Jack Mountain Bushcraft Podcast

Episode 67 of the Jack Mountain Bushcraft podcast starts with a rant against how outdoor living was broken into two options by a tv writer in 2009: tactical or hippie. Then we talk about the Jack Mountain approach which is neither of those options; the experiential anthropological approach. We talk about how experience shapes a person and why it is an absolute necessity. We also talk about how we learn from cultures who have lived off the land for many generations and why they are better to model our behavior after than the flavor of the week celebrity culture that has infected the outdoor community like a virus.

PHOTO: From March 2019, Cree snowshoes against a blue sky near Ouje-Bougoumou, Quebec.

Kid-Friendly?

Links: A few books mentioned in this episode. Remember to always check for used copies and earlier editions to save some money.

Episode 66 of the Jack Mountain Bushcraft Podcast is about the challenges that come with the job of being a professional guide and outdoor instructor. While what we do can look idyllic from the outside, it’s not without difficulty. Christopher and I discuss 8 specific challenges that come with the job:

PHOTO: Christopher poling his EM White canoe on an Aroostook county river.

Kid-Friendly? Profanity In This Episode:

Episode 65 of the Jack Mountain Bushcraft Podcast, recorded on Halfway Day on the spring, 2019 Wilderness Bushcraft Semester course. We catch up with the students and get some of their insights, discuss Christopher’s love affair with his new (to him) canoe, and talk about possibly differentiating the spring and fall semesters in 2020, with the spring semester being focused on training wilderness canoe and fishing guides and the fall semester focusing on bushcraft and primitive living skills.

PHOTO: Christopher in his new EM White canoe.

Kid-Friendly? Profanity In This Episode:

Episode 64 of the Jack Mountain Bushcraft Podcast is about how all outdoor knowledge is local knowledge, and how the idea of a global expert is a myth. For the episode I was joined by old friend and frequent podcast guest Blake Towsley.

PHOTO: Allagash falls from the canoe, taken summer 2018.

Kid-Friendly? Profanity In This Episode:

Links:

For episode 63 of the JMB Podcast we gathered with the students on the current Wilderness Bushcraft Semester in the Guide Shack on a cool morning before heading down to the river. We check in with Jeremy and Anthony and get their perspective on the course, the realities of living outdoors, using hand tools, and how their experience is unfolding.

PHOTO: Anthony poling on the Aroostook river.

Episode 62 is about how to know a place. Part of what we teach on our immersion programs is how to be at home in the forest. This includes both academic and experiential components, which we discuss. We also talk about the Masardis glacier and give an update about our articulation agreement with the University of Maine at Presque Isle.

PHOTO: Ben Spencer poling on the Sebeois river.

Links:

PHOTO: Cooking and baking on an open fire at the field school.

Links:

• Mental Toughness Is The Key To Training.

PHOTO: Shot from a fire tower in the North Maine Woods.

Links:

• JMBS Calendar.

PHOTO: From left to right: Blake, Christopher, Tim.

Links:

• Brushfire Rendezvous, October 11-13, 2019.

Scott Oeth is the owner of Bull Moose Patrol, a Registered Maine Guide, a Jack Mountain Bushcraft School alumnus, a featured speaker at Canoecopia and the Outdoor Adventure Expo and a father of 3. Raised in Madison, Wisconsin and active in scouts, Scott lives with his family in the twin cities of Minnesota.

In episode 58 Scott and I talk about balancing an outdoor business with a full time job, decision making in outdoor leadership, and the regional differences between Maine and Minnesota with regard to geography and outdoor skills.

PHOTO: Scott (in back) and Sam Larson (in front) poling canoes in the Aroostook River during the 2012 Riverman course. An hour later it started raining and the water level rose several feet overnight.

Links:

• Bull Moose Patrol, Scott’s website.
• Canoecopia, paddlesports show in Madison, Wisconsin.
• Outdoor Adventure Expo, outdoor show in Minneapolis, Minnesota.