About
the Course
The Hunter Gatherer Courses are
some of BOSS's most adventurous courses, designed to offer students the opportunity
to truly live off the land for a specific period of time. Like all BOSS courses,
instruction is conducted without the intrusion of modern technology in environments
that allow course content to be experienced first-hand.
The Canyon Hunter Gatherer Course combines a 4-day, skills-intensive period
with a 9-day, primitive living experience. It provides students with the
opportunity to prepare their materials and refine their skills under expert
instruction and optimal learning conditions during the Preparation phase
and then test themselves out in the field with only their hand-made materials
and their wits for the second. This is where you will be able to find out
if you can comfortably survive in Utah's desert canyons with only materials
you have made yourself
— for 9 consecutive days! No other school offers you this opportunity.
Prerequisites
for Hunter Gatherer Courses
The Hunter Gatherer
courses have prerequisites to ensure that students arrive with a proper foundation
in BOSS wilderness skills. In order to take either Hunter Gatherer
course, a participant must have successfully completed a BOSS 14-Day or 28-Day Field
Course.
Required courses must have been completed within the past 5 years. It's possible to take both the primary and advanced course within the same season at BOSS.
Course
Content
During Phase I of the Canyon Hunter
Gatherer Course, our staff will provide you with the skills you will need
for Phase II. This means that the curriculum is adapted to suit the group's
needs and the natural materials available, but skills may include:
Projectile point construction, natural carrying vessels, constructive
plant use, clothing and fiber considerations, primitive grain grinding techniques,
pottery and cooking vessels, quickie bows, pack-frame construction, mammal
and bird traps, fish weirs and traps, and more.
| Phase | Length | Description |
| Preparation | 4 days | You will spend the first four days preparing for Phase II. Because this is not a lot of time to prepare, days will be busy and we expect everyone to participate. Previous experience with traditional living skills is suggested for this part of the course. |
| Expedition | 9 days | Off into the desert with little more than what you've made in the past (i.e., no modern gear), your group must find all food and water for the next 9 days. |
| Celebration / Graduation | You've earned it. | |
About
BOSS
Since 1968, BOSS Courses
have set the standard for low-technology camping and desert hiking techniques,
where instruction
is conducted without the intrusion of modern technology in environments that
allow course content to be experienced first-hand. Our commitment to quality
and to our core philosophies has earned BOSS its reputation as the
survival school to go to when you want to learn from the best in the industry.
Less
is More
In line with the BOSS Positive
Impact Camping philosophy, the Desert Hunter Gatherer Course has a decided
emphasis on using only renewable, natural resources. Tents, sleeping bags,
stoves, backpacks and many other "required" pieces of outdoor equipment
are replaced with their low-tech counterparts: a poncho, a blanket, a campfire.
The motto here is "Know more, Carry less" and we'll explore how
traditional cultures lived comfortably without all the modern gadgets like
watches, radios, cellphones,etc (which are not allowed). Come learn how back-country
travel can be a less intrusive and more harmonious experience.
Course
Location
During the first
part of the course, you will be in a BOSS base camp or other wilderness setting.
This primitive location (no electricity, phones, etc.) will give you the
opportunity to focus on mastering the skills and producing the tools you
will need for your upcoming expedition. Food will be available during this
part of the course and instruction will be intense and hands-on.
For Phase II, the group will go off into the wilderness to re-create the
lifestyle of the Hunter-Gatherer band. Where we go depends
greatly on the weather and the season (how the nuts, berries, etc. are growing).
Because we will be encouraging students to live off the land and forage,
trap, etc. for food during this phase of the course, food packs will not
be given in the field.
The
BOSS Challenge
On the BOSS Hunter Gatherer Course the challenge is not from the hundreds
of miles you hike. Rather, the physical challenge comes from keeping your
energy and activity level high even when food and water supplies run low.
The combination of necessary exertion and minimal rations usually leaves students
5 to 10 pounds leaner at the end of the course and can be a new experience
for people who normally travel with everything they need.
Health & Safety
BOSS requires that all Explorer Course
applicants undergo a complete physical examination and receive their physician's
approval in writing prior to final acceptance on the course.
Please keep in mind, despite your physician's approval and BOSS's acceptance of you on the course, there are no guarantees. Health and participation risks (inherent and otherwise) remain. Ultimately it is up to you and your physician to determine if this BOSS course is an appropriate choice.
Age
The key to Explorer Courses is a student's maturity and interest in learning
in a skills-intensive environment. The Hunter Gatherer Course, however,
also contains a 9-day primitive expedition without food, which could
prove too stressful for people under 18, even if they would like to
come with a parent or guardian. Therefore, you must be at least 18 to
participate in the Hunter Gatherer course.
Food
& Diet
During
Phase I, a healthy variety of natural foods will be available at the base
camp for all students. Cooking will be a joint effort of the students and
staff to ensure that all are comfortable, well fed, and able to learn as
much as possible.
For the expedition phase of the course, no food packs will be issued.
Students will eat only the foods they obtain while on the trail. This will
be a test of the group's resourcefulness and ability to successfully live
in a hunting and gathering environment. Students with food allergies or dietary
restrictions should contact our offices for additional information.
2008
Dates & Prices
| 14-Day Canyon Hunter Gatherer Course | CG-20 |
Not offered in 2008. | Utah |
$1865 |
Course dates and prices are subject to change. Space is limited on each course, and registrations are made on a first-come, first-served basis. Please go to the Registration page for more information.
