Discover the Wild Within
GONE FERAL: School of Primitive & Traditional Skills
Details about the 2017 Apprenticeship are now online! We use a rolling application for our Apprenticeship, so apply at any time.
At Gone Feral, we're all about getting people outside, doing.
In an age of an increasingly virtual existence and digital relationships, we're bucking the trend by offering experiences in the raw reality of life: the primitive and traditional skills that it takes to live off the land.
Want to make fire with two sticks? You got it. Interested in carving your own bow and arrows? No problem. Need to learn a unique craft for wedding favors? Cake.
Your survival knife needs to be able to do everything reasonably well, nothing perfectly. You want a knife that is a generalist, not a specialist.
We’re all about tradition. It’s part of our name. Here are a few items that are still present in our lives, but no longer used how they traditionally were.
The hook knife is an important, but often overlooked, tool of outdoor life, rounding out the Bushcraft Quartet (to include knife, axe, & saw) quite nicely.
Here are some easy-to-learn plant families that you can find and eat almost anywhere on the planet. It’s challenging to find an edible plant in Antarctica.
The science behind rocket stoves - and how to build a rocket stove for about six bucks.
Pemmican is a North American Native ‘superfood’ that can provide all of the necessary fat and protein the body needs for fairly prolonged periods of time.
Read More PostsDoug has been called a "steward of the old ways", "MacGyver of the woods", and "Bow Drill Jesus", among other things both couth and uncouth. But first and foremost, you could call Doug a teacher.
His eyes alight in those teachable moments as he recognizes the opportunity to share. He is also a writer, filmmaker, naturalist, and practitioner of primitive and traditional living skills.
“Doug Hill: the most mild-mannered wild man you’ll ever meet.”
— Natalie Condon, Owner, Isabelle Farm, Lafayette, CO
Most of our in-person courses take place at our 320-acre Field School. It lies just off the Peak-to-Peak Highway (Hwy 72) north of Ward, Colorado. Situated at 9000’, it boasts a year-round creek and all the life and resources of the Colorado Montane forest, including bear, elk, moose, lion, lodgepole, aspen, fir, and more. Infrastructure is ‘primitive’ and includes a composting toilet. There is no plumbing or electricity. The site is a 1 ½ mile hike down a rugged trail from the trailhead (and parking). May to September we have nearby private vehicle emergency access.
If you are traveling from a location below 5500’, we strongly recommend that you arrive 2-3 days early and stay in the nearby town of Nederland in order to acclimate to the elevation. Altitude illness (including AMS, HAPE, and HACE) can effect anyone regardless of physical condition, age, gender, or race, and we can’t emphasize enough the ability to acclimate.
Made with in Colorado