MULTI-DAY COURSES
CLASS DURATION | 3-6 DAYS
Looking for an incredible chance to learn from a legend of desert survival?
You found it!
Join 'Southwest Survival’s' Jon Helleson and legendary herbalist, wilderness expert, and author, Peter Bigfoot as they team up to share their skills during an incredible 5- day immersion into desert wilderness living!
Nestled deep in the beautiful Superstition Mountains, Reevis Mountain is a true oasis in the desert. We’ll stay at Peter Bigfoot’s homestead paradise he has created in the wilderness- you’ll see true self-reliance in action! You'll be camping in style- eating delicious home grown meals from an organic garden, enjoying hot showers, and experiencing first hand how to live completely off the grid!
This course is absolutely jam-packed with skills:
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Navigation- Get lost proof! Learn a ton of improvised techniques for accurate navigation! And learn how to use a map and compass to find where you are, estimate your pace, and to plot your course!
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Useful plants- Sample delicious wild edible plants and learn how to identify and prepare them. Discover incredible local medicinal plants for healing a variety of injuries, and illnesses.
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basic & advanced survival skills Create comfortable emergency shelters for staying warm and dry and staying cool. Make fire using modern and multiple fire by friction techniques (hand drill, fire saw, and bow drill). Learn life-saving water skills- how to find,and purify water.
And more!
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get geared up! Make your own survival gear right from nature- making rope, an agave water bottle, toothbrushes, sharp stone blades, pitch glue, and items for living in the wild!
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hunting skills Hungry? No problem! Identify animals in the area using tracks and other signs and learn to make effective snares, deadfall traps, and hunting items.
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campfire cooking Cook a meal off a campfire without modern cookware! Learn how to pit bake, boil using hot stones, and make useful cookware items like tongs, and coal burned bowls.
When you are done with this course you will be ready for awesome adventures in the Southwest!
Tuition: 625
(Includes: Buffet style organic home grown meals, and Useful Plants of the Southwest book!)
Duration: Five days
STop watching all those
Survival t.v. shows!
experience living wild!
Join us on a real outdoor adventure!
Gather wild foods, and cook them over a fire you made from a hand-carved fire by friction set! Sleep in a shelter you made yourself!
Learn to carry less!
The first day, you'll make your primitive survival kit- yucca rope, fire by friction set, agave water bottle, stone blades, etc...
The next day, you'll travel super light! Heading off into the wild with just a knife, wildcrafted foods, and the traditional items you've made!
During your adventure, you will be using basic & advanced survival techniques- including making comfortable shelters, starting your fire using friction, and finding natural water sources in the desert.
You'll cook your gathered meals off of a campfire! Eating lots of delicious wild edibles and learn how to effectively use snares, traps, and other hunting items.
Experience living in the wild with just a knife, and traditional skills!
Tuition: 525
Duration: Three days
Want to learn everything?
You got it!
Learn how to survive in the Sonoran Desert, Red Rock Canyons, and Mountain Forests!
Join us for an incredible 6 day immersion as we spend 2 days in each region learning skills for living well in the wilderness:
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shelters Sleep cozy in the high mountains and learn to cool down in the desert sun using shelters built from ultralight and natural materials!
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fire basic & advanced firecraft for each region! Learn how to use modern items like flint and steel & hand lenses. Carve your own bow drill and hand drill fire by friction set!
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water Find, and purify water using improvised techniques- tricks for the Southwest backcountry that will save your life! Make a water bottle out of an agave, and a wooden bowl for boiling water using stones heated from a campfire!
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get geared up! You'll learn how to travel ultralight! Making your own survival gear right from nature- rope from yucca leaves, an agave water bottle, toothbrushes, yucca sandals, sharp stone blades, pitch glue, and items for living in the wild!
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wilderness first aid Be prepared before you head out! We'll cover common injuries for each region we visit so you know what to do when a medical emergency occurs!
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Navigation Get lost proof! Learn improvised techniques for accurate navigation, and how to use a map and compass to find where you are, estimate your pace, and to plot your course!
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traditional archery Flint knap an arrowhead from scratch! Make an arrow using local natural materials and carve your own hunting bow!
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useful plants For the Sonoran Desert, Red Rock Canyons, and Mountain Forests! Sample delicious wild edibles and learn medicines for healing a variety of injuries, and illnesses.
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Hunting tools Make a rabbit stick and Apache star for hunting small game and birds. Also make an Atlatl & dart- used all over the world for hunting mammoths in North America, reindeer in Europe, and even emus in Australia! Carve your own and enjoy the fun of throwing them!
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campfire cooking Cook a meal off a campfire without modern cookware! Make useful cookware items like tongs, and coal burned bowls.
AND MORE!
Learn to live in the three major wilderness areas of the Southwest with only a knife!
Tuition: 925
(Includes Pocket Survival Kit Items, Useful Plants of the Southwest book, and Tracking book!)
Duration: Six days
Complete a handcrafted bow and traditional arrows FROM SCRATCH!
Arrow Making-
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Flintknapping- You'll start your arrow making course with learning how to make an arrowhead! You'll learn how to strike off stone blades from cobbles, use an antler baton to carefully shape the stone flake into an arrowhead blank, then with an antler tine, you will pressure flake the edge to strengthen and sharpen it.
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Crafting the Arrow- In the next portion, we'll start crafting your arrow. I'll show you how to find, and straighten an arrow shaft. Then, you'll learn how to add the feathers using hand-trimmed feathers & hide glue. You'll finish your arrow off by attaching the arrowhead you made from the flintknapping portion of class, and field points using pitch glue and deer sinew.
Bow Making-
Build your own beautiful, handmade bow for hunting or target practice fun!
Based on traditional styles of Southwest tribes, you'll learn how to start from a sapling and work through the steps of carving and tillering to complete a custom made bow using just a knife, and other simple hand tools. We'll then make it come alive with a hand-twined bow string to match.
These bows are fast, accurate, and super fun to shoot!
Tuition: 525
(Includes all materials including bow stave!)
Duration: Four days
