AshnBirch Outdoor Education

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

03/09/2026

Only a few more days to sign up for our “Kitastrophe” course. Developed to teach individuals about survival kits and how to use them. Course date is March 28-29.

Contact us in anyway and request an Application form, fill it out and email it back to us.
Alternatively, find the application form link here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/12Ec3uePVX1gHC--v_JUHXiks0_5BVhL_KyQQzg9JFJ4/edit?usp=drivesdk
Fill out and email it to us.

03/09/2026

Hey there! Hope all is well!

As the song suggests, being curious is something we should always pursue. Curiosity and critical thinking are close cousins, both of which are important in today’s world. Curiosity leads to experiments, experiments lead to results, results are knowledge, and knowledge is power that can’t be taken away. My curiosity leads me in the experiment presented before you.

Today I put together a quick Atlatl, an ancient tool used for launching darts for various reasons, usually hunting. I was testing to see if Phragmites australis would work as darts. Answer is yes… and no. They do work and can actually end up being quite accurate. The problem with them is they lack mass and durability, making them a short lived dart.

As my friend put it, “Good LAWD” when he saw the flex in the darts. My response was less family friendly.

By the end of this I was happy to take the time to experiment and please my curiosity. I hope you find this as educational and enjoyable as I did. Above that, I hope this empowers you to explore and take action on your curiosity.

Video 1: Slow Motion of the flex in Phragmites
Video 2-3: Launching darts
Video 4: Impact of a dart (here you can see the lack of structure)
Video 5: Some quick tape fletchings
Photo 1: Atlatl (the stick used for launching the darts)
Video 6: Blooper throw

As always, Learn more, Take less

Take care, Stay safe
-Devin

03/03/2026

Incredible work again!

03/02/2026

Hey there! Hope all is well!

I’m new to this format of media, so bear with me.

I hope you find this video educational and informative, please ask any questions you have and I’ll respond.

Remember, knowing the context behind the skills we use is crucial for success in any environment.

Take care, Stay safe
-Devin

03/01/2026

Hey there! Hope all is well!

1 year… It’s been one year since my life changing experience with up in Alberta Canada. To celebrate this time, Karamat, and friends who have passed, I took out my Tom Roycroft Packframe, loaded it up and walked with a friend. This 5 mile walk was the first I was able to do without socks this year and man it felt great. Happy to have some exposed dirt roads that are nearly snow free.

This Roycroft Packframe is an incredibly simple yet versatile tool. Making any activity that includes gear easier and stylish. You can pack way more on a Packframe than a typical backpack and for me, it’s significantly more comfortable. Below you’ll see what I packed on my frame and how.

Take some time to appreciate everyone who has been involved in your life.

Photo 1-3: The gear I packed on the Roycroft Packframe
Photo 4-6: Front, back, and side view of the pack
Photo 7: A surprise photo of my “hysterical laugh”
Video 1: Our walking conditions
Video 2: Testing the functions of a phone camera

AshNBirch courses are still available!
Lost and Found: Modern Wilderness Survival Skills (March 14-15)
Kitastrophe: Put your survival kit to the test (March 28-29)

Application form can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/12Ec3uePVX1gHC--v_JUHXiks0_5BVhL_KyQQzg9JFJ4/edit?usp=drivesdk

Simply fill it out and email it to us and we’ll be in touch soon!

Take care, Stay safe
-Devin

02/21/2026

Hey there! Hope all is well!

Starting with last weekend, I’ve been nonstop moving until this evening. Last weekend I participated in a modern winter survival course hosted by and taught by . Rick is a great instructor and I learned a lot that weekend from everyone.

Monday and Tuesday I taught a local school winter survival. We covered a large variety of topics and I’m proud of every single student. The snow has been deep and can be very aggravating to work with. The perseverance they showed was outstanding.

Wednesday and Thursday I was at another local school presenting and teaching modern survival skills. The students had to improvise, adapt, and critically think about the different situations. They blew me away with their creativity.

Friday we celebrated Finn’s 6th birthday!! Look at that smile.

And lastly, today I was at the teaching knots for every day use. The students even taught me some knots!

I’m very proud of everyone I teach and very grateful to call myself a student. I’ll never be a master in Survival skills because there is no such thing. I’m overly thankful for all the amazing opportunities the local community has given me.

Get out and train.

Photo 1: Rick’s take on Mors Super shelter made quick and easy
Photo 2-3: Smoke signal
Photo 4: Tapping season is upon us
Photo 5: Using Rick’s design to teach the physics of heat loss and heat gain
Phot 6-7: Finn’s smile 😍

I apologize for the lack of photos. When I teach I very rarely take the time to step back and photograph because I’m busy making sure the students have as much instruction time as possible.

Take care, Stay safe
-Devin

02/12/2026

Munch munch!

Lunchtime! 🌭

02/10/2026

Amazing things happen in winter.