Author Archives: Christopher Russell

We live in a world that likes to chop things up into bite-size pieces and analyze each part in order to understand the bigger picture at play. This method of engaging with learning material works well for some but has one downfall that I find pretty severe. It’s easy to get bogged down in individualContinue reading “Combining Separate Outdoor Living Skills Shows Students How Much They Actually Know”

In the second half of my conversation with Tom we get into the nitty-gritty of the natural world influencing art, the value of going out and being alone in the wilderness, and how that experience should be framed for greater results. This portion of the conversation references the first half fairly often, so if youContinue reading “School Of The Forest Podcast Episode Nineteen Is Live; “An Apprentice To Language”: Chatting With Writer, Wilderness Fasting Guide And Craftsman Tom Hirons (Part Two)”

We’re getting closer to the middle of our second Friluftsliv Forest Program in southern Vermont. It’s been a great experience, and we’re already getting signups for next year’s session. This got me thinking about the differences between a long-term residential program like our nine-week guide training and bushcraft semesters at Jack Mountain and the once-a-monthContinue reading “Differentiating Our Long Term Residential And One Weekend A Month Bushcraft/ Wilderness Guide Immersion Programs”

The first of our three winter sessions for the Friluftsliv program in Vermont was this weekend. Students got to work on crafts in a warm canvas tent, learn a lot about the basics of living outdoors in The Northeast during the winter, get their first taste of the systems we use for backcountry travel in the wintertimeContinue reading “Learning About Hot Tents and Woodstoves On The Winter Season Of The Friluftsliv Program In Vermont”

The New Twenty Footer And My Eighteen Foot “River Witch” for scale Today I picked up a twenty-foot E.M. White Guide Canoe from our friend Don Merchant at Pole And Paddle. She’s an old boat, likely from the ’30s or ’40s. That statement on its own contains all the “necessary” information when paired with pictures. ButContinue reading “Musings On Story Telling And The Poetry Of Old Objects”