I have spent over 50 years learning about plants, animals, and the ecology of the natural world. My wife and I live off the land. We raise animals for meat, and grow an almost 4000 sqft garden which provides more produce than we can consume. Through hunting and fishing I supplement our domestic meat supply. For food and medicine we also forage plants.

In 2007 I started Living Afield to teach people how to make use of and thrive in that natural world. I believe the best survival instructors are the ones who practice what they preach by living off the land. My real world training stresses using what nature provides to live your best life. Each of us must decide what that best life looks like. Because of this, I have designed my classes so that you can take from them what fits your life. Whether you are interested in camping, hiking, wilderness survival, bushcrafting, edible and medicinal plants, herbalism, plant based medicine, hunting, fishing, trapping, prepping, or any of the myriad outdoor activities, this website and my classes have something to make those activities more enjoyable. As you may already know...

Knowledge is power!!! My classes are designed to teach you the skills necessary to start your journey down the path towawrd living in harmony with the natural world...Click to view information on all of my available classes.

I offer classes in

Wilderness Skills, Survival, & Bushcrafting

My wilderness skills and outdoor classes are a bit different than most other survival training out there. In a fun and relaxing way, I will teach you the skills necessary to enhance your time in, and make use of, the natural world. If you want to have fun while learning the skills that will allow you to thrive in any environment or situation, then Living Afield is definitely for you... (Learn more about this class)

Edible & Medicinal Plant Deep-Dive.

The comment I hear most often during my plants walks is "My brain hurts. This was way too much information to try to comprehend." During this 2 day plant deep-dive workshop, we will spend the weekend identifying, harvesting, cooking, eating, amd making medicines from plants. If you truly want to learn how to identify, harvest, and use the plants that surround you each day, my plant deep-dive workshop should be at the top of your to do list... (Learn more about this workshop)

Edible & Medicinal Plant Walks

My guided plant walks allow you to get up close, hands-on, time with a multitude of edible and medicinal plants. These walks are held in areas rich in plant life. Come out and learn about the plants that surround you... (Learn more about my plant walks)

Plant Based Medicines

Safe, effective, inexpensive, plant based medicines are excellent insurance against everything happening in the world today. Each of us has heard and read the stories about the toxic side effects of pharmaceutical drugs. Over 100,000 people die each year from prescription drugs. Learning to make your own safe, effective, medicines from the plants that surround us each day can be a boon to your health...(Learn More & Register For A Medicine Making Class)

Emergency Survival

My Emergency Survival Skills Classes are designed to teach you how to survive an emergency situation. Many people build a BOB. or bug-out-bag. The problem arises from the fact that few people actually practice how to use the contents of their BOB. This weekend class is designed to help you learn to become proficient at using your bug out bag...(Learn more about this class)

Free Family Bushcrafting Day

Some of my fondest memories are spending time in the forest with my friends. We enjoyed countless hours crafting bows and arrows and pretending we were hunting; building shelters (forts); trying to identify plants; fishing, and revelling in the forests of our beautiful state. These activities sparked a love of the natural world in me that I want to pass on to younger generations. I believe the best way to preserve the natural world is to nurture a love of the outdoors in our children. This is why it is so important to me to teach classes like these... (Learn more about this class)

Free Online Video Learning Series

If you cannot make it to our guided plants walks, you can try our online virtual plant walks. Each individual plant video walks you through the physical characteristics of the plant, it's range, where it likes to grow, how it can be used edibly and medicinally, and any toxic look alikes, or possible drug interactions... (Learn more about this class)

My musings on living naturally My blog allows me the ability to go into more detail about everything outdoors and living naturally... (Read Blog Articles)

"I believe those who teach survival and living naturally should actually live off the land." My wife and I raise our own meat and produce. We also harvest, butcher, and preserve all of that bounty. We make our own medicines, soaps, laundry detergent, and creams and ointments. We do all of this on 2 acres... (Learn more)

Most people would agree that healthcare in the United States is broken. I believe we can improve the health of our country and reduce the cost of healthcare by using western medicine and traditional plant-based medicine in a two-pronged approach. Most common ailments can be cured using traditional plant-based medicines. This fact has been proven through tens of thousands of years of historical evidence, and new scientific clinical data... (Learn More)

Since the dawn of Man, plants have been used as sources of food, medicine, and shelter. They continue to be an important part of the natural world even today. Plants are the foundation for all other living things. If not for plants and photosynthesis, we would not have the oxygen we breath. As if supplying our oxygen is not enough, many of drugs used by western medicine were originally derived from plants. Our plants pages provide detailed information about various common and useful plants... (Learn More)

Mushrooms can be a wonderful addition to your diet. There are however mushrooms that can make you severely ill, or even kill you. It is therefore imperative that you properly identify any mushroom you plan to eat. Our mushroom page lists some of the most widespread and useful edible and medicinal mushrooms... (Learn More)

Living a grounded life. Studies have shown that by literally getting back in touch with the earth we can immediately lower our cortisol levels, and reverse many of our ills. The practice of grounding or earthing, having our skin touching the ground, can have a profound effect on both our physical and emotional health. Multi-disciplinary research has shown that sitting or walking barefoot outdoors for a minimum of 3o minutes each day significantly reduces cortisol levels (a stress hormone), increases blood viscocity, lowers blood pressure, reduces inflammation, increases wound healing, increases the immune system, and reduces chronic pain... (Learn More)

You cannot shange nature. Survival is about adapting to what nature provides. If you listen to many of the shows on television, certain "survival experts" would have you believe survival entails hunkering down under a tree in the forest, fighting everything mother nature throws at you, and making it through. It is all about going toe to toe with, and beating the old girl at her own game. Not even closeLearn more!!! Visit our survival pages for information on all of the most important information to help you adapt to, and thrive in, the natural world... (Learn More)