Workshops
My wife Tania Marsh, brother Barrie Clifford and I (Chad Clifford) founded the Alba Wilderness School in the 1990's. Although we have moved on, Alba still operates now under the instruction of Howard Clifford (story-teller and long-time honorary member of Alba).

Wilderness Rhythms is my project for offering personalized, individual and group instruction. At this time, indoor and outdoor classrooms and 1250 acres of rolling shield are utilized for courses at the Alba Wilderness Land Trust (75 minutes west of Ottawa).

Contact:
Chad Clifford chad@wildernessrhythms.com
Lanark, Ontario, Canada
Cell: 613 812-3568
A little Perspective

It is my pleasure to share the traditional, woods skills and knowledge that I have come to value and continue to develop myself. As I, and I assume most enthusiasts, have found that finding one even one 'expert' on the area of traditional wilderness skills (even through books, t.v., and internet) is rare. What is more common is people with expertise in one (or more) area of traditional wilderness skills (like bow making or shelters etc.). If your interests lay with only one aspect of traditional wilderness skill, you will likely be able to find someone with that particular skills set already mastered. Hopefully, you will not have to travel too far to learn.
Igloo Building in the Arctic.


Most of the people I have learned from rarely offer courses but are happy to share with an enthused student. This is how I learned: bow making; wild edibles; birch bark canoe building; Inuit kayak construction; story-telling, for just a few examples. It has been a real treat treat for me to befriend these people with whom I still remain in contact/friendship. Upon finding courses of interest, carefully consider the BIO of all the instructor(s), as in many cases, student helpers teach the majority of the course and may lack the experience you are looking for.



One serious toad in Ottawa..		 If your interests are more general in terms of all around traditional wilderness skills, know that it takes a great deal of study to become proficient for just one area, not to mention becoming an expert in all areas or locations (one would need many lifetimes of study). For example, during my five+ years in the Arctic, I lived in a community where people moved off the land in the 1950-60's. Prior to this, people lived nomadic lifestyles and were born in igloos and caribou skin tents and hunted caribou from skin (caribou) kayaks. I have been fortunate to have learned just titbits from some of these elders and have had them teach my school classes on land (survival) camps. Even in that
community, the skills and knowledge are fast disappearing with people now in permanent communities where the following generations are not immersed in the skills. To me, one needs to live a nomadic lifestyle (i.e., for

decades) to really become an expert at it. Even if I had of focussed more of my attention on the local skills for a few years of intense study, I couldn't imagine ever calling myself self an expert at Arctic survival skills--having not lived it like the elders there. In this light, survival and traditional skills experts are rare indeed. The rest of us do our best to learn traditional living skills to augment our nature experience and to add an element of safety when out and about. Moreover, there is great value in the skills and lessons that traditional wilderness skills   
Left: Grade School and University Education Students making Inuit Kayak. My buddy and qajaq builder Steve Conty is in the background. Right: Summer shelter traditional skills course.

hold for those who take the time. The skills really work to find one's place in nature by learning to live/survive within it, even if your excursions range only from hours to months at a time. I have written more about this on my Resource page.

Fees:
When possible, I happily volunteer my time to various non-profit youth and outdoors groups and organizations. I prefer to see primitive and wilderness skills free to all interested. These skills just seem like a 'birthright' somehow. For organized courses where other costs like food and materials are required, I add a base fee of $250 /day.

Schools:
I possess teacher certifications for Ontario and Nunavut and have experience teaching outdoor environmental and wilderness skills education at the Junior, intermediate, Senior, and University levels. Many outdoor skills are suitable for curriculum based outcomes. These outcomes can be further discussed for appropriate subjects and grade levels
Ideas:
  • Class set of traditional Inuit bone games and activities (Learned from Canadian Inuit--first hand)
  • Authentic and painted Tipi that can be utilized for lessons and field trips
  • Animal tracks and awareness activities
  • Nature based crafts and tool making
  • Nature games teaching camouflage and ecology
  • Story telling: re-enactment of wilderness figures: Grey Owl, Henry Thoreau and John Muir
  • Basic wilderness survival
  • Map and compass, and other natural techniques
  • Fire starting--rubbing sticks
  • More ideas on my Resource page and in the descriptions below.


    • Private and Group Instruction:

    Workshops have ranged from 40 minute slideshows, to 14-day, intensive, wilderness skills camps. Individual skills or packaged courses can be suited to individual / group interests.

  • Back to the woods (4-6 days)
    This course offers an example of a packaged course. It covers a basis of skills that allow for years of development afterwards--in a relaxed but hands-on nature experience.

  • Animal Tracks (1-2 days)
    Slideshows based from author's collection of 10,000+ slides. This course focusses on nature awareness and reading nature's clues. Considerable time is spent both understanding track patterns and the telltale clues found in every track. This course changes somewhat from winter to summer.

  • Winter Camping(2-3 days)
    This course takes on many forms. The focus can be on lightweight camping or sled hauling camping with heated tents. Various types of snow shelters along with daily needs are considered.

  • Primitive Bow Making(2 days)
    Bow making is contagious! You will not want to stop at making just one bow. For many, the art of making the bow and seeing how it performs simply leads one to making another. At this point in history, there is a large resurgence in traditional bow making. In light of this, a fast growing amount of knowledge is being discovered and re-discovered. Designs from Ishi ( the last nomadic Native out of California in the early 1900s), to the IceMan (glacial melt discovery), to various bows discovered in bogs and in shipwrecks are finding their homes in the hands of modern day archers. New woods are being experimented with and bow designs have the beginner now able to make a working bow on their first attempt--usually. Each step of bow making is covered: from the tree to the stave, to the string and arrows. These are not modern bows, but Self-bows, where only the carved wood is used--no fibreglass, composite, or manufactured parts are even discussed. Amen!

  • Lostproofing (1 day).
    Map & compass (from basics to triangulation), GPS, and more traditional methods. It is more than possible to circle within a mile when lost or not paying attention. Actually, I have seen people circle in under 300 metres in thick brush. This course has one consider numerous methods of navigation including the option of being sent into the woods and having to find your way to a point through triangulation with a map and compass.




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