Forged in the Wild: 50 Days That Transform Lives

Survival’s Proving Ground – Step Into the Wild

Every summer, I stand on the edge of our Mountain Camp near Cripple Creek, Colorado, and watch a new group arrive. The air up here at 9500 feet is crisp, almost sharp, cutting through the lungs of folks who aren’t used to it yet. I hand them a tarp, nod toward a patch of pine-dotted ground, and tell them this is where it begins. A thousand acres of untamed, primal beauty unfurl like a challenge from the earth itself, and 30 minutes away, another 4500 acres wait at 7500 feet, a high plains canyon with a mountain soul. Together, these two slices of wilderness make up our playground at The Survival University, and for the next 50 days, they’ll be home to a handful of people ready to change their lives.

I’m the owner and lead instructor here, and I’ve been doing this long enough to know what those wide-eyed looks mean. Some are buzzing with excitement, others are quietly wondering what they’ve signed up for. But I’ve seen it play out time and again: by the end, they’re not the same people who showed up. They’re tougher, sharper, more alive. This isn’t just a course you take. It’s a journey you live. A relentless odyssey that etches itself into your very bones. The 50-Day Wilderness Immersion Program is about building mental grit, physical strength, and skills that stick with you forever. It’s not a factory churning out survivalists or a grinder meant to break you down. It’s a forge, and I’m proud to run it with a team who care as much as I do.

We don’t do things like some others out there, slashing prices to pack in bodies. I’ve been through one of those programs myself, a 45-day ordeal that felt more like a con than a calling. That’s not us. We’re about quality, not quantity, and the people who join us feel that every step of the way. This is my story of what those 50 days can do, told through the sweat and laughter I’ve shared with students over the years. It’s not a sales pitch, it’s a window into something real. A glimpse into a crucible that’ll redefine what you thought possible. And if it calls to you, maybe I’ll see you out here soon.

A Call to the Wild – Your Colorado Wilderness Adventure Begins

It all kicks off with a simple premise: you don’t need to know a thing to start. No prior skills, no fancy gear, just a spark of curiosity and the guts to show up. I’ve welcomed everyone from city folks who’ve never slept without a roof to outdoor guides chasing a deeper edge. They roll up to our Mountain Camp, where the pines tower and the wind howls, or our sprawling Canyon Reach site, where the horizon stretches wide and the willow whispers. Both places are raw, beautiful, and ready to teach you something. Both are arenas where nature dares you to rise or falter.

Day one is a gut check. At 9500 feet, the Mountain Camp hits you with thin air and a quiet that’s almost loud. Your tarp becomes your first lesson. Rig it wrong, and you’re sleeping wet. Down at 7500 feet, the Canyon Reach site throws a different curveball: dry heat and a vastness that makes you feel small. Either way, you’re building your shelter, staking your claim, and stepping into a world where comfort takes a backseat to growth. It’s not easy, but that’s the point. You’re here to stretch, to find out what you’ve got inside. To wrestle with the wild and discover your own ferocity.

The first week is about acclimating. Your lungs adjust, your hands blister, and you start to see the rhythm of this life. We teach you fire craft, rubbing sticks until smoke curls up and suddenly you’re not just warm, you’re proud. Shelter building turns a pile of branches into a home. Water purification makes a muddy creek your lifeline. These aren’t just tricks; they’re the foundation of something bigger. And as the days roll on, you feel it taking root. A primal pulse awakening beneath your skin.

The Forge of Resilience – Survival Training That Shapes You

There’s a moment, usually around day 10, when it clicks. Maybe it’s when you spark your first bow-drill fire, hands shaking with effort, and watch the flame catch. Or when you finish a shelter that stands up to a mountain storm. That’s when you realize this isn’t just about surviving, it’s about meeting the wild head-on and emerging tougher, wiser, unbreakable. We pile on the skills: knot tying, navigation, trapping, wilderness medicine. You’ll learn to read the land like a book, coax food from it, and turn a raw hide into cordage you can trust. Each lesson a hammer strike, shaping you into something fierce.

But it’s not the skills alone that change you. It’s the grind. Fifty days is long enough to test your patience, your grit, your will. I’ve seen students who thought they’d tap out after a week push through to the end, faces weathered but eyes bright. The hard physical work, hauling wood, tackling ridges, digging into the earth, builds rugged muscle and unshakable stamina. But the mental shift is deeper. You learn to think on your feet, to adapt when the plan falls apart. The solo experience is the pinnacle: a few days alone with just what we’ve taught you. You come back quieter, steadier, like you’ve met yourself out there and made peace. Like you’ve stared into the abyss and claimed its strength as your own.

I remember one guy, Mark, who showed up soft-spoken and unsure. Halfway through, he was leading the group through a mock rescue, calm as a rock. That’s what this does. It forges resilience, not just for the wild, but for life. By the end, you’re navigating rugged terrain for three days, then facing your solo, proving to yourself what you’re made of. You walk away knowing you can handle more than you thought, and that’s a gift that keeps giving. A legacy of iron will you’ll carry to your last breath.

A Brotherhood in the Woods – Outdoor Skills Forge Lifelong Bonds

We’re not here to tear you down. My instructors are a crew of misfits who love this life: trackers, medics, bushcrafters, all with a knack for teaching and a grin to share. They’ll push you hard, but they’ll sit with you by the fire too, swapping stories over a pot of stew. That’s the vibe here. You’re not a number or a paycheck, you’re one of us. I’ve watched strangers become family out here, bonded by the shared ache of a long day and the thrill of nailing a new skill. By the end, you’ve earned your place among the Colorado Outdoor Crew, woven into the heart of the TSU ranks. Pass the final test, and you might even join our instructor track. I’ve got a soft spot for the ones who stay, passing down what they’ve learned to the next wave. But even if you don’t, you leave with a band of folks you’d trust with your life. A tribe forged in the crucible of the wild, unbreakable as the mountains themselves.

One summer, a woman named Sarah told me she’d never felt so seen. She’d spent her life blending into the background, but out here, she found her voice. That’s what happens when you’re surrounded by people who get it. You grow together, and you don’t forget it. You carry their echoes in your chest long after the last ember fades.

Skills That Stick – Mastering Survival for Life

Let’s break it down: 500+ hours of training, spread across 50 days. You’ll master fire starting with nothing but a bow drill and some determination. You’ll spark fires that roar to life from nothing, build shelters that stand defiant against the wind, and weave traps that could feed you for days. We go deep, crafting primitive tools from raw materials, mastering advanced survival trapping, and navigating with nothing but a compass and a map. You’ll craft tools from stone, cook over an open flame, and learn wilderness medicine that could save a life. It’s a lot, but we don’t rush it. We drill it in until it’s muscle memory. Until it’s as much a part of you as your own heartbeat.

I’ve had students take this and run with it. Some turn it into careers, guiding, outfitting, teaching. Many start teaching on their own after leaving us. Others just want the confidence to roam the backcountry with a knife and a pack. Either way, it’s yours. And that Wilderness First Responder cert you earn? It’s the gold standard. Most outdoor gigs won’t look at you without it, and we’re one of the few places pairing it with this kind of hands-on time. You’ll leave with a resume booster and a skill set that’s bulletproof. An arsenal of knowledge that turns you into a force of nature.

Two Worlds, One Journey – Wilderness Training Across Colorado

Our land is split between two gems. The Mountain Camp at 9500 feet is nestled in a valley with whispering pines, rock formations, a thousand acres of high-country soul. You’ll feel the altitude in your bones, but the views, sunset blazing across the ridges, make it worth it. Then there’s the canyon reach at the Chapman Ranch, 4500 acres at 7500 feet, 30 minutes away. It’s a different beast: a vast, untamed expanse where willows and scrub oak cling to a rocky canyon, sliced by a mountain stream teeming with different resources. More rugged and remote than the Mountain Camp, it’s gorgeous, brutal, and teaches you something unique. Two realms of relentless beauty, each a gauntlet thrown down by the wild.

You’ll bounce between them, soaking in the contrast. Up high, it’s about battling the cooler, thin air. Down below, it’s heat and wide-open space, a landscape that dares you to harness the stream’s bounty and carve out your place. It’s like two classrooms, each with its own lessons, and you get the best of both. I’ve had students say the switch kept them sharp, forced them to adapt. That’s the goal: versatility, readiness, a mind that bends but doesn’t break. A duality that hones you into a blade of resilience.

The Long Haul – 50 Days of Wilderness Immersion

Fifty days isn’t a weekend jaunt. It’s a marathon, and we ask you to run it full out. No slipping off to town for a burger or a bed. You bring your food, cook it over the fire, live the life. We haul in fresh drinking water to keep you alive, you’ve got solar showers or the wild stream to scrub off the day’s grit, and brief resupply breaks to reload, but the whole point is to stay locked into this raw, untamed rhythm. Your hands get rough, your legs ache, your mind stretches to fit the days. It’s hard, no question. But that’s where the transformation happens. Where the relentless pulse of the wild remakes you from the inside out.

The final stretch is the crucible. Scenarios that test everything, lost hiker, broken gear, no food. It’s controlled, but it feels real, and you rise to it. I’ve seen people who couldn’t tie a knot on day one orchestrate a full rescue by day 50. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about showing up. When it’s over, you’re not just tired, you’re reborn. Your nervous system resets, your perspective shifts, and you walk away with a clarity that’s rare as hell in this world. A clarity forged in the fire of the untamed, a vision that pierces through the noise of life.

Why We Do It This Way – Personal Survival Training Done Right

Some schools chase numbers, cutting price to pack in more people. We don’t. We never run sales on this program because its worth shines through in the personal experience you get, not a slashed price. My team and I live this, and it’s about you, smaller groups, real teaching, a focus on what lasts. People love being here because we care, because this isn’t just a job; it’s a calling. A sacred pact to forge the best in you, no shortcuts, no compromises.

That said, we’re sweetening the pot this year. Sign up by June 1, and you’ll get our Mountainside Mettle Series knife set—Spirit, Gallantry, and Courage—designed by us for this exact life. It’s a $700 value, yours free, because your knife is your most valuable tool out here and we want you ready to roll. Sign up early and claim this edge—your first step into the wild starts with the right blade in hand. But the real prize is what you’ll build out here, day by day, with us. A legacy of strength, etched in steel and sweat, yours to wield forever.

The Call Is Yours – Step Into Your Wilderness Journey

I’ve poured my blood, sweat, and soul into this program because I’ve witnessed its power, lives reshaped, spirits ignited, limits shattered. This isn’t about scraping by; it’s about seizing the wild and forging a version of yourself that nothing can break. Up in the mountains, down in the canyon’s roar, deep in your own gut, you’ll find what you’re made of. We’re ready, waiting on this savage Colorado frontier, 50 days that’ll rip you open and build you back stronger. I’ll be there, tarp in hand, grinning as we charge into it together. So step up, grab this chance, and let’s make it epic, what do you say? This is your shot at greatness, your summons to the wild’s unyielding embrace. Answer it now, with fire in your veins and the howl of the wilderness in your ears.

Spots are limited. This is your moment.

Jason Marsteiner is the founder and lead instructor at The Survival University, where he’s turned his obsession with staying alive into a mission to teach real-world survival skills. Forget fancy gear—Jason’s all about the know-how that gets you through the wild or a city crisis. A published author of Wilderness Survival Guide: Practical Skills for the Outdoor Adventurer, he’s distilled years of hard-earned wisdom into lessons anyone can use.