COURSE DESCRIPTION

Join expert instructor Cattail Bob and The Survival University on a wild plant walk in the mountains near Cripple Creek. During the hike, we will identify plants that are edible, medicinal, poisonous, tool-craft, and smoke-able. With Cattail Bob’s expertise, we can easily identify over 100 different plants on this leisurely walk. Bring your camera and notepad to capture the knowledge and beauty of the wilderness.

Cattail Bob has been teaching wild plant identification since 1975 and has written several plant identification books. He teaches for colleges and has extensive knowledge of plants and their uses. During the class, he will guide students in identifying plants and distinguishing between edible, medicinal, poisonous, and utilitarian plants.

The class will start with an introduction to wild plant identification and safety considerations. Cattail Bob will explain the different parts of plants and their uses, as well as how to differentiate between edible and poisonous plants. We will then start our walk, where Cattail Bob will point out various plants and provide information on their uses for food, medicine, tools, and smoking.

Students will be able to touch, feel, taste, and smell appropriate plants to start their foundation on how to identify plants. They will learn how to use these plants for survival needs and get a deeper understanding of the importance of wild plants in nature.

By the end of the class, students will have gained valuable knowledge on how to identify and use wild plants for food, medicine, tools, and smoking. They will have had an unforgettable experience in the wilderness, learning from one of the most knowledgeable experts in the field.

Class will start at 9:30am and continue until about 5:00pm. We will visit several locations near Cripple Creek and surrounding areas. We intend to walk the Colorado Mountain Man Survival school location and Shelf Road.

Student capacity for the class is 20 people. Sign up before spots fill.

SURVIVAL PLANTS BOOK is not included in the price of the class. Cattails book will be available to purchase during class.

Course Topics:

• Introduction to wild plant identification
• Safety considerations for foraging wild plants
• Identifying the different parts of plants and their uses
• Distinguishing between edible, medicinal, poisonous, and utilitarian plants
• Identification a wide range of different wild plants
• Understanding the uses of wild plants for food, medicine, tools, and smoking
• Ethical considerations for foraging wild plants
• Basic plant harvesting and preparation techniques

Course Outcomes and Demonstrated Skills:

• Ability to identify and differentiate between various wild plants
• Knowledge of the uses of wild plants for food, medicine, tools, and smoking
• Understanding of the importance of ethical considerations when foraging wild plants
• Familiarity with basic plant harvesting and preparation techniques
• Confidence in identifying and utilizing wild plants for survival needs
• Enhanced appreciation and respect for the natural world and its resources.

LENGTH: 1 DAY

ACCOMMODATIONS

If students do not wish to camp with us, the town of Cripple Creek is a short 15 minute drive from our location and Woodland Park is 30 minutes away. Students will be responsible for making their own reservations with nearby hotels. We do have a central community campfire location with a few designated campsites but mostly offer dispersed camping. Students will be able to drive their car within 100 feet of the main camp and will not have to hike gear in for long distances.

• Shelter Lodging: Students can stay in one of our 20 person GP Medium tents when not running field exercises or may stay in their own tents, campers, vehicles or a primitive shelter. Our tents are complete with wood burning stoves for cold weather conditions. This is a shared tent for all students that wish to use it.
• Sanitation/Hygiene: A portable restroom and potable water will be provided at main camp.

FOOD AND WATER REQUIRED

Water will be provided but students will need to bring their own food. We recommend quick field expedient meals such as freeze dried hiking meals or MRE’s. They can quickly be made at our primitive camps and won’t slow down the learning process. However, students may bring any food that they wish to cook over the campfire or on their own personal camp stove.
Food can be purchased locally at nearby facilities. Walmart and several local eateries are within a reasonable driving distance.

SUGGESTED GEAR LIST

We do not provide students with gear unless they have purchased it from us ahead of time. Not much gear is needed for our courses, though good equipment does speed the learning process up greatly! Gear does not have to be purchased from our store to attend the course, but we recommend survival gear of equivalent quality.

• Small Backpack
• Poncho or Rain Gear
• Outdoor Clothing and appropriate footwear
• Water Bottle or water bladder
• Notepad and pencil
• Camera
• Wild plant books (optional
• Sunscreen and sunglasses

CLOTHING REQUIRED

Warm outdoor clothing, warm gloves and hat, outdoor boots and wool socks. Cotton clothing is highly discouraged in the mountains! Wool will keep you warm even when wet and synthetics will dry faster. Layers are important in Colorado. You will want a water wicking base layer, an insulating mid layer, and a waterproof breathable outer shell. Check out our Clothes Layering Basics if you are unsure of what to wear.

Check Recommended Items List for more details!

If it is still not clear what gear is needed for our survival courses, then we have assembled a complete kit that is still high quality but for a budget friendly price. All the items in this kit were hand selected by our instructors to be the best bushcraft tools on a budget. This survival kit is a useful starter kit that can be used in all of our courses. These are all must have tools at a good price. It’s a great survival kit, bug out kit, go bag, or use it as a solid foundation to build a kit that perfectly fits your needs. With this kit and our training anybody can survive like a king in almost any environment!

NOTE

Due to the different levels of prior experience and knowledge among students in each class, individual outcomes may vary. Weather conditions can also be a factor in changing class content slightly. Nonetheless, our instructors will always endeavor to be as accommodating and consistent as circumstances will allow to ensure students get the best training experience and value for money.