SPECIAL WEEKEND OF WORKSHOPS (Winter)
SPECIAL WEEKEND OF WORKSHOPS for Skiers/Snowboarders, Snowmobilers, Ice Fishermen, Skaters, Hunters, Hikers, Outdoor Enthusiasts & Anyone Who Loves Being Outdoors in the Winter!
A Weekend of Wilderness Skills Workshops
Saturday - Sunday, February 24-25, 2024
All Workshops are in Conway, MA
Attend All, Some or Just One!
For Adults & Families
If you plan to attend ALL 4 Workshops:
REGISTER EARLY & SAVE 10%
(Early-Bird: $189/adult; $99/child with adult, attending all 4 Workshops)
Register early for Early-Bird prices (ends 2 weeks before the event)
Saturday
Winter Shelter Building: The Art of Staying Safe & Warm in the Cold
Saturday, 9AM - 12PM
Building a winter shelter is both a needed survival skill and a great way to enjoy the outdoors this season.
We have had so many people learn skills with us here and then go home and build these right in their backyard and on snowshoeing trips too.
- Learn the mindset when facing an experience where you may have to spend the night
- Choosing a safe location and what elements to look for before you can start building.
- The importance of attention to detail that can make the difference between struggle and thriving!
- Learn traditional skills that have been passed on by people of the north who live these conditions day in and day out
In this family- and adult-oriented class, you will learn the basics of making 3 kinds of winter shelters:
- The Quinzee (snow dependent)
- Tarp Craft
- Thermal Mass Shelter
We will also concentrate on how to stay warm in the winter without shelter and techniques to prevent hypothermia, frostbite and other cold-related injuries.
WinterFire
Saturday, 1:30PM-4:30PM
Have you ever struggled to get a fire going or got lost on a hike on a snowy mountain? Watch Frank's video about making WinterFire, and then attend this Workshop to practice!
A fire may be the difference between life and death.
This 3-hour Workshop will not only entertain you, but it may save your life! You'll learn how to take these 3 things, and why you should have them every time the temperature drops below 32 degrees...because they will 10x your ability to start a fire every single time you apply the methods you will learn in this Workshop.
Have you ever made a fire on the snow? Do you know how to make fire? What if you and your family are hiking, skiing or out for a drive and get stranded? A fun outing can become a potential life-threatening emergency rather quickly given certain conditions. How would you stay warm?
Here you'll learn one of the most important outdoor skills: How to survive in the wilderness in winter and develop some outdoor survival skills in fire-starting methods and techniques.
The Art of Fire was almost magical – that fire can be created from things that can be found in our surroundings plus a bit of physical effort. I would not have believed it possible if I had not attended the class.
Mary
Weekend Getaway participant
Sunday
Winter Emergency Preparedness
Sunday, 9AM - 12:30PM
Our Emergency Preparedness & Self-Sufficiency Skills Workshop combined with a bonus...ICE SAFETY!
This hands-on, engaging workshop will demonstrate the practical skills you need as you learn how to:
- Create warm shelter in or outside your home;
- Stay healthy through safe hygiene and sanitation practices;
- Make water safe to drink;
- Make fire when matches are wet or lighter fluid doesn’t work due to extreme cold;
- Find the best food sources when grocery stores are wiped out or you can’t get to them;
- Prepare food when the stove or microwave doesn’t work;
- Use your car as a shelter, for cooking food and making a fire.
BONUS--ICE SAFETY!
Would you know what to do if you fell through the ice, or one of your loved ones...perhaps a family member...plunged into the excruciating frigid water? This is a terrifying thought, and people have lost loved ones in this scenario; it is a REAL concern. However, taking the time to educate yourself and your family gives you an incredible edge that can make the difference between life and death.
Although this situation seems grim, we can help you understand that ICE SAFETY training is an extremely important SKILL that you can acquire. You and your friends/family can be prepared and know exactly what to do.
Being prepared and knowing how to respond provides a comfort and security that nothing else can. With this new-found knowledge and skill, you know what to do for yourself, as well as if someone you witness falls through the ice. In this class, you will learn:
- how to approach the ice
- how to read the ice while travelling over lakes, rivers
- how to determine ice thickness so you know what places are safe on lakes, ponds, rivers
- how to deal with the initial first minute of submersion--one that you can be prepared for in this class
- how to determine which direction to swim as the ice breaks under you
Learn the different strategies and rescue procedures for what to do before, during and after someone goes through the ice.
During the short time that I attended the program, I realized that I was surrounded by people more experience than I had ever known and all of them were more than willing to share their knowledge.
Chris
a Weekend Getaway participant
Sunday
Have you ever been in the woods and wonder “who’s been here?” Join us for the art and science of tracking. Learn how to read signs and tell the stories of the landscape and learn terminology so you can have a common language for wildlife conservation efforts. In our tracking classes, throughout the year, beginner and expert trackers come together and are immersed in ancient and modern teachings. Explore your understanding of the natural world through the eyes of a tracker. Bring your field guides, journal and sense of wonder.
There’s no better teacher than experience…learn and practice:
- the 5 arts of tracking;
- the art of questioning;
- 3 perspectives of tracking;
- mind’s eye training;
- field journaling!
When I tell my friends that Wyatt and I had an incredible time doing a tracking program with you on Monday, the first question everyone asks is, what kind of tracks did you see? But because of the way I was taught to observe and think during my three-hour workshop, I can't bear to answer that right away. What happened for me, first and foremost, was practicing a way of seeing in the woods. I have to explain, to even my own surprise, that it didn't matter what kind of tracks we saw. We were learning how to pay attention and how to think. We were learning how to puzzle things through from what we could make sense of, and we were learning what to notice and how (lie down!). It's actually so easy to see a track, but it's something else to stay with it and figure it out. We were asked to see the story of what happened in the woods the night before. We were asked to feel the presence of the coyote and the red fox and the grey squirrel. We were asked to visualize the porcupine and the bobcat and the vole. So we saw those tracks, we did. But we saw and felt so much more!
LARA
Winter Tracking Workshop participant
REGISTER EARLY & SAVE 10%
(Early-Bird: $189/adult; $99/child with adult, attending all 4 Workshops)
Register early for Early-Bird prices (ends 2 weeks before the event)
MAKE A WEEKEND OF IT!
Opportunity to stay overnight on the land on Saturday night!*
Camping ($20/person, bring your own tent & supplies) is available at a nominal cost.
You can set up your tent in our big field - an 8-acre field of mowed grass. It is a short walk from there up to the main lodge where you can use the kitchen and dining room (the water is shut off during the winter).
The bathroom and shower facilities are not available during the winter.
Bouchard Lodge
The Lodge is a rustic multi-purpose camp building.
The kitchen has a commercial gas range, several refrigerators, 2 sinks (water is not available during the winter), and a microwave. It is fully equipped with pots, pans, utensils, plates, cups, etc. We just ask that you clean up after yourselves and recycle into the appropriate containers.
The dining area is very flexible. We have folding tables and chairs that you can use as needed, a small nature library for reference, and a cabinet of board games. There is an old tv and a pile of videotapes that you are welcome to use.
NEED TO REGISTER FOR CAMPING BEFORE MID FEBRUARY
Earthworks workshops provided an amazing educational experience for my three teens and me. With so many great workshops it is difficult to determine which aspect of the wilderness weekend I enjoyed most. Earthworks gives those of us who have read the survival books and watched the shows an opportunity to practice these skills first hand with knowledgeable and patient guidance that caters to both beginners and experienced woodsmen.
Bronya
Mom of 3 teens (all attended the Weekend Getaway last Spring)