I was only able to attend the first day of the training course due to some prior commitments but it was well worth my time. The first day covers Land NAV and an introduction to tracking as well as some preparatory stuff for the rest of the weeks training.

It was a good class of people with a mixture of police, park rangers and citizens from all over the U.S. and Canada. Probably about twenty people but plenty of instructors on hand resulted in a good trainer, trainee ratio.

We spent the morning in the classroom going over basics of land navigation. Primarily lecture format along with a PowerPoint presentation. Jeff Randall would cover an aspect of navigation and then break us into groups to apply the lesson. The lecture made sure that everyone had the basics down before moving to field problems.

Jimmy Dunn took over and did a brief lecture and PowerPoint presentation on the elements of tracking along with some different approaches for survival tracking versus tactical tracking.

To wrap up the morning we moved outside to a large sandy area where we created a spoor pit to work through reading tracks. The instructors presented some problems and demonstrated the different types of tracks created by people. The class split into two and one half would create a scenario for the other half to read. Very tricky and it highlighted the value of experience in the art of tracking.

After lunch we piled into vehicles and drove into the state park to do some field training. It was only about a 10 minute drive and the class was split up into four groups, each having an instructor.

The starting location was provided to us as UTM coordinates and then a target was set on the map. Each group had to plot both points and determine the route to get to the objective. We had a staggered start to the first objective so you couldn’t just follow the group in front. For the afternoon we each rotated through different duty stations – one person on the compass, one reading the map and one responsible for the pace count. Our group nailed the first objective dead on.

Once the groups all reached the first objective we split off in different directions plotting objectives and navigating to them. Our group instructor was Jimmy Dunn who did a fantastic job answering questions about navigation as well as taking the time to point out edible plants. The final leg brought us back to the trucks and we returned to the training center.

After a brief dinner break we covered some basics of wilderness survival and Jeff outlined the schedule for the rest of the week. Made me really regret having to leave that night…

Jeff, Mike, Jimmy and all the instructors there were easy to work with and communicated well. They invited questions and discussed openly with the students. No egos and no BS.

I would highly recommend taking any of the classes these guys have to offer. You will come out with some solid knowledge and practical experiences, not to mention have a great time.