Discipline: Mountain Adventure Skills Training
A graduate of the MAST program myself in 2013, I have returned every year since 2016 to teach the program’s Survival course.
My journey into bushcraft and survival started long before I came to Canada from England. I started collecting wood to make bows at university where I was studying for my BA in Fine Art Sculpture. After completing a course in Wales, I realized I could combine my love of making things with my love of running around the mountains. After a few more courses in England, I craved more wilderness and joined a year-long program in Northern Maine. We lived in shelters and crafter the things we needed from what we had around us. It was one of the most profound experiences of my life.
Since then, I have worked as a hiking guide, hunting guide, and, nearly 10 years later, continue to teach survival and bushcraft. Survival is about problem solving – how to make yourself comfortable and/or how to get yourself out of a situation. It also requires tenacity, perseverance, and positivity. I will sometimes throw the students curve balls to keep them on their toes and ensure they can think for themselves and work through the problem at hand, and the emotional roller coaster that is life in the woods.