Our city lives are filled with so much technology and comfort that we’ve lost much of what was once common knowledge about nature and survival. To remedy this, we visited Medicine Bow, a “primitive school of earthlore in the North Georgia mountains,” which gave us a chance to rediscover our connection to the natural world.

Mark Warren, the eclectic Georgia man behind these courses, brings decades of experience, knowledge and passion to each of his classes. He’s won national competitions in whitewater racing and archery, and the National Wildlife Federation honored him as Georgia’s Conservation Educator of the Year. His approach is to teach primitive skills that Native Americans had, but brings the benefit of modern science and natural research into each of his lessons.

In these practical courses you can learn about tracking, natural medicine, wild foods, survival skills, fire making, botany and conservation. More than just being prepared for an emergency, you’ll know how to look at a forest and see it as a tool kit, a grocery store and a medicine cabinet. Located on 45 acres next to a national forest, most workshops are limited to about 13 people and range between $35 and $75. Check his website for upcoming classes.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 at 12:23 pm and is filed under Activities, Outdoors.