Sat, Apr 2 2005 - Survival Skills Training Sampler (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Lanier Participants: Katherine Martin, Chris Jackson, Lionel Rood, Rebecca Portman, Wayne Robertson, Spencer Jackson, Ben Taratoot, Patrick Barry, Susan Murphy, Vicky Taylor, Dick Jetson Brown, Phil 'Foz' Parkerson, Janet Rhodes, Joseph Hamm, Darryl Pollinger, drew pollinger, Daniel Beatty, Lanier

Write Up:
We arrived on Saturday, a cold blustery rainy day and by noon it was snowing at the higher elevations. Sunday was a nice day! The training was both inside and outside. The idea of this training was to take a 7 weekend long course taught by the Park Rangers at Amicalola Falls State Park and condense it to a “sampler” course over one weekend. It worked very well. We covered wilderness survival skills in enough depth to give us an appreciation of what is required to survive for a period in the wild, and to whet our appetites for more in-depth study in areas of interest. Most AOC folks camped out in the National Forest adjacent to the park (it’s free) next to a large stream. Those with 30 degree sleeping bags were tested. Due to the campsite location the high winds were not a big factor. Some of the highlights were spending time with raptor birds that were being rehabilitated or were part of an educational program. Other highlights were making fire by hand with stick, board and kindling. Another was building an emergency debris shelter (yes, we have pictures). We attempted to get a volunteer or two to spend the night, but were not successful. Several participants are now interested in taking the long course. We all learned some new skills and as a result we will be more confident in the wilderness. Thanks to Richard Brown for making video and photos.
Written By: Lanier Deal
Photos From: Richard Brown

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