Advanced Wilderness Survival

The goal of our Advanced Wilderness Survival is to provide you the confidence to, not only survive a wilderness emergency and expedite rescue, but become the leader that others will need. Most search-and-rescue missions conclude within a 72-hour timeframe, during which many victims only passively hope to be found. Instead, our instructors will provide you the skills and knowledge to be proactive, and they will expose you to the mental and physical stressors that you’ll likely encounter — lack of resources, poor weather, fatigue, and hunger — so that you can bring out your best and demonstrate leadership. After all, the essence of wilderness survival is really about protecting others.

You will learn the same modern approach to wilderness survival that is taught to U.S. military personnel to bring them home. You will learn basic skills such as knots and lashings, the fundamentals of first-aid and prevention, how to procure potable water, how to improvise tools, and how to confidently build a fire in all types of weather conditions including rain. You will sleep, not in tents, but rather in improvised emergency shelters that you construct each day. You may not bring sleeping bags or pads. All cooking will be completed over coals. You will be tasked with various projects and challenges throughout your training, and you’ll have the option of spending the last night alone on your own. By the time that you’ve finished your course, you’ll have a better sense of risk assessment and management so that you can ideally avoid an emergency in the first place. Regardless, you’ll be ready to protect yourself and others on any exploration, and then return home with pride.

This course is geared towards participants of all skill levels and backgrounds so no particular experience, prerequisites, or athletic ability is necessary. We only require that you bring the necessary equipment, your sense of adventure, and your Positive Mental Attitude. From there, we will work together to take care of the rest. However, please note the “Level of Physical Difficulty” description below so that we can all get the most out of the program.

Course Overview

Description of the Level of Physical Difficulty – Moderate to Strenuous: This course involves multiple sessions of hiking with laden backpacks, walking, and other activities over varying distances at a steady pace over varying terrain that will include off-trail sections, rough spots, unexpected obstacles, and low to steep inclines and declines. This course is conducted in varying weather conditions, including hot, cold, humid, rain, wind, and snow, or a mixed combination. This is a physically active course so it is best suited for those who are in good physical condition and ready for a fast paced day. If you have any questions, or would like some guidance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Start/End Times: 9:00 a.m. Day One / 12:00 p.m. Day Four

Minimum Age: 18 years.