The Drive to Survive
Hosted by Earth Connection founder Tim MacWelch
The Drive To Survive is the world's first and only radio talk show dedicated to the arts of wilderness survival, emergency preparedness and self sufficiency. The show's host, Tim MacWelch, has been a professional wilderness survival instructor for almost 15 years. This radio program will provide our listeners with lifesaving knowledge and concepts that have been carefully arranged to give you the best chance of staying safe, in even the worst emergencies.
Our goal is to provide lifesaving skills, and make them understandable to everyone. Our belief is that anyone can survive. Our mission is to make that a reality.
Didn't get to hear the show live? Each show will be archived on the network and you can also download each episode as an MP3 file. The shows will also be available on iTunes shortly thereafter.
There will be 13 shows this summer, each Friday from 1-2 pm EST.
For more information about the show and the VoiceAmerica Talk Radio Network, click here!
Listen to Episode One: The Mentality of Survival
Listen to Epidsode Two: The Priorities of Survival
Earth Connection School of Wilderness Survival
Welcome to smart, realistic survival skills - primitive skills with a sense of tradition - and our ancestor's drive for practical self sufficiency.
Our mission is to provide you with a great weekly radio show, high quality classes in survival; reasonable and realistic survival strategies; and a safe, enjoyable learning experience.
"Don't survive harder... Survive Smarter!"
For directions to the Earth Connection site, click here.
Upcoming Events:
September 13th—19th: ULTIMATE SURVIVAL WEEK!
Monday-Wednesday: Primitive Skills ($300)
The Primitive Skills course teaches valuable wilderness survival skills using the stone age technologies that were common to of all of our ancestors. Students will learn how to build a leaf hut shelter, without tools or cord; how to collect and prepare tinder and kindling; how to do friction fire making with the bow drill; primitive tool making; primitive water gathering and purification; four primitive traps unique to this course; how to make a rabbit hunting stick; and the skinning, cleaning and cooking small game (typically squirrel). Primitive fishing, Edible plants, primitive cooking, food preservation and storage, wicker basketry from vines, plant and tree bark string, and burning out wooden bowls and spoons will also be covered. This course is designed to provide skills for living primitively in the wilderness; and this course is a student and staff favorite.
Thursday-Friday: Wilderness Survival ($200)
Our Wilderness Survival course is a 2 day course designed to instruct students in a wide variety of year-round life saving wilderness survival skills using the latest modern gear and the best historic outdoor skills. Students of this course will learn the priorities of survival, how not to get lost in the first place, how to signal for rescue, and what to put in survival kits. Skills will include building and camping out in one of the many tarp shelters to be covered; collecting and purifying water with several modern methods; and the basics of making and utilizing fire including flint & steel, batteries, magnifying lens, waterproofing matches and tinder. Food gathering instruction will include collecting and preparing nutritious edible plants, four different traps unique to this course and survival fishing. How to sharpen a knife with a stone, knots and string making will also be covered. We recommend this course for all outdoor persons.
Saturday: Primitive Cooking ($80)
Join us for our very ab-original cooking class; often imitated, but never duplicated! Our Primitive Cooking course will teach the food preparation skills of our ancestors as we use traditional cooking skills to create a feast for the mind and belly. Cooking techniques will be taught and during the course students will construct and use a stone fireplace with reflector, a stone oven and a steam pit. Other cooking methods to be covered are rock frying, coal baking, rock boiling in wooden bowls and a deer hide, clay baking and an Algonquin style green wood grill "Barbecue". Eating utensils, cooking containers and other subjects will be covered. A lunch, snacks and a dinner will also be part of this course. The menu for this course uses some modern ingredients and some traditional ones; and will include many kinds of meat prepared in different ways.
Sunday: Wild Fall Edible Plants ($80)
Our Seasonal Wild Edible Plant courses focus on the different plants and plant uses of each season. These are one day classes. Each course is a guided walk through different habitats, identifying, collecting and frequent sampling wild plant foods, and pointing out harmful plants to avoid. Each course will cover approximately 40 plants, shrubs and trees, depending on the season. We will cover proper identification and use of these plants, whether plants are native or introduced, when and where to safely collect plants and conservation techniques. Each student gets an Earth Connection plant handout with full color photos and written plant information. Wild edible snacks are a part of each course.
DISCOUNT OPTIONS:
Entire week (Monday-Sunday): $500
Weekend (Saturday-Sunday): $150
To register for any of these classes, please give us a call at 919-489-8893!