Backyard Bushman Series: Volume 1

Backyard Bushman Series: Volume 1

Dan Wowak July 29, 2024

WRITTEN by: Sergio Lamboy

In my last journal entry, I advised you on how to prepare for our upcoming training season, informing you about the kit you may need and the physical preparation for one of our courses. Though I look forward to meeting new students every year, I understand that not everyone can take the time away from family responsibilities or afford the expense of training. Thankfully, the cost of training and travel to the Appalachian Bushman School can be supplemented with the online offerings we have available to you.

Our founder, Dan Wowak of Coalcracker Bushcraft and the Appalachian Bushman School, has created an online offering that is affordable and accessible to everyone. The Virtual Campfire Clinics allow you to receive the training and one-on-one attention that you’d get here at the school with our cadre of skilled instructors, all from the comfort of your home. Currently, we offer several different online opportunities that I’m sure will expand in the future.

What’s the benefit of the Virtual Campfire Clinics, you may ask? Well, you get the expertise of an experienced outdoorsman and survivalist who has built a reputation on the quality training he and his instructors have provided to thousands of students over the years. Plus, you have the opportunity to immediately practice the skills he has taught you in the comfort of your backyard. Hence the title of this article.

Oddly enough, despite the availability of online resources like YouTube and the thousands of hours of Bushcraft and Survival content, most people never get outside to practice the hobby they love; instead, they make too many excuses as to why they can’t practice the skills they yearn to master. Over the years of reading comments on Dan’s YouTube videos and fielding questions on our Facebook page, I’ve heard too many reasons why people can’t master the skills they see performed online. I could never list them all, but here are just a few:

  • “I don’t have the time to get out into the woods.”

  • “I don’t have access to large swaths of land to camp on.”

  • “I’m not confident enough in my skills to go out on my own.”

  • “I have physical limitations keeping me from traveling too far from home or to your school.”

Through our Facebook page, YouTube Channel, and Virtual Campfire Clinics, you can interact directly with Dan and maybe even some of the instructors on staff here at the Appalachian Bushman School. You can immediately practice the skills you’ve learned in your own backyard, making you a Backyard Bushman. When you perfect those skills and gain the confidence you need to venture even farther from home, you’ll be glad you had the good fortune of tapping into the knowledge and expertise of Dan and his skilled instructors.

Even though I hope that we’ll have the opportunity to eventually meet each and every one of you, I am confident that we will have had the pleasure of providing you with a multitude of online offerings here at Coalcracker Bushcraft and the Appalachian Bushman School. Our goal is always to give you quality instruction and advice to further your skills as a Backyard Bushman and hopefully give you the confidence to become the adventurer you’ve always wanted to be. I also hope that these online opportunities inspire you to join us for one of our multi-day, immersive courses so that you can meet our staff of expert instructors. Keep an eye out for the next installment of “The Backyard Bushman.”