The art of living well in wild places goes by many names; I call it bushcraft.
I define bushcraft as having a working knowledge of your ecology; a hands-on and direct relationship with the land. Bush = wild land. Craft = skilled work. At its core, Bushcraft doesn’t refer to an aesthetic, a brand, or a product you can buy. It’s the place-based knowledge humans used daily for 99% of our species’ history.
Say you want to experience the sense of deep connection that can come from interacting with the land in this way; what are the most important things to learn?
Here’s my (totally unbiased!) take on where to start:
#1: Don’t die
First, you need to know how to stay out of trouble—aka modern survival skills. Don’t go all Christopher McCandless on us and think that romantic ideals will keep you safe; the bush doesn’t care. These are relatively easy skills to learn and have nothing to do with stone tools or friction fire.They’re things like how to light a fire in a downpour with a lighter, set up a tarp shelter, signal for help, sanitize water, and do first aid. If you don’t have these basics, learn them first.
#2: Make plant friends (and eat them)
Learn your local plants, especially trees. Why plants? Almost all bush skills rely heavily on plant knowledge. Want to make strong cordage? Better know how to identify basswood and spruce. Want to carve a bowl? Better know a good spot for birch. Want to hunt a moose? Better know what habitat and food it likes. Want good firewood? You get the point. The great Mors Kochanski suggested that a well-rounded bushcraft library would have 70% plant-related books.
Plant knowledge is underrated in the bushcraft world. The great thing about plants is they don’t run away. Get up close, draw them, smell them, touch them—try getting a bear to let you do that. I know that if I eat a plant or carve a particular wood, I’m much more likely to remember its name and where it’s found.
#3: Hit the trail
Learn wilderness travel skills and go on trips. Get out there and have real adventures, even if they’re tiny! Learn navigation, trip planning, outdoor cooking, canoeing/hiking/snowshoeing, etc. When you can put skills into context on the trail, your learning increases exponentially. Gear and ideas get tested, and you figure out what works and what doesn’t pretty quickly.
As my mentor Tim Smith likes to say, “The winter trail is where shitty ideas go to die.” He’s right, and I will no longer be bringing pumpkins to carve on my snowshoe trips. For real though, we only know what actually works by trying things in context, in the real world.
Well there you go. I hope that helps you on your journey. There are many other good paths to connect with nature; this is just my approach.
If you want to skip some of the struggle and get a solid foundation of outdoor skills, check out the Firekeepers course.
