Wilderness Learning Center Review
Over the past several months I have begun to expand my survival training and have found several new teachers and mentors with unique skills. While their lessons have common threads, I have quickly found there are more definitions for the word “survivalist” than I ever thought possible. To many people, survival is perceived as a battle against nature where staying alive is all about conquering the elements. On the opposite end of the spectrum there are folks that view these skills as a spiritual vehicle that brings them into a closer connection with God, The Creator, etc. While I tend to stick with the latter group, I have dabbled in both ends of the spectrum and everything in between. My conclusion is that developing these skills is just like the rest of life: it is an ongoing journey that is guided by your core values. If you stay in a receptive frame of mind, everyone you encounter becomes a teacher. My personal motivation for studying wilderness survival may be different than yours but I would never let that prevent an opportunity to learn from you. It is my belief that we all have many teachers in life, even if we don't know it... and they each hold a piece of the grand puzzle. |
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Survival School Begins
When I walked into the campsite, a guy with a brimmed hat and mountain man beard jumped to his feet with a smile and an outstretched hand. He wore a toothy grin on one side of his mouth with a cigar in the other. The man was Marty Simon, the founder of The Wilderness Learning Center and a life long survival skills instructor. I was immediately impressed by his welcoming attitude and authentic kindness. He didn't waste any time before busting my chops, but I quickly came to enjoy the mutual ball busting sessions as did the rest of the group. Marty's wife Aggie was also readily availabe for the duration of the course. Aside from her kind spirits, she contributed a breadth of knowledge about plants. |
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Marty Simon |
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Aggie Simon |
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The Course
Our three day survival course started with group introductions and then jumped right into the meat and potatoes.
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| Day 1 |
- Intro, Orientation & Survival Philosophy
- Land Navigation
- Survival Kits
- Intro to Fire
- Fire Making Exercises
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| Day 2 |
- Signaling
- Cordage
- Clothing & Gear
- Edible and Medicinal Plants
- Basic Knots
- Water Purification
- Knives for Survival
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| Day 3 |
- Trapping
- Fishing Kits and Spears
- Lashing
- Wilderness First Aid
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Between field exercises, the back of Marty's truck became our classroom. |
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Core Philosophies
It didn't take long to discover that Marty's core mantra in survival is “Be Prepared”. My base of learning has always revolved around the primitive / ancestral approach to survival. And while the ancient approach will always be my true passion, I realized just how unprepared I was for an emergency survival situation or an urban disaster. Our guest instructor Sgt. Mike said it best… that if “shit really hits the fan” the items you want to have prepared are those which are most difficult to replicate in a primitive fashion, such as fishing line and hooks. |
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Navigation
Many survival situations occur when a planned trip to the wilderness gets off course and becomes an aimless and panicked wander. While this is a great time to have survival skills, most of these situations can be prevented by good old awareness and some compass skills. Marty instructed us heavily on the use of map and compass techniques as well as solar and celestial navigation methods. |
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Ethan Becker
A particularly fun segment of the course was the section on knives lead by Ethan Becker, the founder of Becker Knife and Tool. Ethan is a life long outdoorsman and a knife nut from day one. He has recently partnered with Ka Bar who will be manufacturing his latest series of blades. A true renaissance man, Ethan was also the president of CMI, a renowned mountaineering equipment company, and continues to author the famous series of books called “The Joy of Cooking”. Now that I've almost got carpel tunnel from writing his credentials, I'll get on with the fun stuff! Ethan started by giving us a detailed explanation of the various blade steels that are found in common knives. He also gave specific attention to the science behind various grinds, and the virtues of each. At the end of his segment, Ethan gave his personal opinions on each of the knives that the students were wearing. I received some friendly ball busting for carrying the Tracker, but I gave a spirited defense of the blade that was well received… and the Hedgehog sheath got two thumbs up! |
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My Takeaway Thoughts
The weekend with Marty and his instructors was highly informative and in a number of days the group had developed a camaraderie that usually takes years. As I mentioned before, my philosophy and training time is usually devoted to a “primitive only” set of rules, but this course opened my eyes to the virtues of preparedness for emergency situations. Just after returning home to St. Louis, I experienced my first earthquake which served as a gentle yet eerie reminder that our daily lives depend heavily on resources that would be jeopardized in a wide spread disaster. In regards to Marty and his school, he has my highest recommendation and if you choose to learn from him I'm sure you will appreciate the opportunity.
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More Info
The Wilderness Learning Center
435 Sandy Knoll Road
Chateauguay, New York 12920
Phone: 518-497-3179
www.weteachu.com
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Best always,
Paul Scheiter
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