Through the Storm:
Wilderness Skills for a disrupted world
Asses - Adapt - Assist
$300 Triangle Area, NC December 11-13
9am-5pm
When the systems fail, you step up with capability.
When Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina, entire communities were stranded with no power, no water, no communication and no way out...for weeks.
For many communities, the hardest part wasn't surviving the first night. It was figuring out how to get water, food, medicine, information and people where they needed to go when the systems we normally depend on had broken down.
That's what this course is about.
Not preparing for the apocalypse.
Preparing to be useful when your community is having a really bad day.
Precarious Reality
We live in a world built around- and reliant on- infrastructure. Infrastructure that people's lives literally depend on, that is largely invisible. Most people don't think about it, don't worry about it, until it fails. By then it's too late to get the skills they need. There's no Google or Youtube when the power is out and every cell tower is down.
It's not even about gear. Gear might wash away with your house. Or get stolen out of your car. It's about skills- skills that no one can take from you.
"Can I figure out how to get there?"
"Can I help someone else get out?"
"Can I find and safely treat water?"
"Can I make a hot meal when the power is out?"
"Can I navigate when the trail, road and cell service are all gone?"
"Can I be useful to the people around me?"
Those are skills. And they don't get heavier as you add them to your toolkit.
The infamous snowpocalypse, Raleigh 2014
Getting Through
For three days, we'll step away from the assumption that modern infrastructure will always be there.
THIS ISN'T A BUG-OUT FANTASY
This is navigation and survival through the lens of natural disaster- whether that be flood, fire, hurricane or blizzard. Sometimes the best call is to stay, sometimes the best option is to leave. We're not going to pretend that a backpack and a ferro rod make you invincible. We're not going to teach you how to "live off the land" indefinitely. And we're not going to pretend that professional emergency responders aren't essential- they're critical.
But during a major disaster, professional responders can be overwhelmed by the scale of the problem. Roads may be blocked. Communication is usually disrupted. Entire communities may be temporarily isolated. That is when ordinary people with extraordinary practical skills can make a difference. The goal is not to replace the professionals. The goal is to be capable until they can get there — and useful alongside them when appropriate.
You'll move through unmarked terrain- the way it looks after the road is washed away. Know what to bring with you (and how to use it) and what to leave behind. Learn to navigate without obvious landmarks or technology. Solve problems with limited resources, and build the practical capabilities that matter when normal systems are disrupted. Help your neighbors until rescue arrives, or the lights come back on. Or help get yourself and others out.
The Skills
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Off-trail navigation - You'll move through unmarked terrain- the way it looks after the road is washed away. Learn to navigate without obvious landmarks or technology. Learn to plan travel across landscape that is unfamiliar or disrupted. Assess terrain hazards, weather threats and group capability.
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Assessment and Adaptation - You'll learn to continuously assess your surroundings, identify hazards and make decisions based on changing conditions rather than simply following the plan you started with.
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Fire & Heat - Fire starting and tending essentials to keep people warm, purify water and cook food. Safe outdoor cooking and cleanup.
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Water procurement - Finding and purifying water while leaving no trace of your presence
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Shelter & Thermodynamics - fundamentals of improvising to create spaces that keep people warm and dry (or cool) with limited resources. Learn knots, lashings, improvised insulation and more.
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Hygiene- Keeping people healthy when the toilets stop flushing can be a challenge. You'll learn waste management, sterilization and personal hygiene without running water.
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Food Storage - strategies to keep what's in your fridge (or freezer) longer so you can still eat well when the grid goes down.
Get Resilient, Grow Capable
We aren't hoping for disaster. But we know the stability of civilization is more precarious than most people admit. If everything goes sideways, you'll leave with genuine capability—not just gear and good intentions.
Get the skills most people will never have. The ability to get where you need to go without a trail. To find resources where others see nothing. To navigate when technology fails. To use your skills and knowledge to get yourself - and your community- through the unthinkable.
When the comfortable world cracks—and throughout history, it always has—you'll be someone who can handle it.
About your Instructor
Ali has taught and practiced wilderness survival since 2010 in six different countries. She was also cast on season 19 of Naked and Afraid (her episode comes out April 5th, 2026) She teaches friction fire and stealthcraft at both the Piedmont and Florida Earthskills gatherings. While leading trips in Oman, she learned to navigate without maps or compasses using only subtle changes in terrain and memory. She is certified in Search & Rescue and Tactical Man Tracking.
Gear You'll Need
We'll send you a detailed packing list when you register, plus a Zoom call a two weeks before to answer all your questions. But here's what you need to know:
The Essentials:
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A 40-60L pack you can carry comfortably for extended off-trail movement
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A way to carry 3 Liters of water
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Snacks and lunch for the day
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Clothing layers that regulate body temperature, earth tones preferred (never cotton in the woods!)
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Rain gear that lets you stay comfortable when the sky opens
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Sunscreen. + bug spray
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Your favorite knife and any survival gear you want to test in real conditions
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A small pot that is safe for use over a fire (no non-stick)
Optional Stuff:
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Any survival or bugout gear you want to test or practice with
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A tarp or lightweight shelter system
The Fun Stuff - Functional Costumes
What would you grab from your closet to wear if you had to bail right now? We want you to wear that. What's a functional costume? Clothes and accessories that make you feel wild, badass or in this case, what you would wear if sh*t really was hitting the fan—while still being made of fabric that dries quickly, regulates temperature, and lets you move efficiently through forest.
For more on functional costumes, check out our blog post here here
Location Details
This course takes place during the day only and does not have a camping component. We will meet at two different locations- Lake Raleigh for the navigation component and Williamson Preserve for survival.
If you are joining us from out of town, the closest camping options are Umstead State Park or Falls Lake State Park