Time flies during the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester, and here we are at the end of semester number 68. Oz and I gathered around the old microphone to discuss the JMBS Digital Archives Project, the challenges of the spring semester (this semester in particular), how we’re running 3 semester courses this year, and a few other topics.

#FullTangLifestyle #AroostookCounty

Photo: Deer in the field.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 137

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• JMBS Bibliography from 2009
• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

It’s been a while. This short episode is an announcement that we’re rebooting our podcast.

#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Boots. As this is our reboot episode.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 136

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

Paul Sveum and I got together in our new digital studio (actually a piece of software) to talk about fly fishing opportunities for the upcoming 2025 season. We had a long list of topics to discuss and only got to a few of them. Hence the part 1 in the title. We’ll be recording another episode this week.

#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Paul casting below a waterfall in the North Maine Woods.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 135

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• 3-Day Fly Fishing Course.
• Advanced Fly Fishing On The West Branch
• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

Recorded on December 23, 2024. Rick, Oz and I got together via the internet to discuss the Maine Guide Medic wilderness first responder course that took place in November, 2024. We go over what worked well, what will be improved for next year, and some interesting things we learned. For me, the Stop The Bleed curriculum put a much finer point on how to manage excessive bleeding.

This was our first podcast using Riverside.fm to record, and while it sounds good, there were a few spots where people cut out when we were recording it, but their software adjusted for this. So I jumped in to fill the gap, but it wasn’t necessary. I’ll be adjusting for this next time. Overall it was simple to use and resulted in a great sound. We are toying with the idea of adding a video component to the podcast – stay tuned for more on this.

I hope you enjoy the episode and if you have any questions about the course be sure to get in touch. #FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Building a bed and shelter during the overnight exercise on the Maine Guide Medic course.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 134

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• Maine Guide Medic course.
• Stop The Bleed – curriculum for stopping bleeding.
• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

Recorded on November 14. Sam Summers and discuss the Women’s Bushcraft & Canoe 3-Week Immersion, coming in 2025. We also discuss her experience on the 2024 Expedition Instructor program.

#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Sam paddling with her dog.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 133

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• Women’s Bushcraft & Canoe 3-Week Immersion.
• SW-Summers.com – Sam’s website and blog.
• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

Recorded on Saturday, September 21. Oz and Rick are back from the solo expedition canoe course. We discuss how it went, what worked, what didn’t, what the plan is for next time. If you’re interested, the solo canoe expedition course is on the calendar for next summer.

#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Lake reflecting the sky.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 132

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• Solo Expedition Canoe Course.
• The Scroll – Rick’s website featuring his survival and medical courses.
• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

Recorded on Saturday, September 14. Oz and Rick are in camp preparing to run the solo expedition canoe course and we decided to record our morning coffee discussion. Current events, all about the solo expedition canoe course, Rick’s survival courses in New Hampshire, Oz’s trip to Michigan’s UP, and a bit about the reworking of our outdoor leadership course we teach as part of the Wilderness Bushcraft Semester. It’s great to catch up with old friends.

#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Shelters with open fires on an overnight exercise.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 131

Kid-Friendly? There is some profanity in this episode.

Links:

• The Scroll – Rick’s website featuring his survival and medical courses.
• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

Recorded on Sunday, September 1st, we welcome Christopher Russell back to the podcast after a lenghty hiatus. We discuss the idea of adaptation and how we’re adapting to the changes in the weather, as well as discuss current events around the field school.

#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Christopher floating over a deep pool on the Bonaventure River in June, 2024.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 130

Kid-Friendly? There is some profanity in this episode.

Links:

• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

Recorded on Tuesday, August 6th in the Guide Shack, Oz and I were joined by a bunch of the current students to talk about our recent Allagash trip, the testing process that is currently underway, the Journeyman certification and what’s left to accomplish on the current course. We’re 8.5 weeks in with 1.5 weeks to go.

#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Canoe scene 881.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 129

Kid-Friendly? There is some profanity in this episode.

Links:

• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

On episode 128 of the JMB Podcast, Jesse and Tim discuss some big-picture ideas about why you might be interested in learning bushcraft, and what you do with it when you learn it. Ultimately it’s about being resilient and connecting with the land and our ancestors. It is a lifestyle that resonates with a deep part of us from our distant past. People alive today live much different lives than our ancestors, and much has been lost in terms of community and connection. It’s a wide-ranging discussion. I hope you enjoy it.

#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Cooking dinner over a fire on the side of the river.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 128

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• Puckerbrush Primitive Gathering, July 19-21, 2024 in Columbia, Maine
• Wise Oak Wilderness. Jesse’s school in Montreal
• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

On episode 127 of the JMB Podcast, Tim, Oz and Jesse discuss self-care and the implications of an injury while on an expedition. They also discuss planning programs for 2025.

#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: One of my favorite spots in the North Maine Woods.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 127

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

On episode 126 of the JMB Podcast, Oz and Tim discuss the mental game of long-term wilderness living skills. To be successful on long-term programs, self-discipline is a prerequisite. Putting the daily work first buys you a moment here and there where you can appreciate where you are and what you’re doing. But the romantic notions of being alone with your thoughts and ruminating while sitting quietly and observing the natural world all day are not representative of the actual experience. It is a lot of daily work. Without self-discipline you start to fall behind. And the comforts of modern life, which are so common in our culture, make it harder. So the point we arrive at is that stepping into an active wilderness lifestyle is harder for modern people than it was for past generations. And our reliance on technology makes it even harder. It is an active life in the woods. And action is the antidote to anxiety. It was a wide-ranging discussion and we covered a lot of ground. I hope you enjoy it.

#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Poling a canoe on the lower canyons of the Rio Grande, along the Texas and Mexico border.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 126

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

For episode 125 of the JMB Podcast I was joined by Jesse Grindler. Jesse is a JMBS alum, owner of Wise Oak Wilderness in Montreal, and recently joined us on our Bonaventure River canoe expedition. We discuss the Bonaventure trip, then we learn about the business Jesse recently started called Wise Oak Wilderness, offering a variety of instructional and guiding services in Quebec.

#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Jesse and Tim in the Guide Shack recording this podcast.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 125

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• Wise Oak Wilderness
• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

Episode 124 of the JMB Podcast is about training people for solo wilderness canoe expeditions. We discuss the skills needed to do it safely, and talk about a September 2024 course designed to give people the skills and confidence to pull it off. Read more about the course discussed on the Solo Expedition Canoe Course page.

#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Tessa in the canyon on the Bonaventure river, Quebec.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 124

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• The Scroll – Rick Swain’s website with information on his medical and outdoor programs.
• Solo Expedition Canoe Course
• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

Back from the river at the end of the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester, we discuss challenges from the trip and the thought process behind a medical evacuation and getting a student from a remote trip to the hospital.

#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Tim in the canoe putting in the miles.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 123

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• The Scroll – Rick Swain’s website with information on his medical and outdoor programs.
• Maine Guide Medic wilderness first responder course
• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar
• Roorkhee Campaign Chair

We’re halfway through the 2024 Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester course. In this podcast we riff about the course, certifications, getting enough to eat, etc.

#FullTangLifestyle

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 122

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• The Scroll – Rick Swain’s website with information on his medical and outdoor programs.
• Maine Guide Medic wilderness first responder course
• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

For episode 121 of the Jack Mountain Bushcraft Podcast I was joined again by Rick Swain and Oz and we discussed current events on the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester which we are currently teaching. We discuss the challenges as an instructor in building a student’s confidence as well as their hard skills. After a few minutes of this we get into talking about the Maine Guide Medic wilderness first responder course we’re offering this fall. Much of the discussion was around why we’re offering this course and how it will be different from a standard wilderness first responder course. In a nutshell, we’re going to spend a lot of time on the wilderness part of the wilderness first responder, through skill building as well as several overnight scenarios.

#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Looking upstream at Allagash Falls from a few years ago.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 121 | The Maine Guide Medic WFR Course

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• The Scroll – Rick Swain’s website with information on his medical and outdoor programs.
• Maine Guide Medic wilderness first responder course
• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

Recorded on May 5th, 2024. Opening day of 2024, the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester starts today. I’m joined by Rick Swain and Oz to discuss current events, the upcoming course, and how we spent our summer (winter) vacation. We discuss a few changes to the 2024 Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester, the idea behind the soon to be released Engagé level 3 certification, and tease a new course coming this fall; the Maine Guide Medic wilderness first responder course.

#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Morning in the lower canyons on the Rio Grande as seen from my canoe, straddling the line between Texas and Mexico.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 120 | Opening Day 2024

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• The Scroll – Rick Swain’s website with information on his medical and outdoor programs.
• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

Recorded on November 20, 2023. We just wrapped up the field school season, and in this episode I look back and reflect on the experiments we ran during 2023. I discuss the Expedition Instructor (XI) as a continuous 6-month, residential program, moving the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester back to May and the high waters of spring, and moving the spring semester to summer. Listen to find out how these things worked out. I also discuss the many seasons of biting flies of northern Maine and the upgrades we made to the field school this year.#FullTangLifestyle

Photo: Lining canoes on the Wilderness Canoe Expedition Semester.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 119 | End Of The 2023 Field School Season

Kid-Friendly? There is no profanity in this episode.

Links:

• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar

Recorded on June 26th, 2023, this is a stab at a new format for the JMB Podcast; doing it solo. The topic for the day is differentiating between professional training and personal enrichment. We embrace both styles of program, but they are definitely not the same thing. The student has to decide what they want out of a program and an experience, and the instructor has to design the approach, the goals, and the management strategies accordingly. During the podcast I make several references to episode 107 of the JMB Podcast; Nurturing Vs. Accountability As A Coach. Click the link to go back and listen to it.

This format of recording the episode solo is an experiment. Like most new things, it felt a bit awkward, but will get better and feel more comfortable the more of them I do.

PHOTO:On a solo on a winter trip.

Show Notes: JMB Podcast Episode 118 | Professional Training Vs. Personal Enrichment

Kid-Friendly? There is a bit of profanity in this episode.

Links:

• Episode 107 of the JMB Podcast; Nurturing Vs. Accountability As A Coach
• BushcraftSchool.com
• Jack Mountain Bushcraft School Calendar