Before I say anything about myself I would like to recognize & thank all those who came before me. Nobody is born with skills and information. Everyone is inspired by someone, although I am self taught and have tested everything I teach through trial and error.... I have gleaned enormous amounts of information from other teachers, books & stories...to remember that someone else's hard work played a role in our development is important. Thank you to anyone who has been generous with their knowledge by writing a book or has inspired me through their actions, because without those individuals I would not be where I am today.
I knew what I wanted at a young age
Since the age of 10, I have been deeply immersed in nature and the study of wilderness survival and wildlife tracking. Unlike many, my passion only grew stronger and eventually bloomed into a full blown life-consuming obsession with nature. I have been living, learning and testing my skills for 20 years. I taught my first class as an assistant at age 16 (hand-drill friction fire making). At 18 I began teaching professionally. I've been teaching year-round for 17 years, I have taught thousands of people how to make fire with just a couple sticks, how to insulate and stave off hypothermia using materials found in nature, how to disinfect & purify water, procure calories and many other important skills. I have personally spent an enormous amount of time testing my skills in a variety of environments and have done my best to seek out the highest levels of certification within the field. I hold a Track & Sign Professional and Specialist Certificate through Cyber Tracker international.
As of 1/1/2024 I am certified level 3 in Trailing and very close to achieving 100% on a standard trailing evaluation (professional). My goal is to achieve a Senior Tracker certificate by 2026. Senior Tracker is the highest achievable wildlife tracking certification in the world and only achieved by scoring 100% on specialist track and sign evaluation as well as specialist trailing evaluation, a very high bar that only 30 people in the world have achieved ( roughly 75% of them being located in Africa, only 11 Senior trackers as of this time have achieved this level in the US).
I am currently employed as a wildlife biologist for UC Berkeley using wildlife tracking to survey for and study Mountain Beaver (Aplodontia rufa phaea) in Point Reyes National Seashore. I also work as a wildlife tracking consultant & educator while continuing to teach survival skills all over the western US.
My Wikiup home, located deep in the santa cruz mountains. Without camo it would have likely been vandalized as many of my primitive homes have. Under the camo is a spiraling pattern of large logs covered in bark, build over a 3 foot deep pit dug into the ground lined with sand and floor was eventually covered in large flat rocks (tile). Live Tan oak trees were woven in to further blend it in throughout the seasons.
Age 17, Seep Willow on Juniper (my senior picture)
I have spent the last 25 years of my life cultivating: my skills, experience & knowledge.
One of my first debris shelters as a kid. I slept in shelters just like this on and off for two years on this property in northern CT.
Pocket Ride, Santa Cruz 2016 Photo- Scott Kennedy
I am also a very passionate angler and began my own fishing guide service in 2014 (www.fishtherip.net) . I currently guide a handful of clients a year, although I love guiding...my passion is survival, and fishing is another means of gathering calories.
Trimming in Marin County, CA 2017 Photo: Matt Borries