Programs I currently offer: Please scroll down the page to see all programs available.
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Bending Sticks, Throwing Stones: Traditional
Bow Making Workshop
Where: Various Locations. See Schedule for upcoming classes.
With Who: This program will be run by Sticks & Stones Wilderness School and led by seasoned bow maker Skeet Sutherland. I (Chris Gilmour) will be there to assist as well.
For Who: Anyone interested in archery, hunting, woodworking, and/or deepening their connection to the land that supports us.
Learn the Ancient Art of Bow Building; through this hands on workshop students will be shaping, tillering, bending and finally shooting their own bows. The journey from the forest to the hand tailored finished bow in 4 days.
Price: $400, includes
• All course materials, wood and tools (bring your own tools if you have them.)
•Accomadation
• Bring your own Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks, Full Kitchen facilities available.
• $200 deposit
No Experience is Necessary!
Space is limited so book soon by contacting Skeet Sutherland @ sswsinfo@gmail.com or by calling: 519-216-6842
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Empowering Ancient Ways
- Deepening our connection to nature through ancient wilderness living skills -
Where: The Wolf Den Hostel in Oxtongue, ON. (Hwy 60, west side of Algonquin Park).
With Who: Wilderness Guide and Outdoor Educator Chris Gilmour & Skeet Sutherland, a former Instructor at Tom Brown Jr’s Tracker School, now teaching classes through his Ontario based company Sticks and Stones Wilderness School (SSWS).
For Who: The core skills of this course are sure to enrich the lives of the most seasoned wilderness guide to the novice nature enthusiast
Price: $700
* Price includes course materials, all meals, and 6 nights accomadation at the Wolf Den Hostel*
Description:
This course is being put on by Sticks and Stones Wilderness School. Instructors will include myself (Chris Gilmour), Skeet Sutherland, former teacher at Tom Brown Jr's Tracker school, and guest instructors.
This will be the second Empowering Ancient Ways course we have run. The first one happened this past spring and was a very powerful and inspiring week. I can assure this next one will be as well!
The course will be very hands-on and jam packed from morning through night so come expecting to be loaded up with great experience and knowledge.
Course Topics Include:
- Shelter, Water, Fire, Food
- Wildlife Tracking
- The language of nature
- concentric rings
- base line symphony
- Stone, bone, and antler tools and usage
- World of Natural Fiber- Harvesting, Processing and Preserving,
- Trees and plants
- Animal skins and sinew
- Wild Edible, Medicinal and Utilitarian applications
- Traditional hunting and trapping methods
- Stalking, Natural Movement, and Camouflage
- Caretaker Ethics Emphasized
- Empowering our ecological footprint
- Traditional cooking and food preservation
- Container making
- And More!
For registration or more information please contact:
skeetsutherland@hotmail.com or by phone at: 519-216-6842
or
chris@earthmentorship.com or by phone at: 705-788-1210
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Empowering Ancient Ways - Advanced Skills
Prerequisite: Empowering Ancient Ways
This course will continue where we left off in the first Empowering Ancient Ways course diving deeper into many of the arts we have already covered as well as learning many new skill sets. This course will focus on many long term wilderness living skills.
Topics will include:
- Advanced Shelter Building
- Advanced Fire Making Skills
- Bow and Arrow Making
- Container Making and Basket Weaving
- Primitive Fishing Techniques
- Advanced Awareness and Cocentric Ring Reading
- Naturalist Knowledge Building
- Advanced Tracking Skills
- Camoflauge and and movemen techniques
- Much More!
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EAW Skills Intensive
Prerequisite: Empowering Ancient Ways
This 3 day course will be an extension of guided workshop time from the Empowering Ancient Ways course. This is an opportunity to put in some serious dirt time refining skills you began to practice during the first course and practice some of those we lectured about but never had time to put to practice. There will be very little lecturing and lots of hand on experience to be gained with instructors near by to answer questions.
This course also serves as a great reviw for those planning on attending the fall Advanced EAW class.
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March Break Nature Retreat for Teachers
Relaxation, Exploration, Celebration, and Nature Education
March 15 – 18, 2009
Come join us for 3 days and 3 nights in the beautiful wilderness surrounding Algonquin park.
This retreat will be catered to the busy teacher looking to rejuvenate in Nature's Beauty, learn more about the natural world, and explore some of the many uses of natures gifts. Naturalist and Outdoor Educator Chris Gilmour, along with guest instructors, will be leading the group through fun and educational activities that could be brought back to the classroom or used as hobbies away from your work!
Activities will likely include:
- Pine needle basket making
- Felting Project
- Winter Ecology
- Snowshoeing or hiking
- Wild edible and medicinal plants
- Wildlife Tracking
- Kids Games
- Fire Making
- Warm delicious dinners
- Free Time
- And More!
The cost of this program is $260* and it includes: 3 nights accommodation at the Wolf Den Bunkhouse, 3 nights and 2 ½ days of programming, craft and other coarse materials, 3 instructors, and 3 dinners**
Day care may be available for parents at no additional cost. Please inquire.
* Snowshoes will likely be needed for outdoor activities (weather permitting). Please bring your own if you have them. Snowshoes can be rented for you at Algonquin Outfitters for the 16th & 17th at an additional cost of $40. Please let us know a.s.a.p. if you will need them.
** Participants are responsible for their own breakfast, lunch, and snacks. They can be prepared and stored in a fully equipped communal kitchen.
The program will begin with dinner at 5:30pm Sunday evening and finish at roughly 1pm Wednesday. Additional nights accommodation can be booked at the Wolf Den by visiting: www.wolfdenbunkhouse.com or calling: 1-866-271-9336
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Tale of the Track
During this half day workshop we will explore the deep and ancient art of tracking, learning to transform lifeless depressions in the ground into living stories of the past, present, and future as well as interpreting other signs.
Thw workshop will interest the novice outdoors enthusiast and the seasoned naturalist as we learn to deepen our understanding of what goes on around us.
Tracking is one of those arts that few people really understand the full potential of. A basic understanding can enrich the life of anyone, whether from a rural, suburban, urban, or wilderness area.
So come join us for an afternoon of exploring, education,and fun!
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Tracking and Ecology for Photographers and Artists
Learn about the secret lives of wildlife, how to find and get close to them, and about the plants that support them and us.
More information coming soon
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One of my favorite things to do is runnig naturalist and traditional living skills workshops at staff training events. Working in the outdoor education and guiding industry for several years I have observed that many people who work in this field have a lot of hard skills in first aid and wilderness exploration but often lack basic naturalist knowledge of the land, (ie: trees, edible plants, tracking, ancient bush craft, awareness, survival skills without modern equipment, and fun ways to engage participants in these skills). These workshops are aimed towards educators already working in the field or wanting to enter it. They can be customized depending on the companies needs and staffs current experience and knowledge base.
Please contact me for more information by clicking - HERE -
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I frequently design and run customized workshops for schools and other private organizations or groups. There are all kinds of possibilities for topics and formats to meet various different needs. In the past I have designed programs for Outward Bound Canada, Northern Edge Algonquin, and Northern Tier Boy Scouts of America. To contact me for more information: - click here -
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I run a number of workshops open to the general public. Some of these are done through other organizations such as Northern Edge Algonquin and some I run independently.
For my schedule: - Click here -
To Book a workshop or for more information: - Click Here -
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I have worked for several years as a Wilderness Guide contracting my services out through various wilderness outfitters. I occasionally run private trips as well.
Private trips are often flexible in date and can be customized to meet your groups interests. Possible topics may include: wilderness exploration, primitive living, basic camping skills, nature awareness, relaxing retreat, wilderness crafts, and many others.
Trips can include but are not limited too: Canoing in Algonquin Park or surrounding area, hiking, winter camping, snow shoeing, and dog sledding.
To see upcoming trips open to public - click here -
To book or inquire about a private trip - click here -
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I am in the process of developing a month long intensive. It will be a very affordable opportunity for those wishing to gain a much deeper understanding of the Earths rhythms and ecology, deepen their connection with the earth and spend a lot of time practicing and learning ancient and modern wilderness living skills. By the end of the program participants will have developed proficiency in many tradtional wilderness living skills that allow them to travel much lighter and more comfortably in the wilderness with a greater awareness and understanding of what is going on around them. Please contact me for more information by clicking - HERE -
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I will design custom programs for people who wish to have customized private naturalist mentoring for themselves or children. This program is also ideal for home schooled children and young adults interested in nature discovery. Please contact me to learn more by clicking - HERE -
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