Centerwalk Ultralight Backpacking - The Tracker School and Tom Brown, Jr.

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The Tracker School

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About The Tracker School
Standard Class
Advanced Standard Class
Advanced Tracking & Awareness Class
Advanced Awareness Class

Philosophy I Class

About The Tracker School

The Tracker School is the creation of Tom Brown, Jr., known from the book based on his true life story, The Tracker. The school is located near Tom's River, New Jersey, on the edge of the Pine Barrens. The School also uses a farm near Easton, Pennsylvania.

I know what you are thinking, a survival school in New Jersey? You may find it surprising to note that the Pine Barrens in New Jersey are the largest tract of undeveloped land remaining on the East Coast. The Barrens are a wonder of bio diversity. A truly amazing wilderness just a few hours from New York City.

The school offers a wide range of courses at both facilities, as well as other locations throughout the United States. The courses cover topics from basic survival skills, awareness, tracking, philosophy, and other areas. The emphasis is not so much on survival as it is in primitive skills living on the earth with the tools that are provided.

I have been privileged to attend several classes including the Standard, Advanced Standard, Tracking and Awareness, Advanced Awareness, and Philosophy classes. These classes and the knowledge offered in Tom's many books form the core of my primitive skills knowledge. But knowledge is nothing without practice. Dirt time in the bush is often emphasized as the best teacher.

The next section contains information and pictures from several of the school classes. I hope this section will spark your interest enough to visit the Tracker School web site, and possibly even take the next step - attending a class.

The Tracker School is recommended for acquiring basic and advanced survival skills. As a former student and constant promoter of organizations that provide positive experiences, the school is highly recommended. This site is not affiliated with the Tracker School.

Standard Class
	The Standard Class is truly an eye opening experience. The class curriculum changes from class to class and year to year. The fundamentals are covered. Students learn basic survival skills including shelter, Debris huts, finding and purifying water, making fire by friction with an emphasis on the Bow Drill, wild edibles, fundamentals of tracking, and basic awareness skills.
At The Barn in PA

Oh yes, and survival stew. You will find out all about it when you arrive! During our class the wild edibles section was taught by Karen Sherwood. She is an excellent teacher with a national reputation, and highly respected by her peers. Karen and her husband Frank Sherwood have since gone on to start a school of their own, Earth Walk Northwest. Learn more about Earth Walk Northwest.


Tom Brown, Jr., The Tracker	Instructors in The Barn


Students building debris hut	Class completed debris hut

Advanced Standard Class The Advanced Standard Class is packed with information and learning opportunities. Students learn hands on skills constructing shelters, making containers, flint knapping, throwing stick selection and use, natural camouflage techniques, and so much more. The class is taught in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey in a truly unique setting. Natural camouflage Advanced Tracking & Awareness Class The Advanced Tracking Class is offered as a back-to-back class in conjunction with the Advanced Standard Class. If you have the time and can afford it, I highly recommend taking these two classes in this manner. This class is the most intense I have ever participated in. Hours are spent studying tracks and reading sign until your head hurts. But well worth the effort. Learn about concentric rings, awareness techniques, and sharpen skills. Advanced Awareness Class Expand on the lessons learned in previous classes. This is my favorite class. You will experience an understanding of your surroundings and what is around you in ways you can not imagine. This class is frequently taught at a Boy Scout Camp on the edge of the Pine Barrens. During our class, there were only 20 or so participants. This was truly an opportunity to work closely with Tom Brown and discover Tom the person. Philosophy I Class Words are inadequate to describe this class. Go and see for yourself.