About the Course
BWS Level 2 builds on Level 1 by introducing participants to various tools, traditions, and techniques useful amidst sustained emergencies, during longer wilderness expeditions, or as part of a regenerative off-grid lifestyle. In this course we shift the focus away from what gear you bring with you into emergencies or long-term wilderness situations, and instead begin to focus on what tools and gear you can create for yourself in the field. Participants will explore tools and techniques utilized by both ancient and contemporary “maker cultures” that stand in stark contrast to the consumer culture in which many of us are immersed.
This is a crash course in the fundamentals of bushcraft, intermediate survival skills, and DIY wilderness living, and as such is directly applicable to those looking to increase their resilience, build competency for mutual aid, or just learn to have fun in the woods with no money. It is designed to be useful to self-motivated participants who are new to working with their hands as well as more experienced practitioners looking to push their edges with new skills.
NOTE: BWS Level 1 (or its equivalent in experience or training from another school) is a prerequisite to this course.
Subjects Included:
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Intro to wildlife tracking & plant community identification
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Intermediate shelter construction w/ primitive materials
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Spring location and tapping, rainwater catchment, long-term water hygiene
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Knots, lashing, rigging
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Intro to primitive cordage & rope making
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Intro to friction fire (bow drill)
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Multiple bushcraft tool making projects
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Primitive & improvised emergency medicine considerations
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Intermediate navigation & lost-proofing
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Sharpening and maintenance of edged tools
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Expedition planning & food storage, preparation, cooking with fire
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Intro to primitive and modern trapping
With the exception of our expedition programs, most of our courses are hosted within a 30 mile radius of Charlottesville, VA. The diverse nature of our programs is best served by a constellation of sites that includes both public and private land. To protect the safety and privacy of our host site partners as well as the safety of our participants, we do not disclose the addresses or coordinates of our sites online. Upon registering for a course — or no later than 2 weeks prior to its start date — all participants will receive details and directions to the public, pre-course meetup location, from which we will caravan to the host site.
Instructor(s)
Amos Rodriguez is an artist, hunter, homesteader, craftsman, wilderness guide and survival instructor with a passion for tending the world in ways that might serve the flourishing of the next seven generations. Growing up in El Salvador in the context of a civil war that was provoked and financed by the United States, Amos’ family was subjected to severe violence and repression, making it an absolute necessity to learn the skills required for urban and rural survival, community security, and self defense. Following the war, he spent time working in support of various communities devastated and dispossessed by more than twelve years of violence. His immersion in the mountains and volcanoes of Central America, combined with his first-hand experience of extreme socio-political turbulence, laid the foundation for the holistic approach he’s taken as a practitioner of ancestral skills. Connecting the dots between social and ecological crises has solidified his sense of vocation, as he teaches traditional skills which braid together the work of personal, social, and ecological transformation and healing. Passionate about the need to build secure and regenerative communities, especially among those most vulnerable, he works across North America and around the world as a mentor, teacher, and guide. As an accomplished hunter and survivalist, he was featured on the History Channel’s Alone, Season 7, as well as other well known television shows, in which he’s consistently demonstrated a calm and grounded presence that has made him a sought after guide by many. At Stone River, he teaches multiple classes and is one of our primary Expedition Guides.
Amos Rodriguez
