be less obtrusive and more alert to the rhythms of nature. As real students of how people learn, we instructors know that the complete tracker must draw on the different talents of analysis, perspective and intuition. Thus the Advanced Tracking class gives you practice in all of those things. You will track animals across challenging terrain, practice reading soil movement or “pressure releases” in tracks, learn to read patterns of animal movement on the landscape, and stalk quietly at night. In teams, you will track the instructors as a final exercise. Advanced Tracking is a prerequisite for some of the Dirt Time workshops.

There are two Advanced Tracking classes in 2008. The spring class is at Sage Ranch in Simi Valley, an accessible, charming location (with a campsite all to ourselves) in oak woodland and chaparral. The summer weekend will be at Windy Springs Preserve in the southern Sierras near Kennedy Meadows, where the tracking is fantastic.

Tracking 201: Practical Tracking Weekend

You may sign up for one or both classes; you will be responsible for your own meals.

July 18 (Saturday), Track Interpretation Clinic, Frazier Park area

(Advanced Tracking Required)

$60

We will remove the vagueness about “track reading” and show you, through analysis and a ton of practice, how you can visualize precisely from tracks the way an animal or person moved. We’ll expand your Advanced Tracking work on pressure releases to several new levels, and will also work on tiny indicators in tracks unique to each individual. Finally we’ll make use of on-the-spot videos for feedback and confirmation. This will bring your tracking skills to an entirely new level!

July 19 (Sunday), Personal Coaching in Tracking Skills, Frazier Park area

(Advanced Tracking Required)

$60

Whether you want more focused track ID work or want to push your tracking skills, we’ll work with you in this flexible clinic. You’ll let us know ahead of time where you’re stuck or where you need to improve, and we’ll organize a full day of problem-solving, exploring and assignments based on that. We may work on track ID in difficult substrate, following trails, understanding gaits, survey work, track aging or a combination of these. And we’ll take you to some of our favorite tracking areas.

Tracking 201: Deer Tracking Clinic

(Basic Tracking Required)

November 15* (Sunday), Malibu Creek State Park or Ft. Tejon State Park, depending upon fire danger closure of MCSP

* May be taken by itself or in conjunction with Basic Tracking the previous day.

$60

November is an active time for deer, who in some locations are drawn to concentrated food sources to fatten up before winter, and in other places are in their active breeding season. We will spend the day in quiet observation and occasional stalking, watching deer movements and learning how to identify fresh beds, browse and other signs. We will also follow fresh trails, providing practice in intuitive tracking, and record our extensive observations on a master map that shows habitat use. Finally, as we come across tracks of groups of deer traveling together, we will learn to read their tracks to isolate individuals and their unique walking personalities. We’re scheduling this class for Malibu Creek State Park, but in the event of “red flag” closure there (due to high winds and fire danger), we will hold the class at Ft. Tejon State Park instead.

Interpretive Skills for Teachers & Naturalists

(Basic Tracking Recommended*)

April 4 (Saturday), Eaton Canyon Nature Center

$60

This workshop for teachers and walk leaders provides practice and techniques to make the most of animal tracks and signs you find in the field, allowing you to teach dynamically about habitat and mammal behavior no matter what you encounter. We begin with hands-on interpretive practice in small teams. Then we cover “track windows” to the biology of very common local species, based on Jim Lowery’s Tracker’s Field Guide. Finally, we complete a series of take-home projects that you can use and build upon for your local teaching; these include making replica plaster casts, constructing portable tracking boxes, and making track pattern displays for indoor or outdoor use. Early enrollment is strongly encouraged to allow for reading assignments before the workshop.

* We can accomodate some participants without former tracking training, but these should contact us early to allow for extra reading before the class and for pairing up with more experienced students in the class.

Dirt Time Workshops

Because dirt time is so varied, we offer Dirt Time Workshops that will enable you to get out in the field to learn from different approaches in different locations. These workshops are one-time only, or at least will not be repeated often. Some require only the Basic Tracking class as a prerequisite; others require Advanced Tracking. (The prerequisites are there for a reason, but we make occasional exceptions for those who've had training with other schools.)

For 2008 we are offering:

Animal Movement Workshop

(Basic Tracking Required; Advanced Tracking recommended)

May 16-17 (Saturday - Sunday), Frazier park area

$210

Note: this class was rescheduled from October 08. Two days of watching animals move and then studying their tracks will most definitely boost every tracker’s skills exponentially. In a repeat of a workshop we last held in 2006, we will spend day one with horses and dogs, learning nuances of different gaits and their resulting track patterns. Day two will be spent at Working Wildlife in Lockwood Valley, where handlers of captive wild animals will lead their cougars, wolves, bears and other animals through tracking boxes so that we can study the body language left in fresh prints. This workshop will likely fill up quickly, so enroll early! (Note: Preference will be given to enrollees who have not taken this class previously.)

Bighorn and Badgers : Tracking in the East Mojave

(Basic Tracking Required)

October 30-November 1 (Friday night - Sunday afternoon), Desert Studies Center at Zzyzx

$250

Using the Desert Studies Center in Zzyzx as our base, we will scramble the local rocky areas studying the behavior and biology of the local bighorn herd, in the process honing our rock-tracking skills and doing some GPS mapping. On the flats we’ll search the nearby sand dunes for badgers and the evidence they leave behind via tracks and diggings. The DSC has always had its gray foxes, ringtails, spotted skunks and bobcats should we need more to work on. Students sleep in shared rooms and enjoyed catered breakfasts and dinner at the DSC. Be prepared for considerable hiking. 

Wilderness Skills

Wilderness Skills

(No prerequisite)

August 28-30* (Friday 9:00 am-Sunday 3:00 pm), Los Padres National Forest**

note: This class has been rescheduled from June 12-14, 2009!

* Held in the Frazier Park area; may be taken by itself or in conjunction with Plant Uses the previous day.

$260

A full three days of projects involving shelter, water, fire and food will give you a solid background in wilderness survival priorities, and what it is like to set up a “survival camp.” Individual and group projects include debris huts, bow drill firemaking, cordage, survival basket weaving, stone tools, traps, and primitive hunting tools among others. Many novices as well as experienced outdoorspeople have taken this class, and it is likely that one or more of the skills will become a longtime pursuit for you, increasing your confidence and enjoyment in future wilderness travels. The purpose of the class is not to test how tough you are; however, there is a fair amount of physical work. We hold the class at a car campsite, enabling us to bring in a variety of materials for practice and demonstration.

** Under permit from LPNF. We operate on a non-discriminatory basis.

One-Day Survival Class

(No Prerequisite)

October 10* (Saturday), Frazier Park area*

*May be taken with Plant Uses the following day.

$68

This new workshop introduces wilderness survival priorities in a concise and practical format with considerable practice. You will learn how to evaluate your surroundings and consider choices in various situations, and will work on some basic skills such as shelter building and fire-making. This class does not replace our three-day Wilderness Skills course (which covers the subject much more thoroughly and with more hands-on activities), but is offered for those who cannot take the three day workshop at this time or who prefer a more basic overview. It is nevertheless a solid introduction especially if taken back-to-back with Plant Uses.

*Under permit from Los Padres National Forest. We operate on a non-discriminatory basis.

Plant Uses

(No Prerequisite)

• March 14 (Saturday), Malibu Creek State Park
• June 11* (Thursday), Frazier Park area
  
• October 11 (Sunday), Frazier Park area

* Held in the Frazier Park area; may be taken by itself or in conjunction with Wilderness Skills immediately following.

$68

In our study of wilderness skills, we have learned a lot from the “plant people” as well as the native peoples who used them for shelter, food, clothing, tools and medicine. When you make baskets, bows, arrows, rope, smudges and firemaking apparatus among many other things from plants, you begin to know not only their names, but their personality and how and where they grow. In this one-day class, you will get to know intimately the local plants with multiple uses as you work on projects including making cordage and processing and preparing edible plants. This class combines the perspective of the survivalist with that of the ethnobotanist. A thorough written summary of local plant uses which we have prepared is included.

Plant Uses 201: Plant Gathering and Cooking

(Plant Uses required)

March 15 (Sunday), Frazier park area

$60

We’re repeating this 2007 workshop because it was so much fun, and because we have new recipes we want to try. We will collect wild edibles in the greening areas of early spring, and together with other plants we gathered in the fall, will embark on food projects from crackers to quiches, breads to spreads and salads to dips. Enroll early because there is a size limit to this class.

*May be taken back-to-back with Plant Uses the previous day)

Moccasin Manufacture

(No prerequisite)

May be taken back-to-back with Bone Toolson Sunday.

August 22 (Saturday), Frazier Park area

$75

Many of our students have asked where they can buy moccasins for stalking and quiet nature observation, and our answer is usually that store-bought moccasins are not designed for outdoor use! You really have to make your own - which is the object of this class. Old friend, Cherokee and mountain man Terry Cornett will teach you how to make a simple, durable pair of moccasins that will fit you more snugly and comfortably than any footwear you’ve owned, because they are measured exactly to your feet. This was a very popular workshop two years ago so enroll early; space is limited. Price includes cowhide material.

Bone Tools

(Wilderness Skills recommended)

May be taken back-to-back with Moccasin Manufacture on Saturday.

August 23 (Sunday), Frazier Park area

$75

Bone has been used by indigenous people to make knives, scrapers, awls, whistles, punches, arrowheads, spear points, and fishing gear among many other uses. For the survivalist or traditional skills afficianado, learning bone work techniques to shape, sharpen and harden the raw material is a handy addition to your skills. We’ll do fun projects. Materials are included. The workshop is taught by a fine teacher, Rob Remedi. May be taken back to back with the moccasin workshop the previous day.Bone has been used by indigenous people to make knives, scrapers, awls, whistles, punches, arrowheads, spear points, and fishing gear among many other uses. For the survivalist or traditional skills afficianado, learning bone work techniques to shape, sharpen and harden the raw material is a handy addition to your skills. We’ll do fun projects. Materials are included. The workshop is taught by a fine teacher, Rob Remedi. May be taken back to back with the moccasin workshop the previous day.

Traditional Skills Weekends

In the Traditional Skills Weekend, which we have taught since 1995, we honor the Old Ways by working on many traditional hands-on projects including the preparation of indigenous foods. Every class has a different theme and most rely on Native American co-teachers. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly.

Archeology Tour of the Southern Sierras

(No prerequisite)

April 25-26 (Saturday - Sunday), Walker Pass area of Southern Sierras

$210

For 10,000 years the southern Sierras and Owens Valley have been home to
indigenous people, most recently the Kawaiisu, Tubatulabal and  the
Panamint Shoshone. Archeologist Alan Gold, a specialist in this area’s rock
art, prehistory, and hunting technology, will lead us to ancient pinon
grinding sites, fishing spots, rock shelters, pictographs, petroglyphs, and
astronomy sites near the Chimney Peak Wilderness north of Walker Pass; then
we will visit the lava flow area near Little Lake including the famous
Stahl cave, other pictographs and petroglyphs nearby, and old stone
worksites. We’ll have with us some artifacts dating as far back as 10,000
years from the Maturango Museum collections. Bring a notebook and your
curiosity about primitive skills and traditions (Alan has also extensively
studied the sheep/shamanism rock art in the Coso Range) because you will be
learning a lot! This is an overnight class including camping Saturday
night, and the tour will be a caravan.

Coastal & Inland Lifestyles of Native California

(No prerequisite)

September 26-27 (Saturday-Sunday), Wrightwood

$210

We are honored to have numerous artisans and keepers of native ways from both coastal and inland areas of California join us to demonstrate and teach their extremely rich traditions. From the islands there will be soapstone carving of animal figures, shell work and cooking of seaweed and abalone. From inland areas there will be musical instruments including gourd rattles or clap sticks, and the preparation of pine nuts, acorns and teas. We will hear the stories and knowledge about the “star people.” As with past workshops, we’ll have hands-on projects to try, but also we’ll watch demonstrations of craft and art techniques from those who’ve invested much time and effort in keeping the old ways alive. Our old friends Barbara Drake, Jimi Castillo and Jacques Condor will be teachers, but you’ll also meet new Native American friends.

Earth Philosophy Series

“…My world turns and goes back to the place
Where, a thousand forgotten years ago
The bird and the blowing wind
Were like me, and were my brothers…”
                                    -- Hermann Hesse

Think for a moment of a time when you were in nature and you felt at home, comfortable, peaceful, free from the demands we let into our hectic lives.  This oneness we all recognize as natural, yet is something our modern culture has abandoned all too easily.  It was the norm for our ancestors.  Too often we misplace or ignore this essential part of ourselves that gives us balance in our lives, a connection to all things around us, and an intuitive ability to read what is happening on many different levels.

We offer the “earth philosophy” classes as a bridge to return to that place within each of us and to build the skills to keep it with you wherever you are, whatever the circumstances.  Nature teaches and communicates on many levels but we must be truly present to hear and learn what it has to offer. If you have taken a tracking or skills class, you’ve already begun to reconnect with what may have challenged you as a new a type of communication or a new way to focus. You probably sensed that the possibilities were vast but within your reach.

The classes pass on simple techniques – a way to focus, to stay open, and to increase awareness while eliminating distractions. They can be applied to tracking, survival skills, relationships, a work environment, or personal questions. You will feel more grounded and centered, regaining that balance you felt when nature held you in its embrace.

We learned these skills initially from Tom Brown, Jr.,  as essential undercurrents of every tracking and survival skill – literally within every assignment in every class – and they are passed on unaltered from his mentor, a Lipan Apache scout, shaman and tracker.

This year we’ve restructured the classes so that you can see what they’re about in a one-day introduction. Then you can proceed with deeper levels this year or in the future.

Intuitive Skills Workshop

(Any Earth Skills class serves as a prerequisite)

March 1 * (Sunday), Malibu Creek State Park (rescheduled from Feb. 8 due to rain)
June 26** (Friday), Frazier Park area***

$50

Through many activities, lots of practice (including working with tracks and plants), and sharing with classmates, we show you how to own and trust your intuition. We show you how intuitive communication skills depend upon mental triggers that you learn and carry with you, show you how to perfect them, and give you exercises and assignments to take home with you for further practice.

* May be taken with Basic Tracking the previous day.
** May be taken with Personal Skills Workshop immediately following.
***Under permit from Los Padres National Forest. We operate on a non-discriminatory basis.

Personal Skills Workshop

(Intuitive Skills Workshop required)

June 27-28* (Saturday - Sunday), Los Padres National Forest**

$210

Conversations with the natural world are inevitably mirrors of ourselves, leading to insights and understandings about personal questions and gifts that may be temporarily lost in the modern world. Not only does solitude accomplish this, but actual teachers in nature motivate, clarify, cleanse, heal, balance and prioritize. This direct teaching from non-humans was an essential part of our evolution and remains valid and powerful today. In this second-level workshop we deepen and expand the tools of intuition and awareness, and show you how to use them to honor your personal gifts, get out of ruts and stay in balance.

*May be taken with Intuitive Skills Workshop the previous day.
**Under permit from Los Padres National Forest. We operate on a non-discriminatory basis.

Community Skills Workshop*

(Personal Skills Workshop required)

September 12-13 (Saturday - Sunday), Frazier Park area

$210

“The goal of the community,” writes West African author Sobonfu Somé, “is to make sure each member of the community is heard and is properly giving the gifts they have brought to this world.” We offer this workshop, as it were, for the “scout” (the Personal Skills graduate) who has come back to the community with wisdom and the desire to contribute gifts for a larger purpose. We work on larger awareness tasks, as well as introduce healing skills in the broad and specific sense.

"Razor's Edge" Workshop*

(Community Skills Workshop**required)

October 3-4 (Saturday - Sunday), Los Padres National Forest*

$210

By invitation to Community Skills workshop graduates; this clinic is about greater personal commitment and responsibility.

*Under permit from Los Padres National Forest. We operate on a non-discriminatory basis.

 

Solo Spiritual Quest

(No prerequisite)

August 1-8 (Saturday - Saturday) Call or email us for details

Note on Solo Wilderness quest cost: We set the price to cover direct expenses only. Some scholarships are available.

For the twelfth year, we are excited to offer the Solo Spiritual Quest, an experience for answering deep personal questions, balancing and grounding one's life, and empowering one's personal gifts. Our past quest participants have ranged in age from 18 to their 60’s, with extraordinarily varied backgrounds.

While the quest has roots in ancient ceremonies that have occurred in many cultures around the world, it maintains its relevance and power for us modern people. This is because the very act of being alone for four days and nights, and fasting within the rhythms of nature, brings you to a threshold of teaching and centering. The unessential tends to be stripped away, allowing you to discover what is real and necessary for you at this time. Some have quested to sort out important decisions, some to empower underused gifts, and some to shed the complicating “chaff” that modern life bestows. Some of our questers repeat the quest every few years.

Like most significant learning events, the quest does require sacrifice and usually has challenges that tend to be unique for each quester. It is not an experience to undertake out of mere curiosity because it requires a significant commitment. However, the strength you find within yourself, and your willingness to go to the edge of the unknown to learn, create an experience that you can draw on for a lifetime.

Our Solo Quest borrows from no specific tribal tradition. It is a four-day fast, during which you drink ample water. Though others will be questing at the same time, you will be alone in your personal quest circle in a pine/oak woodland. You will have no distractions (journals, cell phones, music, etc.) but will have a sleeping bag and sufficient clothing. You leave your circle only to use your personal latrine and to leave a marker for the facilitators once a day. You will see no one during your fast, though we do set up a communication system for your safety. There is a day and a half of orientation and preparation before you begin your quest, and there is a day of transition after you come out. We feed you before and after your fast and watch over the area 24 hours a day during it. The 2008 quest will be held on 320 acres of private land in the southern Sierras at about 7000 feet elevation.

To participate in this year’s quest you must ask for an application and return it to us by June 15, 2009. If you have any questions, please contact Jim or Mary at any time and we would be happy to talk to you.

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