Before the advent of airplanes, people mimicked the design of bird skeletons in hopes of achieving the freedom of flight. A great many flapping and gliding contraptions were conceived and tested, endeavors that yielded only a sense of disappointment and a few good lessons about flight dynamics. Others involved in similar experiments were far less […]
For those of us who pursue the mysteries of feathers, and bird wings, questions are numerous and answers are hard to come by. Even a seemingly simple question such as, “Who dropped this feather?” can be a daunting one. With over 900 bird species living in the United States and Canada, it is hard to […]
It was an early September morning in Western Washington, and I was slowly migrating from animal tracks and sign dreamland to reality. I had slept in the pasture next to my house, taking advantage of the last warm nights before the rain and cold set in. Hearing a rustle to my right, I opened my […]
Harvesting black walnuts is enjoyable and well worth the effort. Black walnuts are very nutritious and delicious! This is a messy activity, so be sure to wear old clothes, old sneakers and cover your hands with gloves, unless you want to be dye-stained for several weeks. The black walnut tree is pictured above. Here’s a […]
“Got the trail?” I called. “Yup!” another voice rang out, clear in the white stillness of a snowy forest above a stream ravine. It was a chilly Friday morning at Wilderness Awareness School’s high school program, Community School. Four of us—two instructors and two young women—had fallen into a rhythm as we followed the deteriorating […]
You’re speeding down a river in a canoe. Before you know what has happened, you flip out of your canoe and you wake up next to your friend with a roaring fire in front of you. He says, “I used that bow drill kit lying there to make a friction fire. Would you be interested […]
I remember making my first bow as a kid. I found a branch on the ground under the Black Oak trees that grew in our yard. There was a windstorm the prior evening and branches were everywhere. I found one with a bend and tied on a string. Then I grabbed a smaller, straighter branch. […]
by Mireille Evans Immersion Student 2015-2016 This week we had the honor to be blessed by deer. It was the week where we got to dive into the magical transformational process of working with the hide of deer to make buckskin. The deer were purchased from a woman who has a relationship with hunters in her area. The hunters bring […]
Fall is a wonderful time to harvest the roots from Burdock, Arctium lappa. Burdock root is extremely nutritious and a deep healer. It is a long-term immune system strengthener among many other things, which makes it a wonderful herb to use for the upcoming cold and flu season. My favorite way to use healthful herbs […]
I find it amusing that I’m sometimes labeled an “urbanite.” It’s amusing because I’d never label myself that way. Why? Because not two days before writing these words, I was sitting on my back deck at dusk and a white-tailed buck sauntered across my yard within 20 feet of me while in the hollow oak […]