Box 92, Teslin, Yukon, Canada
Read about Dick Person in the April 1998 issue of Outside Magazine.
Dick will be presenting at Canoecopia 2000, March 10-12, 2000, at the Dane County Expo Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
Box 92, Teslin, Yukon, Canada
Dick will be presenting at Canoecopia 2000, March 10-12, 2000, at the Dane County Expo Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
| Application Form | Medical Form | Terms of Agreement | Gear Checklist |
June 17-30, 2000
The word survival is a very ambiguous one, and connotes a wide variety of meanings and associated skills. The skills that are being offered in the ensuing course are those of a traditional woodsman travelling and living in the northern wilds.
The daily use of these skills will be facilitated by learning them in a progressive manner during the course of the canoe trip. Travel will be in the southern lakes region where we will be surrounded by imposing peaks of the Coast Ranges, many with glaciers on their north faces. We'll be travelling on a mix of flat and moving water where a rich menu of strokes will be taught. In some places we will track and pole up incoming rivers and then canoe down them. Exact areas selected will be dependent on current water levels.
We will also hike into the mountains to do our topo map work, animal stalking, plant gathering, etc... Animals inhabiting this area include moose, black and grizzly bears, dall sheep, mountain goats, wolves, wolverine, caribou, otter and beaver. If not actually sighted, we'll see tracks and signs of many of them.
Bear defense tactics will be discussed and demonstrated. It is vital to understand their behaviour and then deal with them accordingly.
Food, grub, vittles -- by any name, a focal point of each day. Delicious meals will display Course Leader, Dick Person's skills as an unusual modern wilderness-nutrition advocate using organic foods and precise preparation. Although fish, and possibly small game, will be included in the meal offerings, vegetarians will be totally comfortable with our fare.
Fishing for trout and Arctic grayling is excellent, and the inclusion of lightweight spinning equipment and/or a fly rod is suggested. A belt knife is strongly recommended, either folding or fixed-blade for dressing fish and small game. We have Dick's favourite one available if desired.
Reading animal tracks and sign, and stalking animals, will be practised whenever the opportunity arises. We also will become familiar with the local flora and various of its edible and medicinal qualities.
Upon completion of this trip, a participant should be able to travel comfortably and safely through northern water ways of easy to moderate difficulty (Class I and II ), and with a deep appreciation and respect for the wilderness.
We're happy to welcome back Darwin Wiggett who will share some of his in-depth knowledge and practice of the photographic medium. It is impossible here to properly profile Darwin or the breadth of his artistry. He has written numerous instructional articles for Outdoor and Nature Photography, Photolife Magazine, Wildlife Photographer, etc. Published worldwide, his work has appeared in over 500 publications and he has received over 25 awards for excellence. He holds a Masters degree in Zoology from the University of Alberta and has ten years of teaching and researching in the wildlife field behind him. Add to that an engaging personality and the ability to articulate his concepts, and you have an unbeatable combination.
For '00's Primitive Skills section, we'll have Tim Malone, a long-time friend and former Alaskan. Tim has been an instructor in Arctic Survival and Wilderness Backpacking at Anchorage Community College and more recently an assistant guide for Wild and Woolly and for Alyeska Wilderness Guides. He has 15 years' experience in primitive technologies, i.e. bow/arrow making, cordage, shelters, firemaking, and tool making. Tim is currently a Gero-psychiatric Specialist and Program Director with the Deschutes County Seniors Mental Health Program.
The course/trip is scheduled for June 17-30, 2000 inclusive. We'll catch the period of maximum run-off which will make for excellent canoeing. An equipment check list will be sent when deposit is made.
En Route Commentary:
With an educational background in wildlife biology, overlain by forty years works as a professional outdoors man and guide, Dick delivers provocative and informative insights to human and natural history along the waterways, as well as a philosophy of wilderness living.
Cost:
Covers all transportation and accommodation associated with the trip, as well as meals and equipment. A 30% deposit is due on booking. The deposit is fully refundable up until 90 days. The balance is due 60 days prior to departure.
Total Cost: $2100 US
Course Dates: June 17-30, 2000
Participants arriving by air to Whitehorse will be picked up June 16th. A map will be available to those driving the Alaska Highway.
Your Host: Dick Person
For seventeen years, from 1972 until 1989, I have lived in tipis on the Kootenay Plains and in the foothills of Alberta and on Tagish Lake in the Yukon Territory.
In 1986 I had the pleasure of representing "Yukon colour" with stories and poetry at its 1986 Expo pavilion in Vancouver.
For more information. . .
E-mail: dick_person@hotmail.com
Write to: Dick Person, Box 92, Teslin, Yukon, Canada Y0A 1B0
Darwin Wiggett (re: camera gear) can be reached at (403) 852-2164 or via e-mail at dwiggett@telusplanet.net
Please note that the photos on this web page were taken by Darwin.
