So I did a thing... signed up for the Pathfinder Basic survival class in Ohio July 24-6. If anyone is as crazy as me and wants to join get in touch. Still debating if I'm taking my son.
Pathfinder basic survival class
- Thread starter Hedgelj
- Start date
So the class last year got canceled because of Gov Dewine's covid restrictions. We rescheduled and took it this weekend.
Wow, what an experience especially when sharing it with my son. We arrived Friday morning at the gathering location and caravaned to the property. Gear dump and check and repacked it. Our extra gear for camping (not the 10Cs) went in the back of a trailer to go to the campsite. We hiked into the property, offloaded the gear and onto the classroom.
A few hours of lecture on the 10Cs, safety items, etc and then our first hike. Each hike was done with one of the 6mil 55gal trash bags in your hands to forage for sticks, tinder, and other smalls for fires later. In this hike we learned about trees for tinder, fatwood, natural accelerants, etc.
We came back and learned how to review a bic lighter from submersion in under a minute to light a tinder bundle.
It became too windy to continue with fire so they moved onto shelter basics. This used paracord, bankline prussik knots and an emergent survival blanket (not the mylar type). Then we set up camp for the night.
Wow, what an experience especially when sharing it with my son. We arrived Friday morning at the gathering location and caravaned to the property. Gear dump and check and repacked it. Our extra gear for camping (not the 10Cs) went in the back of a trailer to go to the campsite. We hiked into the property, offloaded the gear and onto the classroom.
A few hours of lecture on the 10Cs, safety items, etc and then our first hike. Each hike was done with one of the 6mil 55gal trash bags in your hands to forage for sticks, tinder, and other smalls for fires later. In this hike we learned about trees for tinder, fatwood, natural accelerants, etc.
We came back and learned how to review a bic lighter from submersion in under a minute to light a tinder bundle.
It became too windy to continue with fire so they moved onto shelter basics. This used paracord, bankline prussik knots and an emergent survival blanket (not the mylar type). Then we set up camp for the night.
Woke up early the next morning and tore down camp. Back in the classroom by 0730.
Started the morning by making fires and creating char material from the punkwood we collected the day before. The day before we had started with a bic, fatwood dust or shavings and a ferrocerium rod, this was just your tinder bundle and a ferro rod.
Then we learned more about the different types of emergency shelters, basic water purification, and the very basics of land navigation and using a compass. We then went out in our groups to practice land navigation with an instructor and to pick up another bag of smalls/ sticks.
We came back to check on our char material and both Cooper and I had some.
Then they told us to top off our water bottles (stainless steel wide mouth quart Nalgene style) and we have 10 minutes to build a fire and get that water to a rolling boil AND GO!
After that exercise, we went on a land navigation course. I made a mistake and we were a few hundred yards off on the last point and didn't find it, but we made the time deadline with the other points and the other requirements to bring back. Then 10 minutes to build 3 of the 4 shelters which we barely failed at.
At that point we needed to be perfect on the remaining deliverables to be able to qualify for the patch. No pressure. It's also almost 6pm and it's been a long day already. So the final exercise. Another land navigation course (timed of course) along with foraging for a bag of sticks, filling our water bottles up from the creeks we would cross and some other stuff. We we got back you show your requirements and then you have 15 minutes as a team (Cooper and I) to make a fire from our char material and the sparks from a bic lighter that has no fuel large enough to bring both quarts of water to a boil. Also, you need to construct 3 of the 4 shelters.
We did it! Cooper made such a great fire lay that one i got the char going the flames were over his head at one point. I had the first shelter (lean to) almost completed before he had the fire lay done. No joke, 2-3 minutes is all it takes.
Then after all the teams were done, we set up another shelter, created a browse bed mattress and spent the night in it with nothing but our 10Cs.
Started the morning by making fires and creating char material from the punkwood we collected the day before. The day before we had started with a bic, fatwood dust or shavings and a ferrocerium rod, this was just your tinder bundle and a ferro rod.
Then we learned more about the different types of emergency shelters, basic water purification, and the very basics of land navigation and using a compass. We then went out in our groups to practice land navigation with an instructor and to pick up another bag of smalls/ sticks.
We came back to check on our char material and both Cooper and I had some.
Then they told us to top off our water bottles (stainless steel wide mouth quart Nalgene style) and we have 10 minutes to build a fire and get that water to a rolling boil AND GO!
After that exercise, we went on a land navigation course. I made a mistake and we were a few hundred yards off on the last point and didn't find it, but we made the time deadline with the other points and the other requirements to bring back. Then 10 minutes to build 3 of the 4 shelters which we barely failed at.
At that point we needed to be perfect on the remaining deliverables to be able to qualify for the patch. No pressure. It's also almost 6pm and it's been a long day already. So the final exercise. Another land navigation course (timed of course) along with foraging for a bag of sticks, filling our water bottles up from the creeks we would cross and some other stuff. We we got back you show your requirements and then you have 15 minutes as a team (Cooper and I) to make a fire from our char material and the sparks from a bic lighter that has no fuel large enough to bring both quarts of water to a boil. Also, you need to construct 3 of the 4 shelters.
We did it! Cooper made such a great fire lay that one i got the char going the flames were over his head at one point. I had the first shelter (lean to) almost completed before he had the fire lay done. No joke, 2-3 minutes is all it takes.
Then after all the teams were done, we set up another shelter, created a browse bed mattress and spent the night in it with nothing but our 10Cs.
The final morning Dave took Cooper and the other boy who were there and gave them personalized autographed copies of his book and a really nice mora knife.
We had a final class on search and rescue and signaling. We practiced signaling with our mirrors. Then our final exam. Cooper and I both passed and qualified for patches.
I can't tell you how proud I am of him. He met the standards and on the team portions it was just him and I. Traditionally they have a 30-40% drop out rate prior to the final exam and our class was no exception and not everyone who got to the exam patches either.
We had a final class on search and rescue and signaling. We practiced signaling with our mirrors. Then our final exam. Cooper and I both passed and qualified for patches.
I can't tell you how proud I am of him. He met the standards and on the team portions it was just him and I. Traditionally they have a 30-40% drop out rate prior to the final exam and our class was no exception and not everyone who got to the exam patches either.
OO2
Well-Known Member
Best thing I've read in a while. Very cool, congratulations!
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Outstanding! That’s a great way to spend a weekend with your boy!
So now that you have passed that course, next year you and the boy can join us at Paint Creek.
He's 11, I've known about it for some time and always planned on doing it but timing finally worked out.
Dave was on the original Dual Survivor TV show and I've also read his books. His Ohio classroom is around Wellston and borders the Broken Arrow wildlife area.
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He used to bum around Chillicothe a lot. I ran into him at a gas station after leaving an OSTA shoot one year. I thought he had been there too and struck up a conversation with him. Dude explained how he wasn’t into archery for competition- it was only for survival, yada yada. He’s weird, I think, but knows bushcraft, and ya gotta respect that.
Dave used to come to OSTA shoots back when I was an officer. he let me shoot one of his bows once. I just had to know how a survival bow shoots, lol. he set up as a vendor a few times until he got pissy with me about having to compete with the other vendors. I told him how it was, that we welcomed all archery/hunting related vendors, and he stopped coming after that. he was a irascible, but mostly a nice guy, and his wife was pretty hot. I was actually going to take his class, but decided that I didn't really want to give him my money after having to deal with him.
