Lost Creek Outdoor School
"A survival class is an insurance policy you only pay for once"
We want our participants to finish every workshop with heads, hearts, and minds full. Through the sharing of traditional and hands-on outdoor skills we hope to build stronger individuals and better communities.
Our Core Curriculum is part of every course and includes:
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Fundamental knowledge To really know a skill you must know how to do it from scratch. You need to know how to gather the materials, sharpen the blade, and make the tools needed to replicate the skills after you go home.
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Connection to the natural world We personally interact with the world to gather and create. We believe hands-on is the BEST way to learn about the natural world and our place in it.
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Self-reliance and resiliency You should come away knowing what you can do without a lot of fancy tools or money, and with the ability to continue learning on your own. You gain the mental toughness needed to work through problems as they arise. In short, these skills change how you think about problems and challenges in all aspects of your life.
Felted hat workshop
Knife making workshop
Youth camping and bushcraft expedition
Felted hat workshop
Outdoor Ed-ventures
Ed-ventures are shorter length workshops in nature-based skills and knowledge. No virtual reality or Zooming required! Read more about
Ed-ventures on our blog.
Nature-based Beach Art
Saturday, July 8, 2023, 5-8pm (3 hours)
Enjoying and creating meaningfully-inspired nature-based artwork utilizing materials you find on the beach is the concentration of this program. You’ll have the opportunity to experience a sensorial relationship with the living land which contributes to connectedness with the land and water of your surroundings. A fun and stimulating exploration of your expressive side!
$25 per person Register Now (Be sure to choose the correct date)
Creating Earth Paint Pigments
Saturday August 5, 2023 5-8pm (3 hours)
Creative expression through the ancestral power of ancient painting techniques using earth pigments from the land is the concentration in this workshop. Participate in the making of clay, charcoal, and ash pigments utilizing locally gathered materials. By making and trying out your techniques in painting with these types of pigments, you are using techniques dating back thousands of years.
$25 per person Register Now (Be sure to choose the correct date)
Wild Edible Plants
This hike will take you to some of the notable spots in the area to look for and learn about wild edible plants. Identify some of the useful plants of the area and learn their stories. Discover your connection with the local plants and what they have to share.
$25 per person
Traditional Fire Building & Usage
Saturday July 22, 2023. 5-8pm (3 hours)
Our draw to gather around a fire is universal and can bring both learning and discovery experiences for us on many levels. This workshop explores the basics of building a fire using traditional tools and techniques while also incorporating stories and teachings of fire in our lives. We’ll investigate the power of friction, striking, and scraping as means of starting several types of fires.
$25 per person Register Now (Make sure to choose the correct date)
Create Your Own Walking Stick
Saturday August 19, 2023 5-8pm (3 hours)
Creating a wood staff and adorning it with decorative items from nature will be the concentration of this workshop. Participants will explore wood working techniques while forming and fashioning their own walking stick and decorating it with such things as beads, stones, leather, and wood burned designs.
$25 per person Register Now (Be sure to choose the correct date)
Campfire Cooking
Saturday, September 2, 2023 5-8pm (3 hours)
Learn food preparation techniques that use the campfire as a means to cook your food. Cast-iron fry pan and Dutch oven cooking will be the main methods used. These skills are a great addition to any camping trip, backyard barbeque, or outdoor fire. Cooking around a campfire always brings people together in shared enjoyment.
$25 per person Register Now (Be sure to choose the correct date)
Earth-based Pottery Making
Date coming soon...
Dig and shape natural clay into pottery just with your hands! This class will connect you with the red clay of the area and show you how to fashion it into some usable pottery. Add some time around a campfire to learn the techniques to fire your creation into usable pottery.
$25 per person
Animal Tracks and Traces
Saturday June 24, 2023 5pm-8pm (3 hours)
Learn how to find traces of our local animals, identify who made them, and get a glimpse into the story they reveal about the land and waters of the area. This is a foundational skill in deepening your understanding of plants, animals, and ecology, of the places you inhabit.
$25 per person Register Now (Make sure to choose the correct date)
Forest Therapy Walk
Date coming soon...
Take a walk with us and enter the natural world for healing, reflection and renewal in the beauty of the northwoods. The forest scents, the sound and feeling of your footsteps on the earth, the sunlight filtering through the trees–all of these can help you recognize where you’ve been and where you need to go. We invite you to enjoy this experience with us.
$25 per person
Immersion Courses
Dive in with longer skill-building experiences.
June 10-11, 2023 Wilderness First Aid
Coming winter 2024 Snow Camp (With our partner Stone Age Man)
For all course dates please see our Calendar