Archive for the ‘Adventures’ Category

Choosing a Satellite Beacon

Choosing a Satellite Beacon

I’m heading to Utah in a few weeks. For those who’ve talked to me for more than 10 minutes, you know that Utah is my Mecca. So needless to say, I’m super excited. I plan on driving about 2,000 miles around southern Utah over nine days. One of my stops is the amazingly beautiful, Reflection Canyon. If you have not seen pictures of this place, do yourself a favor and Google it now. Here’s the kicker — getting to Reflection Canyon requires driving down a very rough and unpatrolled “road” for about two hours. From there, you have to hike in complete wilderness (no paths, signs or guides of any kind) for 10 miles. Needless to say, there is no cell coverage and no water access of any kind the whole time. Despite me being overly prepared with tools and skill sets, I am concerned about the inability to call […]

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Top 10 Survival School

Top 10 Survival School

True North is extremely pleased to announce that we have been included as one of the top ten wilderness survival schools featured in the Spring 2016 issue of Survivor’s Edge. As outlined in its article, Masters of Survival, the folks at Survivor’s Edge write, “Here are ten well highly regarded schools that will teach you what you need to know to survive and live off of the land.” We’re not exactly sure if we are comfortable being described, even indirectly, as a “master” since it’s extremely humbling to see our name alongside so many other nationally known and well respected survival schools from all around the United States in their list.  Still, if this attention in any way reflects how hard we continue to work to provide you the finest training in wilderness survival, emergency medicine, and land navigation so that you are best prepared to protect yourself, and others, in an emergency anywhere, anytime, then that’s fine […]

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Men’s Health Interviews True North

Men's Health Interviews True North

Earlier this month, Gregg Stebben, co-host of Men’s Health Live, a weekly syndicated radio show from Men’s Health magazine and Entertainment Radio Network, recently interviewed Erik Kulick for it’s “Better Man Project.” This interview is now available online.  You’ll find links below to the full episode as well as the interview segments: July 18, 2015 | FULL SHOW | #134 From Pluto to your kitchen table, we explore it all this week on Men’s Health Live (@MensHealthRadio). Click to find out how to cook like a pro-chef, survive a dinosaur attack, and truly connect with Mother Nature. Segment 9: Wilderness Survival There is no safety net in the great outdoors, warns survival expert Erik Kulick (@SteelCityEK). Before you become stranded or injured, start prepping! Click now.  Segment 10: Wild Man at Work Squaring off against Mother Nature will make you a better man…if you survive! Find out from survival expert Erik Kulick […]

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Using the Outdoors to Find Your Bearings

Using the Outdoors to Find Your Bearings

Usually at some point while teaching a wilderness survival course, I explain to a class that the skills and knowledge that they are acquiring isn’t just limited to dealing with an emergency situation in a remote outdoors location.  Their wilderness survival ability is also applicable to Life in general. That’s because survival isn’t really so much about how much gear that you have in your backpack, or how much specialized training that you have.  Rather, in any survival situation, it’s what’s in your head and heart that most matters. So if you want to be a good survivor, and even test your chances of being one, oftentimes you can just look to see how you are “surviving” in your daily life.  This may sound odd, but the simple truth is that the hardships that we sometimes experience in our daily lives — whether being laid off unexpectedly from a job; being diagnosed […]

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CNN Interviews True North

CNN Interviews True North

Last Friday, CNN news anchor, Brooke Baldwin, again interviewed True North’s own Erik Kulick on her program Newsroom.  This time, she wanted to ask about his thoughts concerning the rescue of Louis Jordan, the sailor who was rescued one day earlier, approximately 200 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, after apparently spending 66 days lost at sea in a sailboat. Given that this admittedly inexperienced sailor showed none of the expected hallmarks of a castaway, like severe sunburn, blisters, profound dehydration, and weight loss — not too mention that both of Jordan’s shoulders appeared remarkably normal considering that he stated to the U.S. Coast Guard that he had broken his shoulder early on in a storm — the media grew skeptical as the story developed. So Brooke spoke to Erik to ask his opinion about Jordan’s account. Just below, then, is a transcript of their talk.  And if you like, you can watch […]

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Congratulations Survival Grads

Congratulations Survival Grads

True North is really proud to welcome our newest survival graduates who completed our Basic Wilderness Survival (BWS) course this weekend.  Some might think that this was some simple Spring camping trip, but, trust me, they’d be wrong … definitely wrong. After all, Winter would better describe the conditions!  This crew of four not only arrived bright and early at the trailhead, despite ample snow on the ground at Quebec Run Wild Area in the Laurel Highlands and the forecast upcoming overnight low temperature of 14 degrees, but they put their nervousness and physical discomfort aside to work hard all day, laughing and smiling throughout.  Even when they emerged from their tents the next morning with frost on their hats (where it had actually hit 12 degrees overnight) they continued to amply demonstrate positive mental attitude — the hallmark of the survivor — at its finest. We enjoyed a wonderfully diverse group who took our BWS […]

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WMS Approves our Courses

WMS Approves our Courses

True North is proud to announce that the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) has recently accepted our Basic Wilderness Navigation and Basic Wilderness Survival as approved courses in its Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM) program.  This former, then, provides 6-credits of “Land Navigation” (05-15), while the latter provides 11.5-credits through a mix of core and elective components as part of the FAWM Survival, Field Craft & Equipment topic area. The FAWM is geared towards those professionals, like physicians, nurses, paramedics, and other related outdoor educators, in any recognized medical discipline or vocation, or who are a current student or resident of such a program.  The fundamental purpose of the Academy is the support the mission of the WMS to advance healthcare, research, and education related to wilderness medicine. This addition to our programming is just another in True North’s ongoing efforts to provide superior outdoors training at fair and reasonable prices that meets the demands of […]

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Gift Certificates are Available!

Gift Certificates are Available!

True North is very pleased to announce that it is now making gift certificates available for you to give to your family or friends.  This offers an easy and convenient way to surprise the survivor in your life! We can customize your certificate in any number of formats that best serves your wishes.  One way is to purchase a certificate for a specific course, like Basic Wilderness Survival or Wilderness First Aid.  Another way is to purchase a certificate which reflects some dollar amount which your survivor can then redeem towards a course.  Or, if you have some specific idea in mind, just let us know and we’ll work with you to design a format.  In any case, once your survivor receives the certificate, we’ll work with him or her directly to register for a course. Better yet, our certificates are absolutely risk and worry free since your survivor can work with us […]

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True North on CNN

True North on CNN

After spending forty-eight days on the run after gunning down two Pennsylvania State Troopers, Eric Frein, an apparent “expert survivalist,” was finally arrested by U.S. Marshalls on October 30 at an abandoned airplane hanger in northeastern Pennsylvania.  Since then, law enforcement and media alike have been working hard to determine how Frein not only committed the crime, but how he was able to remain on the run for so long.  In as much, I continued to be interviewed this week by various journalists from such news organizations as The Morning Call, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and CNN who asked for some insight into Frein’s survival abilities. In fact, on Thursday, I was privileged to be interviewed live by CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin on her show Newsroom.  You can watch it for yourself as part of her report, “100+ Items Found at Frein’s Hideout.”  You can also read the transcript: BALDWIN: If you do not need a passport to access […]

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Survivor v. Survivalist: What’s the Difference?

Survivor v. Survivalist: What's the Difference?

Going into it’s eleventh day, the manhunt continues for Eric Frein, the self-styled survivalist who ambushed two Pennsylvania State Troopers, killing one and injuring another, then apparently slipped into the mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania to escape.  In addition to the swarm of state and federal law enforcement officers intensely searching for Frein, there is a swarm of media in the vicinity intensely searching for any information that may help the general public better understand, not just the mind of this killer, but for how long he may be able to avoid arrest.  As a result, my telephone has been repeatedly ringing almost everyday for a week as journalists from across the state and country ask for my “expert” opinion about the manhunt, in particular, what skills it takes a “survivalist” to successfully hide and evade.  I detest the term survivalist. Before I explain, though, let me make two points clear, just as […]

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