Survival Training: 3-Day Course With Doug Huffman from Sierra School of Survival

My family and I had an awesome weekend with the Sierra School of Survival. This is an outstanding program run by Doug Huffman. His survival knowledge is unapproachable and the confidence he instills in individuals is amazing to watch. We had an awesome time in the Sierra Nevada Mountains working on drill based activities. We also had a night mission for our team to complete. The bonding that happened between myself, my husband, and my 13 year old son, Fletcher was priceless. What an incredible experience! It was definitely worth it to take the time from our projects and chores to get out and try something new.

We practiced a lot of drill based activities but some I absolutely loved. Personally I enjoy practicing close quarters combat. Doug's no nonsense style brings these activities to life and sometimes in rather gruesome reality. We also practiced how to appropriately move and cross roads when you may not want to be noticed by others. Practicing lock picking was something I never thought I would be doing but it is rather easy to escape from handcuffs and you never know when that might come in handy, especially for all the ladies out there. Finally we talked a lot about the different camouflage systems that are out there and what works and doesn't for different areas. Check out these pictures for an example.

Here's Fletcher

I bet you can see him here!

But can you find him here?

You can go ahead and send me a post on where you think he is in the third picture and I'll let you know if your right.

During our trip we also had a night time mission. Our family (eventually dubbed team carnivore) had to pick an ideal camp location. This had to be a spot where the heat would reflect well off a rock from a small fire and our tarps could be hung close by or directly over the fire to keep us warm and dry. We then had to set up the tarp and start our fire. Fletcher took charge of the fire, while my husband and I got the tarps all set up.  Once the fire was prepared we had to figure out how to cook a rabbit that we were given. We ended up cooking it on a flat rock over the fire with a mixture of wild onions and sage. Darn was it good!
This experience was so great for our family! The bonding that occurred between us because we had to face this objective together and tackle it together could never be replaced. Sometimes when dealing with a thirteen year old boy it is hard to find some common ground. The team spirit that was harvested through this process brought us all right together. I was able to trust fully in his abilities and skills. I am so proud of the great man he is becoming and I have to thank Doug Huffman at Sierra School of Survival for providing the environment for this kind of realization to take place.  

Sara F. Hathaway

Sara F. Hathaway is the author of the The Changing Earth Series: Day After Disaster and Without Land. She also hosts The Changing Earth Podcast which blends her fictional stories with educational survival tips. Sara grew up in the country where she developed a profound interest in the natural world around her. After graduating with honors from The California State University of Sacramento with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, she launched into a career in business management. In her fictional novels her research and experience with survival techniques and forgotten life-sustaining methods of the generations past come to the forefront in a action packed adventures. She has used her background in business management to pave new roads for fictional authors to follow and she delights in helping other achieve the same success. She currently lives with her husband and two sons in California where she is at work on the sequel to her first two novels. For more information and a free copy of “The Go-Bag Essentials” featuring everything you need to have to leave your home in a disaster visit: www.authorsarafhathaway.com

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