Wild Ancestor cover
Live wilder · threshold book & activity guide collection

Wild Ancestor

A rite of passage into the skills of those who came before

Go further. Travel lighter.

Fire by friction, carrying fire, water, shelter, natural navigation and invisibility: the skills of those who came before, ending in the ancestral challenge.

Make fire by friction, find and purify water, build a debris shelter, move unseen and navigate by sun, stars and land.

  • The ebook
  • 37 Wilding activity guides as printable PDFs
  • Templates and charts the activity guides need
Coming soon. Jay is giving this book and its activity guides a final proofread before they go on sale as downloads. Ask to be told when they're ready.

Safety first. Outdoor activities carry real risks. Each activity guide has safety notes, but you are responsible for yourself and anyone in your care. Supervise children, get permission, never eat anything you cannot identify with certainty, and only light fires where it is allowed and safe.

Prefer to learn it outside? See course dates →

The activity guides in this collection

Uncover nature's language

Disturbance & concentric rings

InvisibilityUncover nature's languageConcentric ringsUncover nature's languageWhere is the cat?Uncover nature's languageThere’s a dog comingUncover nature's language

Live wilder

Shelter

Building a debris shelterLive wilder

Fire

Using a flint & steel strikerLive wilderMaking an ember with a hand drill fire lighting setLive wilderBuilding a stealthy fireLive wilderTransporting fireLive wilder

Woodcraft

Making & using a digging stickLive wilderMaking a bark water filterLive wilderMaking a burnt bowlLive wilder

Ethnobotany & crafts

Gathering plant & tree rootsLive wilder

Campfire cooking methods & accessories

Cooking in the embersLive wilderCooking on a hot rockLive wilderMaking & using a ground ovenLive wilder

Campfire recipes & drinks

Making flat breadLive wilderCooking an eggLive wilder

Imitate nature

Blending with the baseline

Natural camouflageImitate natureSmell like natureImitate natureSound camouflageImitate natureCamera huntImitate natureHow do you walk?Imitate natureThe wild catImitate natureThe lizardImitate natureThe wormImitate natureThe heronImitate natureFox walkingImitate nature

Map & navigate naturally

Map

Song linesMap & navigate naturally

Natural & aidless navigation

Finding northMap & navigate naturallyNatural navigationMap & navigate naturallySundialMap & navigate naturallyFinding & navigating by the north starMap & navigate naturallyNavigating by the moonMap & navigate naturallyNavigating by other constellationsMap & navigate naturally

Venturing further

Hazard awareness & keeping safe

Finding water in natural spacesVenturing furtherMaking wild water safe to drinkVenturing further

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