Hatchet
Skills of the Northern Woods

Coed Ages 11-13

July 11-17, 2010
Cost: $925

Download Hatchet Brochure/Application

In the book Hatchet, character Brian Robeson has to survive a plane crash in the remote Canadian wilderness. He faces steep challenges of cold, heat, insects, lack of food and his own lack of skills and knowledge. His only tool is a steel hatchet that his mother game to him for his trip. With it, he learns to make fire, carve spears, make a bow and arrow, build a shelter, cut firewood and accomplish many other wilderness needs. The story is powerful and is read by students across the country as part of their elementary school curriculum.

In this camp, we learn to actually do many of the same skills that Brian did to survive in the wild.
We will make fire with flint and steel, learn to chop, cut and saw wood spears, saplings and shelter logs using hatchets, saws and axes, learn to make simple but effective shelters, make and use several different knots that can tie tarps, backrests, shelter supports or a bow and arrow. We will learn to cook fish on the coals of our fire, gather berries and make fish spears. We will also learn about the mental aspects of survival that Brian and other wilderness travelers use to stay positive, creative and focused in meeting their needs in the bush.

This camp is open to anyone who was inspired by Gary Paulsen’s compelling story and wants to get a first hand experience in many of the story’s adventures. (By the way, we won’t be learning what it feels like to be sprayed by a skunk, stuck with porcupine quills, overwhelmed by mosquitos or taste raw turtle eggs. Not to mention the plane crash, either!)

We will have fun learning at our comfortable wilderness camp, taking time to journey out for gathering hikes, exploring our resources, make fires and enjoy summer at Hawk Circle.

It is a camp that will change your life and give you skills that really work, no matter what wilderness you may find yourself.

Some of the skills and activities listed below form the core of the Hatchet Camp curriculum:

• Shelters, Tarps & Knots

• Fires, Firewood, Flint & Steel

• Hatchet, Saws & Axe Use/Safety

• Gathering Foods from the Wild

• Wilderness Navigation • Spears, Fish Spears & Sapling Bows

• Natural Torches

• Campfire Cooking Skills

• Stalking & Camouflage • Carving & Knife Care

• Survival Attitudes & Philosophy

All skills and experiences are taught from the ground up-no experience is necessary. The focus of our camp is to have fun learning about how nature supports us in our time of need, and we can find everything if we know how and where to look.
Throughout the week, we will learn of the principles of wilderness living from an aboriginal, hunter gatherer perspective, as all of our ancestors lived close to the land, made fire and found food for thousands of years. Those same skills and approach can be used today, to thrive in situations where others might struggle, both in the wild and in our everyday lives.
Gathering our skills and resources, this experience is an adventure that brings us closer to ourselves, our companions and the earth. We will never look at a hatchet the same way again!

"When I first attended Tom Brown's Wilderness Survival School in 1984, the small class was filled with experienced outdoorspeople.   These were students who had hunted, fished, camped, gone backpacking and worked with hand tools proficiently.

Twenty six years later, most people attending wilderness skills programs have few of these kinds of skills, and mastery of these basics is rare indeed.

If you (or your son or daughter) attends this camp, I know that it will be an incredible boost to be able to know you can handle yourself in the woods, where most people falter.   We saw huge leaps in self esteem, confidence and life skills in last year's campers, and while we expected it to be good, we know we really made a difference in their lives....

Ricardo Sierra

Hawk Circle Founder, Creator and Executive Director