I Took a Hardcore Wilderness Survival Course. Here’s What I Learned About the Personal Aspect of Survival by Fabian Ommar for The Organic Prepper
Last month I took part in a wilderness survival course under the guidance of a professional ex-military specialized in forest operations. I promised Daisy that I’d start putting on paper everything worth sharing once I returned. Here’s the first installment for The Organic Prepper community. Next time I’ll talk more about the practical aspects of the course.
I met a team of real-life Rambos
For decades, this group of instructors have been in the Amazon forest and swamps, deserts, and other types of environment, training, and actual combat missions. They are very experienced in wilderness survival, a team of rough and highly skilled guys.
In all this time doing various outdoor activities, I’ve met some very capable buschcrafters and wilderness specialists, from whom I learned a lot.
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But, these folks are actually capable of living in the outdoors for an extended period. They can supply their basic needs and avoid dangers that would kill an average person in a short time, depending on the circumstances. All that with just a survival knife. They were also soldiers and thus possess solid combat skills.
We talked about survival, nature, and prepping
As for our group, we were a mixed bag of adventurers (trekkers, backpackers, wild campers), a couple of executives, and a few airsoft and paintball players. Some were into prepping and survivalism, in various degrees and levels of experience.
Each night we gathered around the campfire to chat before bedtime. (Figuratively speaking, as there were no beds to sleep on). I was able to take notes and collect ideas and perspectives. I’m aware of group dynamics from my own urban survival mentoring activities. But it’s always refreshing and inspiring to participate in a different exercise in a contrasting setting. We learn a lot from these experiences.
I started the course with an open mind, absorbing everything, paying attention to the topics discussed and the entire group’s psychology. All the while trying to keep up with the practical classes and exercises in deep forest survival. Which, as expected, were challenging and demanding. (I was still recovering from an accident that broke both of my arms the month prior).
Survival has a starting point
Intuitively, this is on the mind of everyone who’s into prepping. After all, most people prepare to raise their baseline to shorten the distance between shock and reaction. It plays on all levels: the individuals and their communities and society as a whole. And each level influences the other, too – everything is connected).
Residents from different places will deal with disasters and changes in their environment (or context) differently because not everyone is at the same level of preparedness when something hits. But by that, I don’t mean preparation due to a structured discipline or training. But rather from actually living in different economic, political, and social contexts.
