Back from a long hiatus, for episode 85 Christopher and I discuss his new project: The School Of The Forest Podcast. He’s interviewing people who are not directly in the bushcraft business, but their work can help us learn more about our world. Want to learn more? Listen to the episode.

PHOTO: SOTF Podcast Page.

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For episode 84 of the JMB Podcast I sat down with Seth Walton from the Mid-Coast School Of Technology’s Outdoor Leadership Program in Rockland, Maine. We talked about his work with the program, which is currently in year one.

We discuss the challenges of logistics in outdoor programming, how the realities of the job match up with the preconceived ideas about it, and finish with a discussion about how guiding sea kayak trips on the Maine coast can be dangerous due to cold water and other factors.

PHOTO: Twilight on the winter trail.

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For episode 83 I was joined by Christopher Russell for a discussion of upcoming programs, changes to the way students can receive college credit for their time with us, and how short shorts are making a comeback.

PHOTO: Pack and axe hanging in an axe.

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For episode 82 of the podcast I spoke with Ron Waline. Ron runs the Wilderness And Wellness Podcast and the Coyote’s Path website. We have a rambling discussion about education, the importance of experience, and how life is busy. Ron will be releasing this episode on his podcast as well. If you’re interested in the topics we discuss on this podcast, you should check out his podcast.

PHOTO: The Wilderness And Wellness Podcast.

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Episode 81, the legend of the Iron Spoon. A true story about the legendary heros of the Iron Spoon challenge and how they helped a country get its mojo back.

The Quick Stop 2 in Ashland, Maine, has some big ice creams. So large that people on Jack Mountain courses have made it a contest to see who can eat the most. In fact it became a point of pride back in the day, and the Iron Spoon competition was started. For the rest of the story, you’ll have to listen to the podcast.

PHOTO: Raife Bowman wielding his wooden spoon, on a crash course with destiny.

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Episode 80 is an interview I did with a student at the end of the fall semester as part of her independent study for college credit. The audio levels are low so you’ll have to turn it up, but I think we covered some interesting topics that make it worthwhile.

We discuss the origin of Jack Mountain, the educational benefits of the 30-day primitive living experiment was a part of in 1995, the skills that really matter, and a bunch of other wide-ranging topics.

Usually I’m the one asking the questions, so this a bit of a departure from the norm. It’s a no-filter, shoot from the hip-sort of interview, so if you’re curious what I really think about certain topics, you’ll like this episode.

PHOTO: Tim on the ice during the 2019 Boreal Snowshoe Expedition.

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In episode 79, we celebrate our friend and mentor Mors Kochanski who recently passed away.

We also get caught up with current events then talk about how our business plan is with a niche audience, not a mass audience. We’re looking to make a deep connection with a handful of people, not a superficial connection with a giant audience.

PHOTO: Feet up at the end of the day in a remote camp.

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In a world that values comfort, embracing challenge and doing hard things is rare. In this episode of the podcast we discuss the challenges inherent in the spring, 2020 Wilderness Guide Training Semester. We also discuss current events and upcoming programs.

PHOTO: Loading canoes at a remote camp on the fall, 2019 semester.

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It’s week 3 of the fall Wilderness Bushcraft Semester, and for episode 77 of the podcast we spoke with students on the course. We learned about their first impressions of life in the woods, discussed the trapping class we took as a group and the role that trapping plays in studying mammals, and checked in on which projects they’ve enjoyed and why.

PHOTO: Carving paddles.

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Tracking mammals is the topic for episode 76 of the JMB Podcast. We discuss how we approach teaching tracking, the three types of tracking (clear print, pattern, sign), the three tasks of the tracker (locate, identify, interpret), and why jumping to conclusions is bad, but jumping to exclusions is good. Also covered is why bother tracking and what you can actively do with tracks to help the lessons stick.

We also talk about what we’re reading, and how we’re planning to start a book club on BushcraftSchool.com, our online network. I’m reading John Hudson’s book How To Survive (see link below), and Christopher is reading Nature First (see link below).

PHOTO: Books, track casts and coffee on the table in the Guide Shack.

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