2-4 November Primitive Skills Class was a perfect weekend for rekindling knowledge in the old ways of living.
This course is designed to provide skills for living primitively in the wilderness; a student and staff favorite every year. The course includes building a leaf hut shelter that most slept in each night; friction fire making with the bow drill that everyone had success in making; primitive tool making; primitive water gathering and purification and we drank our purified findings too; primitive trapping; hunting with the infamous rabbit stick; and the skinning, cleaning and cooking game (thanks for the venison). The course also covered edible plants, primitive cooking, food preservation and storage, wicker basketry from vines, plant and tree bark string, and burning out wooden bowls and spoons.
Hue and Jamey, running a day late, made a tragic error. They forgot the squirrel for the wild game butchering demo and subsequent squirrel feast in the freezer. We had to quickly adjust our teaching plan and schedule. Tim gave a frantic call to his cousin, the mighty hunter, and by evening we had fresh hunter culled venison hanging from our primitive camp. We demonstrated butchering into the wee hours by lantern and flashlight. Everyone got to eat some venison ribs the next day and each took home some fresh venison for home cook'in. All I can say is... "I'm going to conveniently forget the squirrel again next year."
All in all a VERY successful weekend. New skills learned by all. Plenty of venison and a great night of campfire conversation.
Note: EC had two new instructors from the future expansion of EC, Wes and Hardee, and a very energetic helper, Russell, who has attended most every class we teach that deserve much thanks for the successful weekend!
