This will be an immersive experience in the winter woods learning to get more comfortable with winter conditions, learning skills to care for our needs in this season, learning sources of food, and enjoying the rare beauty of this season. We will hike out into a wild area along the Wisconsin River, observing the dormant plant life and signs of less dormant animal life, and then setting up a space for our afternoon activities. After roasting some goods and cooking a hearty local stew on the fire we will learn about setting up winter shelter, picking good sheltered locations, lost-proofing and safety. We'll cover sourcing various materials, fire making under adverse conditions, and more in the wondrous winter woods. A moderate amount of physical fitness will be required for this experience.
Date: Saturday, January 25
Time: 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Lunch will be provided.
Ages: 12+
Location: Blue River, WI
Instructions: Be sure to come with warm clothes, jackets, mitts, hats, insulated boots, etc. Pack a backpack with water, something to sit upon, TP, and other personal needs for a serious day out. Nicholas will send a more complete gear list as we approach the date.
Sliding Scale Course Fee Guidelines (not including Materials Fees)
Supporter Level Ticket: $130
If you move through the world with financial ease and the means to fulfill many of your wants as well as your needs – you are able to eat out when you want, abundantly meet your needs through employment or can comfortably not work, have access to family wealth, own property, etc. – consider paying at this level, which will help us ensure the long term sustainability of our programs while keeping our offerings accessible to those with access to fewer resources.
Sustainer Level Ticket: $105
If you are able to meet your needs with relative ease while budgeting your educational and entertainment spending – for instance, you are able to take classes and eat out occasionally as long as you are mindful – consider paying at this level, which will help sustain the work of the Folk School at a modest level.
Supported Level Ticket: $80
If you struggle to fund your basic needs and have limited access to resources in your family and community, or if you would not be able to access this offering without a discounted payment option, consider paying at this level. We value your presence and contributions to our community and do not want any economic circumstances to be a barrier to attendance!
Instructor Highlight — Nicholas WazeeGale
Nicholas WazeeGale is a lifelong student of the natural world, traditional cultures, and sustainability. His life is intricately tied to the Driftless landscape through foraging plant and fungi foods, hunting and fishing, tanning skins, making traditional handcraft, and obsessively observing and tracking the myriad unfoldings of the living landscape. He is a long time instructor with the Driftless Folks School and other outdoor education institutions, contracts as a professional wildlife tracker with the Wisconsin DNR, and teaches at the Kickapoo Valley Forest School. He is a certified Wilderness Guide through a year long wilderness living immersion course and holds both a Professional and Specialist Certification in track and sign via Tracker Certification North America.
Find him online at…
Instagram: @naturalnuances and/or @wildrootshandcrafts
Facebook: Nicholas WazeeGale
Website: www.wildrootshandcrafts.com