Blogs - Tracker School

Any Tracker's in Durham North Carolina area?

I have a friend who went through both Standard and Grandfather a few weeks back, and then moved to North Carolina. (Amy, for those of you that may have been there) Anyway, since we can only train together spiritually (and via G-chat :), I am looking for people/groups that might be in her area. Thanks, Ben (prepping for B2B leaving next weekend... Woohoo! :) Continue

Added by ke6gwf on May 15, 2009 at 5:23pm — No Comments

Dirt time

Tonight, was my first real tracking exercise since I finished the Standard a couple weeks ago. It was dark outside, but I asked my wife to go out to the front yard and walk whatever pattern in the yard with one entry and exit point. Then I had her place a small coin between the concrete and grass where she stepped out. To my own amazement I found her first track and then found one more and another. I then came to a turn she made and it wasn't too long till I came back into the house sporting the… Continue

Added by Kevin Williams on April 30, 2009 at 11:13pm — 2 Comments

A Trip to Mexico

Hello Tracker Friends. Want to win a trip? If anyone is interested, my mom and I are Referring Travel Agents and our company, YTB, has started the "Trip of a Lifetime Sweepstakes!" To enter you go to our website www.ytbtravel.com/trekandtravel, scroll down and you'll see the sweepstakes on the bottom right of the page. Click on "Enter Now!" and fill in your information. It's that easy :) There is a winner chosen every month, and then it starts again with a new destination. This is the current… Continue

Added by Rebecca Zeff on March 22, 2009 at 9:38pm — 1 Comment

My First Bow

Last weekend I took a bow making class in Eugene, Or. I couldn't stay for the whole thing, which lasted Friday afternoon through Sunday night, but due to the help of friends I got to take part of it. The goal of the class wasn't to make a beautiful thing that would hang on your wall and crack if you tried to shoot it. This was more of a... take chunks off this stick until you get a stick that bends type of thing. :) I'd thought about making a bow before. I always heard about the ones that people… Continue

Added by Rebecca Zeff on February 6, 2009 at 6:20pm — 6 Comments

Happy New Year

I'm going to be attending the "Grandfather" class in CA this spring. Is anyone else? Also I might consider volunteering for the Standard Class the week before. Anyone else?? Hope all are well. Continue

Added by Jimmy Doll on January 23, 2009 at 6:56pm — 3 Comments

April courses

Hey all, I am planning on taking some friends and family to the Standard in April this year. I'll be volunteering as well, and rolling right into Philosophy.

Anyone else going to be down there for either of those?

Victor
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Added by victorD on December 6, 2007 at 7:31pm — 7 Comments

Advanced Standard and Tracking

I attended the back-to-back in California, March 2006. It rained 11 of the 14 days I was there. The ground was so saturated, huge oak trees were falling, uprooted by their own weight. Scary, hearing loud cracks and heavy thumps as trees fell in the middle of the night. To compound matters, I contracted a nasty case of poison oak after the first 3 days (while building my debris shelter), and was physically miserable for the remainder of the stay. Lessons learned: how to identify poison oak,and an… Continue

Added by Nick Hilger on October 12, 2007 at 11:16am — 1 Comment

I admit it......I'm tunneling.

My state of awareness and practice has been trumped by finding and buying a house this summer then moving this past week. I still get out on the trails but my head is down, eyes on path, thoughts fixed on physical and emotional change. There are times I wish I could let go of all the accruing attachments, pack the pack, and hit the mountains. When I finally get back to that it will be sacred bliss, like reuniting with a best friend.

In spite of my current transplant, I try to focus on

… Continue

Added by cindy roberts on October 10, 2007 at 10:50am — 1 Comment

Plants

Today I bought a Yucca bush/tree. I have found several plants in my area that are good for cordage but I've never seen, let alonel, used a Yucca tree.

This will be interesting!

Continue

Added by Jimmy Doll on July 25, 2007 at 4:47pm — No Comments

Tracker Box

Hats off to myself. I found a great place and enough time and materials to follow through with building a tracker box. 4X8 and 10" deep!!! Just like Tom said.! I have to find a way to keep weeds out.

I wonder if it is ethical to take the sand from the beach rather than buying sand.

I recall working at the rock yard back in the day, it just never made sense to me that people buy things that are actually free. Sand, dirt, rocks.... hmm I shall dwell on this for a while.

Continue

Added by Jimmy Doll on July 23, 2007 at 12:39am — No Comments

Loving the outdoors

I've been sleeping outside quite a bit lately, even if it's just in a back yard.

I don't care for places where I can see the light of civilization at night. I like to see the stars.

I've been up at my Grandparents place lately. Today I went up the mountain again and sat on a rock for a long time. It always makes me feel a lot better. On the way back down I was again stunned by the variety of l… Continue

Added by victorD on July 22, 2007 at 10:40pm — 1 Comment

Tracking Dirt Time in Portland

Hello Trackers.

If anyone in the Portland area is interested, a local group called Deer Dance hosts tracking "Dirt Time" the last Sunday of every month. I'm going this month as well as another member of our standard and one of the volunteers. It's in one of the parks in Portland OR, the only cost is the $4 entry fee into the park. If anybody's interested I can give more info, or you can probably find it on the web. -Happy Tracking

Continue

Added by Rebecca Zeff on July 21, 2007 at 12:38pm — No Comments

Brain-tan

Hello again Tracker friends.

A few weeks ago I found something I'd been looking for since the Standard and even before. Usable roadkill. This time it was in the form of a squirrel. Yesterday I took it out of the freezer and began what I hope will be a successful brain-tanning process.

Once I had begun skinning it I wished I'd let it thaw a bit longer. It's an interesting thing, trying to cut around the "anus and reproductive organs" when the animal's legs are still frozen in pla

… Continue

Added by Rebecca Zeff on July 15, 2007 at 9:35am — 3 Comments

Building a Debris Hut

About a month ago, two friends and I went out into a pine woods to do some hiking, animal tracking, and foremost to build a debris hut. Judy has taken the Standard Class, and David has taken and volunteered for the Standard Class and completed the Back-to-Back.

When we built a debris hut in the Standard Class, the site had already been chosen for us. There was a stump to support the business end of the ridge pole, and all the materials were immediately at hand—the ridge… Continue

Added by JohnWilliams on July 10, 2007 at 1:20am — 2 Comments

First night alone in a shelter

I went camping last night. I went with a group of fiends and I felt like going with just the close on my back, you know, free. But, I didn't. I brought the usual: bevy, sleeping bag, pad, flashlight and clothes. So, we arrived at our destination and for some reason I didn't want to take my stuff out of my bag. I kind of felt good that I had them there, but I didn't want to use them. After hanging out at camp for a while and getting some bow drill stuff together I set out to see what the shelter… Continue

Added by Nathan Cranson on June 17, 2007 at 8:00pm — 4 Comments

Survival Trek

Hello Tracker friends! I've been writing on my page about a survival trek I completed last week with Earth Walk Northwest. Feel free to check it out, and I'd love to hear about the post-Standard adventures everybody's been having. I hope everybody has a great day full of tracking and awareness. Continue

Added by Rebecca Zeff on June 8, 2007 at 11:20am — No Comments

Mount Fuji adventure

I just finished up a series of posts about going up Mount Fuji in Japan, back when I was in the Marines. There is pictures and video (with some swearing, be warned.) It was an amazing experience, and I recommend it to everyone.

If the video doesn't work, it's probably Internet Explorer causing your pain. There is a download link for Firefox on my page.

Victor
Continue

Added by victorD on June 8, 2007 at 1:17am — 2 Comments

A Quickie

My next flavorful day in the sun was out the back door to Tennessee Valley. It's a Golden Gate National Rec Area about a mile from my house. It's acres and acres of mostly open hills and valleys on the Northwest side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Bunker 88 and a few other smaller, graffitied, and weather-worn Army lookouts constructed during WW2 still stand at attention on various knolls overlooking the ocean. In spite of these man-made accents, it's home to bobcat, deer, jack rabbit, coyote, fox,… Continue

Added by cindy roberts on June 6, 2007 at 7:18am — 2 Comments

Camping at Soap Lakes

I just posted a long blog of my friends and I camping up at an alkaline lake a few hours from here. Let me know what you think!

Vic
Continue

Added by victorD on May 29, 2007 at 11:48pm — No Comments

Standard Tracks......

Well, the way I see it, there's life before The Standard and life after The Standard. Tom was right. The forest has a new face. I see every plant, tree, bark, rock, and fallen stick as a potential tool to continue my existence should I ever lose my matches or keen sense of direction. While driving to a favorite trailhead two days after the class, I spotted a fresh ball of baby rabbit fluff in the middle of the road....innards still intact. As I drove by, I thought about stopping and scoopin

… Continue

Added by cindy roberts on May 4, 2007 at 8:30am — 4 Comments

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All Blog Posts (23)

Any Tracker's in Durham North Carolina area?

Dirt time

A Trip to Mexico

My First Bow

Happy New Year

April courses

Advanced Standard and Tracking

I admit it......I'm tunneling.

Plants

Tracker Box

Loving the outdoors

Tracking Dirt Time in Portland

Brain-tan

Building a Debris Hut

First night alone in a shelter

Survival Trek

Mount Fuji adventure

A Quickie

Camping at Soap Lakes

Standard Tracks......

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