Professionally, I manage an information systems department for a prominent land development company in Southern California. What I really enjoy, however, is spending my time tracking animals, identifying plants, and studying habitats. In pursuit of this, I often find myself off trail and in relatively remote areas. Realizing that the need for survival skills could become a reality I began to study books to augment my knowledge. The books provided me with a roadmap to skills but could not replace the knowledge transfer that occurs from hands-on training with experienced experts. I believe good judgment and the ability to improvise in ad hoc situations cannot be taught from a book. Instead, to learn these skills you need to observe and train with experts in the survival field. This was why I looked for a survival-training course.
Winter Course:
Before the trip, I wondered how worthwhile a four-day class would be and if the skills would be relevant for someone who spends most of their time in arid oak woodlands. The class turned out to be extremely relevant! Greg Davenport’s basic three-step approach to survival can be applied in any environment. The only difference from one environment to another is deciding which essential need takes priority. From this relatively short course, I gained a well rounded set of skills that help me pick the right clothes, set up an effective shelter, build a fire, find water, and signal for help. What’s really interesting is that I learned the principles behind each of these skills and that foundation has already allowed me to successfully meet my needs in a non-winter environment. Of course, the class is especially effective for winter environments.
About the Staff:
Quality is a relative term based on the expectations of the individual. Based on the credentials of Simply Survival’s staff I expected the "real deal". I selected Simply Survival because I wanted training quality that represented the top percentile in terms of experience and effectiveness. I definitely got what I wanted. It was clear that every skill taught were skills that the instructors had used many times themselves in far more demanding situations. They taught what worked regardless of popular opinion or how impressive the skill may be. For me, if my life depended on it, and it may, I would want what worked. I highly recommend Greg Davenport and the programs at Simply Survival.
Educational Seminars on Wilderness Medicine, Outdoor Safety, and Survival.
