By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnist
Nature Reliance School founder and chief instructor Craig Caudill calls wilderness survival “a lazy man’s game.” In what must seem counter-intuitive to many, he explained it this way.
“The game of survival is nothing more than ‘calories in, water in…calories out, water out,’’ he said. “You’ve got to make sure you are conserving as much energy as you can because the more energy you burn, the more you have to find in your environment.”
Fact is, as Craig knows from over 40 years of personal involvement as an experienced woodsman and teaching about surviving in the woods, there may come a time for any one of us to necessitate us looking for that energy in order to save our lives or that of others. Getting to that point requires some knowledge…and perhaps most importantly, the proper survival mind-set.
Wife Jennifer, Craig, and their dog, Cedar (Photo Provided)
That’s where his newly released book comes into play, called Extreme Wilderness Survival: Essential Knowledge to Survive Any Outdoor Situation Shot-term or Long-term, with or without Gear and Alone or with Others. Tim Farmer, former host of the outdoors TV program Kentucky Afield, refers to the book as “essential reading for the outdoors enthusiast. From tenderfoot to special forces, Craig’s expertise covers all the bases.”
I recently sat down with Craig to discuss the book, his first, and found him to be steeped in the knowledge of a naturalist, articulate, and passionate in his desire to see others enjoy the benefits of being outdoors.
“The book is broken into four main parts: mind-set, skills, tactics, and gear,” he explained. Every chapter but two starts with a true—and generally sad—story pulled from the media regarding people’s experiences in the wilderness that didn’t end well. “I know what experiences I’ve had, but I didn’t want to write a book about my experiences,” he said.
While digging into a wealth of these accounts, Craig noticed that there were some very well-trained individuals who perished; there were other stories where people had no training and few outdoor experiences and did just fine. He did some thinking on the matter and reached a conclusion for the cause.
“The reason why is because of one’s mind-set…and nobody covers it in survival training,” said Craig. “I littered the first chapters in the book with all kinds of things from military training, military development, and my own experience. I want to teach people how to perform under stress in a survival situation.”
Ironically, though having taught and being around those with military backgrounds through his training classes, he possesses no other formal military experience. That was a plus for Craig’s publisher, Page Street Publishing Company, in looking for someone to write their book.
“I have great respect for the military and policemen,” said Craig, “but they wanted someone to speak the language of an average, ordinary person…because (otherwise) you can get into military or law enforcement-speak. That doesn’t translate to an ordinary person.”
A simple 15-30 minute exercise he describes in order to develop an appropriate mind-set is to find a “sit spot” in the woods, far from human interaction, where one observes with intensity the natural patterns of nature. Craig recommends writing in a journal and sketching, whenever possible, the observances, such as: when birds are most vocally active; daybreak habits of opossums and skunks; and how long dew stays on particular plants.
The activity, he says, helps teach one to be “stewardship-conservation-minded,” preparing one to engage, rather than react with nature.
Moving on to the second section, Craig teaches how to increase a “toolbox of survival skills,” answering such questions as: How do I take responsibility for personal safety? How do I maintain core body temperature? How do I start a fire or procure clean water? What’s available (food) to take care of my energy needs?
In doing so, he emphasizes the most efficient methods should be learned first, then used.
“If Daniel Boone carried a lighter, he probably would have used it,and so would I.” In this section as well as throughout the book, there are a multitude of color pictures used for demonstration, as well as easy-to-read charts to clarify learning points.
When informing about the subject of tactics, he puts a lot of emphasis on leadership and group dynamics emerging during stressful situations—learning that applies as a woodsman or in daily living far from nature. Craig also points out the need for good decision-making in regard to “sheltering in (staying)” or “bugging out (moving).”
Hint: Craig likes the word “stay,” and for good reasons. And, though he is not a proponent of militarism among civilians, he includes instructions on patrolling and movement strategies when faced with threatening situations from others, i.e. escaped prisoners in the area.
When discussing tactics, the 48-year-old mused about survival skills acquired in generations past.
“My mother was literally raised living off the land down in Tennessee…just mountain people who raised some chickens and beans,” he noted, and also mentioned that it was quite typical to do so some 60 to 70 years ago. “Those of us who teach try to fill the gap today,” Craig continued. “There’s a world of people out there who want the skills and their parents can’t teach them. Teaching survival from parent to child is the very best way.”
Putting the section about survival gear last makes sense to Craig, who believes other aspects of training are needed first.
“That’s where most people like to focus their attention,” he said. “They think if they have the right pack, the right knife, (or) the right ferro rod, everything is going to be okay. The first thing I do when the ‘gear geeks’ come to class is take it away and tell them it is lost. Then, I spend the whole weekend teaching them what they do when they don’t have it.”
Strong words, but Craig is not being arrogant or unreasonable. Not only is he passionate about the outdoors, but I know him as one who deeply cares about other human beings, and he sees his knowledge as helping enrich lives. He also is a good listener and accepts people for where they are in life, realizing he can learn from them, too. Craig shared this about his wife, Jennifer:
“When we got married,” he said with a grin, “she had only been to Natural Bridge one time in her life. Now she teaches ‘Edible, Medicinal Plants’ classes all over the country. I brought her along slowly. She taught me to be a fan of art; I taught her to be fan of the outdoors.”
Craig sums up the way he feels about helping others make friends with nature: “Several years ago, I had a busload of inner-city kids come from Louisville for a Teen Adventure Camp I was teaching,” he said, “and one said: ‘Ooh…we don’t have to touch anything green, do we?’ It broke my heart and I vowed that I was going to fix that with as many people as I could.”
And whether through enrolling in one of his wilderness survival classes or reading his new book, let the fixing begin for you!
Here are some upcoming events to catch up with Craig. The book retails for $21.99:
April 4-Lee Cruse’s morning show on WLEX television, Lexington.
April 4-Book signing, Canoe Kentucky, in Frankfort.
April 13-Book signing, J & H Lanmark, in Lexington
April 28 through 30-Wilderness Safety/Survival weekend workshop, in Winchester.
Details for these and all other Nature Reliance School events can be found at: https://www.naturereliance.org/course-schedule/.
Steve Flairty is a teacher, public speaker and an author of six books: a biography of former Kentucky Afield host Tim Farmer and five in the Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes series, including a kids’ version. Steve’s “Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes #4,” was released in 2015. Steve is a senior correspondent for Kentucky Monthly, a weekly NKyTribune columnist and a member of the Kentucky Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. Contact him at sflairty2001@yahoo.com or visit his Facebook page, “Kentucky in Common: Word Sketches in Tribute.” (Steve’s photo by Connie McDonald)
