AshnBirch Outdoor Education

09/02/2026

Hey there! Hope all is well!

Here’s a glimpse into the steps it takes to go from raw materials to functioning handdrill friction fire kits. It’s more work than meets the eye.

These kits are going to be for students at the Roots Rendezvous.

Video 1-2: Success with Handdrill Friction fire
Photo 1-4: Raw materials -> functional materials
Video 3: Heating spindles to be straightened
Photo 5: Straightened spindles
Video 4: Removing stems from the spindles
Video 5: Using loose gravel for sanding the spindles
Photo 6-7: Finished kits

Take care, Stay safe
-Devin

09/02/2026

Floating is a technique Shane MASTERED. Here’s a little glimpse into what he taught me. Shane Linenberger

08/31/2026

Take some time today and share some love to the ones who matter most to you.

Take care, Stay safe
-Devin

08/18/2026

My buddy Charles is killin it out there!

Congratulations to my Staying Alive course students!
I have offered various incarnations of the Staying Alive: Modern Wilderness Survival Skills course at my Aboriginal Living Skills School for more than 30 years. Its focus is on mitigating a modern outdoor emergency. The topics covered include shelter, modern fire, SAR and signaling for rescue, and water. All skills revolve around the two most common ways to die in the backcountry, hypothermia (low core body temperature) and hyperthermia (high core body temperature). You all did great!

I will announce 2027 survival courses either late September or early October on my website at www.codylundin.com. I hope to train with some of you next season!
Stay safe! Cody

08/07/2026

Hey there! Hope all is well!

On today’s walk I noticed some Horseweed (Erigeron canadensis) that was starting to die back near the rail road tracks. I was not intending on harvesting, so my knife was absent. Luckily my understanding of old-school technology got me through! I don’t know what rock this is, all I know is the properties lined up for making a simple stone cutting tool. I harvested some of these stalks yesterday with this bad boy. My nephew helped harvest the rest with his newly sharpened knife!

Primitive skills/tools aren’t just for the museum, they can be implemented in everyday life forcing a deeper understanding and connection to the natural world. They’re also so empowering and confidence boosting. To walk out into nature with little to no gear and feel confident making your own, mwah! Chefs kiss. 😚👌. I have some updates on the school and my next steps coming soon.

If you guys are local and interested in learning how to make cutting edges out of stone, check out Dug North and Roots School. They’re the bomb and know the ins and outs of stone knapping.

Photo 1-2: Simple stone edge I made, notice the conchoidal fractures.
Photo 3: 21 new handrill spindles ready for drying.

Take care, Stay safe!
-Devin

07/17/2026

Hey there! Hope all is well!

It’s been a while, I’m still here haha. Life has been doing its thing and I’ve been along for the ride. Here’s some photos from the past few months. Hoping to get back to regularly posting soon!

Photo 1: Paper Birch Sap 😋
Photo 2: All White Cedar Bowdrill (even the string)
Photo 3: Our beloved Finn
Photo 4: Photo of the elusive Devin, Latin name: Barefootedness awholelotness
Photo 5: Fire from the Spring Equinox
Photo 6: Our goober horse
Photo 7: Amazing view and an unforgettable memory
Photo 8: MY BROTHEREN 🐻
Photo 9: Pancake kabob anyone?
Photo 10-12: Coconut Containers!!!
Photo 13: 1 quart of Black Raspberries!

Take care, Stay safe
-Devin

05/22/2026

04/06/2026

Hey there! Hope all is well!

This past Friday was the first time I’ve been on the water this year. I’m thankful for letting me borrow this canoe. If you want some amazing paddling experiences in VT definitely reach out to them!

Paddling is something I’ve done off and on for years now. When I was in college I attended a “wilderness canoeing” course hosted by . He was the first person to teach me about not only the canoeing, but also wilderness living and survival skills. I would not be where I am without him.

Canoeing is an old school skill and it’s my favorite way of navigating water. Thank you Josh and Parker for helping me get to where I am today. Take some time to be out in nature today and appreciate everyone who has helped you in life.

Photo and Videos: All of me and Finn paddling.
Photo credits go out to my beloved wife. Thank you for everything.

Take care, Stay safe
-Devin

03/30/2026

Hey there! Hope all is well!!

As many of you know, here at AshNBirch Outdoor Education, I teach Modern Wilderness Survival, Primitive Living Skills, along with a sprinkling of other topics. Lately I’ve been teaching Modern Wilderness Survival pretty heavily and while I believe it’s important and in some ways should be a requirement in education, it’s not my love. Primitive Living Skills are my passion, that’s what brings this post to you today.

Within the essence of Primitive Living Skills, there are a few underlying categories of content that are the foundation of all things. Within those categories, which I call the 4 C’s: Cutting Edge, Containers, Cordage, Combustion, Shelter (Clothing), there is a large quantity of context. Why mention all of this? Well I want to give the reasons behind my desire to work with old-school technologies and the thus this post.

In front of you is a Container, a canteen to be more specific. This particular canteen is made from a Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria siceraria). The history of this plant is incredibly fascinating and too grand to share in a measly post.

Everything you see was done with primitive tools, besides the stove for melting beeswax. A combination of cutting edges (stone flakes and drills), cordage (dogbane fiber), combustion (stove to melt wax), and tons of time, came together to make this container. I spent approximately 6+ hours on this and I’m happy to have done that. Found below is a quick glimpse of how I took this plant from a dry shell to the latest and greatest portable liquid device.

Photo 1: The gourd before the craft.
Photo 2: Scoring the top hole with stone flakes.
Photos 3-5: The completed hole and material removed from the inside of the gourd.
Photos 6-7: The cork made from Balsam Fir.
Videos 1-2: Waxing the inside and outside of the gourd.
Photo 8: Raw Dogbane fibers.
Videos 3-4: Cleaning and waxing the completed cordage.
Photos 9-10: The completed lashing system to hold the canteen.
Photo 11: The main tools I used for this project.
Photo 12: The gourd after the craft.

Take care, Stay safe
-Devin

03/12/2026