Wilderness Skills Course

If you’ve been interested in an outdoor class but are undecided --this is the course for you.

If you have some or much experience in the woods --this course is for you.

Why?

1. We had people who had never slept in the woods - by the end of the training, they didn’t want to go home and were asking about the next course. -- I want to stress this point. -- If someone with little or no knowledge can take the course, have success, and leave with no regrets, that should be a clue as to the curriculum and instruction offered by GB2.

2. Experienced outdoor types got a ton out of the weekend. They could ask more detailed questions based on their understanding of topics. Comments were often, “man, I thought I knew this stuff, but Josh and cadre are on another level.”

3. The crawl/walk/run teaching methodology provides a positive learning environment with the optimal balance of patience and pressure.

4. The cadre has professional experience outside the GB2 program, adding dimension to the teaching staff. - instructors were also available for one-on-one tutoring at almost any hour.

5. Although gear is essential, Josh covered items that meet job requirements without breaking the bank. Further, the equipment for this course is used in future classes (no need to buy a totally different bundle just to attend subsequent levels). Finally, the paradigm holds that the more experienced you are, the less gear you’ll need. GB2 is there to teach you skills, not shake you down to buy their products.

6. To get the most out of the training, purchase the Surviving The Wilderness book. Skim or read it. Test your gear before arriving, and get as much walking exercise as feasible - all the better with your pack and some (you’re judgment) weight.

7. Read the reviews here. You’ll get a distinct impression that this is a positive learning environment where people have fun. If you have fun at an activity, you retain more, you’re stress decreases, and you’ll feel good about the time spent in the woods.

This course has my highest recommendation.

April 2022 Wilderness Skills Course
I guess saying " Amazing " would be an understatement. The Professionalism was the best I've have ever experienced. The Instructors are first rate. Now I have to say that I have done a couple of different " Wilderness training or survival trainings " in the past ( before covid ) but this was at a level I have never seen. Everyday was full, clear instructions and practice that let you learn and enjoy the process, almost felt like you could really do this well. Josh and his team go out of their way to make sure you have the skills and understanding needed not to just survive but to appreciate the wilderness. There were folks there that had far most experience than I and you could tell they were also learning something new and working the craft. I would recommend that whether an expert or a newbie you will walk away from this with a greater understanding of what and why things are done in a specific way ..and grow in that knowledge.... I actually enjoyed so much I might do the course again...See you out in the woods... Can't wait for BushCraft Skills Course..

I just returned from GB2’s wilderness survival course at the Lake George venue in mid-April 2022. I signed up wanting to learn some basics on navigation, but got so much more from this course. I have had some prior training in survival skills, but Josh and his team were able to give me some excellent tips and tricks to make me feel more confident in knife skills, fire craft, shelter building and team building. The instructors utilize a “crawl, walk, run” approach, which I found a great way to learn a new skill. The course was challenging, but very rewarding in the end. On day 2, I remember thinking to myself, “It would be so easy to get in my car and go home to my warm, comfortable house”, but I shrugged this thought off and kept at it. These experiences should be hard; they should push you and this is when the learning really happens. The venue itself was beautiful but cold, which added to the challenge of the experience. Mother nature will rarely give you those perfect sunny 70 degree days, so you should not expect to learn in such perfect conditions. You should expect to have some uncomfortable cold nights, but this will force you to assess and (hopefully) better your situation. The instructors will help you with this, but you need to make sure to ask.
Regarding the packing list… follow it! You don’t need more, but you should expect to put your gear to the test. You won’t be able to get a back-up jacket or tool from your car during the class, so make sure that what you bring with you is going to be versatile and appropriate for the expected conditions.
One of my favorite things about this course was the team building. It is a pleasure to come together with a group of like-minded folks to face a series of challenges. Maybe I was lucky, but my class worked together well. We all have our varying strengths and weaknesses, but together, as a group, we were able to use our strengths to the advantage of the group and overcome some of the limitations. I think that, overall,we all knew that we were there to help each other out and this showed in the overall success of the experience.
Overall, I would recommend this course to anyone, no matter your background or experience. Josh and the team provided a learning environment that encouraged questions, suggestions and openness. I look forward to signing up for more courses!

This course is an amazing introduction to the skills that are necessary to “smooth it” in the wilderness.

Before I get into the course, I want to provide some information about myself so you know what experience I have with the wilderness.

As a young child I was never a scout, rarely went camping, and spent very little time without the creature comforts many now rely on. Although I always loved to be outside, I never received any training to do so without the security of a motor vehicle a short walk away.
As an adult, I decided to pursue the passion I always had, but never took the time to develop. I read books and watched educational films on wilderness skills, but never had the confidence to apply what I learned without the safety of a structured course.

I did research on a lot of courses and trainers over the period of about a year and none of them seemed right for me. Then I found Josh on YouTube, whose teaching methods just “clicked”. His method of teaching makes intimidating topics easy to understand, and I noticed the information I learned from his videos and book stuck around my aging brain far better than any others I had found.

I went into this course nervous about my lack of experience, but the feeling quickly left as Josh and the cadre made me feel welcome and comfortable.

Now for my review.

First, Josh’s teaching methodology that inspired me to join the tribe and attend the course worked even better in person than on video or print. He explains the “why” and not just the “how” of each topic, which helps cement the knowledge. He is incredibly patient and makes sure everyone grasps each topic before moving on.

Second, the cadre are top notch. They ooze knowledge and experience and can explain everything so that people at any level can understand. They are very talented teachers who provide the students with many invaluable tips to get them through the most difficult challenges. They know how to dish out a healthy dose of humor and make everyone feel more comfortable.

Third, the stressors Josh and the cadre use are just right. They were enough to make the inexperienced (like me) make stupid mistakes they could learn from, but not so much that any task seemed impossible or milestone unreachable.

Perhaps more important than all this is that we all had fun. Some of the best memories I have are of sitting around the campfire with the tribe, picking at our dinner, and chewing the fat.

I recommend this course to anyone of any skill level who is interested in improving their outdoor experiences. I look forward to meeting some of you at a future course!

I attended the Wilderness Skills course in NY in April of 2022. Reading Surviving the Wild by Joshua Enyart it gave a great primer to the skills I would like to learn. The hands on experience was nothing short of amazing. The cadre were all super personable, helpful and genuine individuals. You could tell they loved what they taught and have a genuine passion for it. Even though I was familiar with some parts of the course there was always some nuance learned that refined my knowledge set. 100% would recommend.