I know quite a bit about bushcrafting knives and axes, but I haven’t done more than hiking and maybe some light backpacking. Frankly, I’m a novice when it comes to hands-on survival or bushcrafting, so when Shane Adams, Special Projects Manager at ESEE knives talked me into doing the Advanced Bushcrafting class at Randall’s Adventure & Training center with the ESEE guys, I jumped at the chance.
I was a bit nervous about what was in store for me when I arrived at the Farm (that’s what ESEE calls it). I almost thought I was in the wrong place. Signs had led me down a gravel road for what seemed like forever until I finally came out at the campsite.
The camp consisted of a grassy field with a fire pit in the middle. In almost a perfect circle, there was a large military tent off to the side, a ropes course repelling tower, a class room, and yes, thankfully, a porta potty. Beyond the circle, a dense pine thicket blocked out the rest of the area. It felt very secluded. I set up my tent, met some of my classmates, and headed off to my sleeping bag. Class started at 8AM every day, and I’m not a morning person.
“I teach this class because it’s just fun for me. I enjoy teaching in general, but this class is just plain fun,” Patrick Rollins, a key knife designer for ESEE and an instructor for Randall’s told me. Patrick doesn’t have a favorite part of the course. It’s all his favorite part, he told me. “This topic is where most of my interest lies and if I could only teach one class out of the many we offer, it would probably be this one. I enjoy talking about the basics of shelter, fire, water, and food.”
James Gibson, another instructor does have a favorite part of the course. “Passing down wisdom,” he tells me. “When you die, it’s all lost and I really feel like I’m doing something big when I teach.”
It was dark. It was cold. It was clear I need better gear, and now, thanks to James, I was contemplating my death. Great.
Day One: Survival
I woke up freezing. The ground is always harder and colder than you think, and the pine straw I had stuffed under my bag hadn’t done the trick. I woke up multiple times in the night trying to get comfortable and warm, and I immediately regretted my decision to come. My classmates had already gathered around the fire pit, and they were generous enough to share a cup of their coffee. After a few gulps of joe and a bit of conversation, I began to feel human again. I seriously need better gear.
The day started with a survival lecture about how survival and bushcrafting go hand in hand – a brief overview of the course, and it laid out the rough agenda for the class. Shelter, fire, water, and food were going to be the main focus of this class. I looked forward to it.
After class, we headed to a different site called “Bum Camp.” Bum Camp is where most of the hands-on training takes place. We talked about shelter building and built an impressive lean-to that was complete with natural bedding, a working door, and a central fire pit.
Frankly, it was a lot of work to put the shelter together. It literally took all of us working in tandem to assemble, but it really opened my eyes to the level of craftsmanship that you can accomplish with just one knife.
At lunch around the fire pit, I realized that no one had pressured me to do anything, but I had particpated quite a lot. The class is very hands-on if you want it to be, or hands off if you don’t. How much you choose to participate in any activity or lesson will greatly impact what you get out of it. And, if you don’t understand something, it’s okay. They actually encourage you to ask questions. The instructors will take time to give one-on-one help.
Simply put: There are no egos here.
Through our shelter building lesson in the morning and into our trapping lesson in the afternoon, I noticed that the instructors often reference books and training materials. They share a little bit of information from lots of different bushcrafters, and they’re big on giving credit where credit is due, even telling us about former students who taught them things through the years.
We finished the day with a trapping lesson from Casey Wynn, a former Randall student and a new member of the Randall team. We set traps around the property and talked about how location and scents play a role in success rate. To be honest, I didn’t expect that we’d catch anything.
The comraderie around the fire pit that night was great. People who were strangers yesterday seemed like old friends now. I replayed the events of the day in my head – what I had learned and what I experienced. After walking just part of the “Farm,” I really got a scale of exactly how large this facility is. Fun fact: It’s over 100 acres.
Day Two – Trash Panda Lunch and Fire
I didn’t know what cold was until I woke up on day two. My attempt to bundle up in extra clothes in my sleeping bag and to put spare clothing underneath had failed miserably. The forecast was calling for rain, and I’m not going to lie. I thought about leaving early if the rain set in.
Luckily, the sun toped the pine thicket around 8am, and the weather was tolerable. It didn’t hurt that I knew that today was all about fire, and the news around camp was that at least one of our traps had snared a raccoon.
To be dead honest, I was in favor of releasing the cute “Trash Panda” from the snare, but that just wasn’t in the plans. We dispatched it humanely with .22 long rifle and began an impromptu set of lessons on skinning and prepping wild game.
The thought of eating raccoon is generally kind of gross to me. It’s not something I look for on the menu at Applebee’s, so I don’t know if it was because I was hungry or what. Campfire barbecued raccoon that’s seasoned with some Red Eyed Hog Seasoning can rival a good steak at a restaurant any day of the week.
The real focus of Day Two was fire making, and they taught us numerous ways to make a fire without matches or lighters. We were shown a fire bow, hand drill, fire log, and fire plow, and I tried my hand with the fire bow, something I’ve always wanted to try.
It was the hardest thing ever to make fire with nothing but some wood and determination. If I learned anything about fire in the wilderness, it’s this. I’m carrying at least two brand new lighters with me when I go out next time.
These lessons about fire really showed me the importance of the ESEE Fire Steel. I had always thought the ESEE accessories were kind of “meh,” but this class really showed me how they could shine when you need them most.
We finished up Day Two with a lecture about knife sharpening and maintenance from Ed Coker. I thought my ESEE PR4 was sharp before, but oh was I wrong. Ed’s a cool older fella who specializes in knife sharpeing and maintenance, as well as plant identification. And though I screwed it up with a file, he helped me get my PR4 sharper than it’s ever been.
The sun was setting on Day Two when we reset the traps and piled in around the camp fire pit. I talked about gear, hammocks, axes, knives, bags, stoves and all sorts of camping things with my new friends. Apparently Trash Panda dispacth and fire-bowing your arms off brings a group closer than ever.
Day Three – Let me Axe you something about Spooning
Camping outside got better – or easier, but it still wasn’t as comfortable as I thought it’d be. My muscles were stiff and sore from the bitter cold and the extensive arm workout of the fire bow and whittling all day. Morning coffee tasted better than it had before, and I was ready for anything they threw at us on Day Three.
Overnight, we caught a Possum (two for two on the traps if you’re keeping track). We skinned him and made a nice possum chili. It wasn’t nearly as good as the raccoon, but I’ll always take a free meal.
In a somewhat elaborate lesson on carving , James gave us a safety talk about using axes and knives for carving. We were shown how to hang an axe and craft a custom wood handle, and after an in-depth talk about carving, we each got a wood block to try our hand at carving a spoon.
I certainly learned a lot about different knives and axes and how they perform differently working with hard wood. Everyone but me brought a carving axe or a smaller knife, and I tried to use my PR4. It was surprisingly difficult, and even after I borrowed a carving axe from a classmate, it didn’t help at all. Maybe the PR4 is nice for carving, and I’m just not the Rembrandt of wooden spoon-making. Either way, I gained a real appreciation for artists who carve wood for a living.
The rain held off for most of the day, but hit us that evening around the fire pit. I’m not ashamed to say that I was a bit glad the rain sent us down the road to Cracker Barrel for dinner and conversation. It was nice to have “real food” instead of camp food for a change.
Ironically, the rain was fairly warm, and I could finally peel off the thermals I’d been wearing for the entire trip. It was nice to let my skin breathe for a bit. The looming problem, however, was the cold front scheduled to arrive the next day. The forecast called for the lowest temps of the trip (highs in the 30s), as if I didn’t think it was already barely tolerable. This was it. I was going to die. Hypothermia would take me in the night.
Day Four – Plant life and Atlatl Glory
I made it through, kind of. I slept warm, but was awakened in the middle of the night. Something cold was dripping on my head like Chinese water torture. The rain had defeated my tent, and after many attempts to catch water and move my gear to a dryer area, I chose the last remaining bastion of hope for dry sleep and warmth: my Dodge Charger. My body hurt from sleeping in my car, and we started class under the military tent as the rain (and now sleet continued to fall).
We talked about making natural cordage in the wild. I learned what the natives used to make nets, twine, and other textile goods. I’m not very good with rope, so I struggled making it, but luckily the instructors where there to help me one-on-one.
Ed taught us some plant identification and use. To me, it was one of the most interesting parts of the entire course. We walked the property with Ed and identified plants and what they can be used for. It was like he was passing on a long and forgotten art, which I don’t think is too far from the truth.
The rain finally let up, and we made blow guns and Atlatls (pronounced addle-addle),which can throw a six foot spear up to 100mph. We roasted and straightened bamboo stalks to spear perfection, and we used homemade pine pitch and turkey feathers to fletch and stabilize our spears during flight. We used only traditional methods to craft each glorious Atlatl and spear. We were like gods walking to the shooting range to test our creations in competition.
We all missed. One classmate hit the target, but I was the second closest. So… mission accomplished.
Dinner in camp around the fire pit was amazing. Like old friends now, we sat around talking and laughing. We chowed down on steak and sausages. Patrick and James supplied a lot, but we all chipped in to make a massive buffet. I had almost completely forgotten about the tent disaster from the night before.
Day Five – Traps and Certification
I nearly froze to death on the last night, but I don’t care. I was so close to finishing that I probably would’ve knocked off my blackened fingers and toes and plowed ahead anyway.
On the last day, we made primitive traps – different variations of snares and dead-fall traps. I wouldn’t want to have to rely on one for survival, but I’m glad I know how to make one in a pinch. This led to some time learning how to make containers out of rope and even an impressive leather working lesson from James. It was fascinating watching him make a sheath with intricate details down to the stitching.
When that was over, we headed to the classroom for a recap, and we got our completion certificates. The best part was the class knife that was awarded to each of us. It’s an exclusive ESEE 3 with a unique number and alumni crest on the blade. I own a ton of knives, but I think this one might just mean the most to me.
My Takeaway
I came into this experience not knowing what to expect. I hike, I like the outdoors, and I want to learn more. I just wasn’t sure I was ready for it. What can I say after making it through Advanced Bushcraft Class at Randall Adventure & Training center? Do it. I can’t stress the merit of taking one of these classes enough. It’s perfect for learning more about knives and axes, survival and bushcraft, or just having fun and making new friends. I feel like this is more than a knife company now. It’s a family. Take a moment to look at their training website and check out some of the incredible classes they offer.
Remember. When ESEE gives you an opportunity, take it. It’s worth it.
