About Us

My name is Denise Muir. I grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I lived in the city, but did a lot of things in the hills. My family went out to the lakes, which are scattered throughout the hills, and went camping and fishing a number of times throughout the year. My father never took me out deer hunting, but he and my grandfather took me with them when we went to the other side of the state for pheasant hunting.

I was in Girls Scouts from 4th grade to 11th grade. I got to go camping every year with a bunch of other girls, typically in cabins that were set up at the regional Girl Scout camp. I got to learn about firearm safety, archery, cooking on a campfire, first aid, canoeing, and a lot of other fun things. Between Girl Scouts and a youth group I was in, I got to go hiking, however, usually it was on a designated route like up Harney Peak or around Mt. Rushmore. I love the smell of being in the woods, the smell of a campfire, and the sounds you hear as you fall asleep in the forest, that you definitely do not hear in the city.

Now, with all that being said, I thought I did pretty good when it came to being out in the woods. Yeah...right! Not according to Bryan. Now, whether I learned it and forgot it, or just never paid any attention to it before...I could not for the life of me tell you what Poison Ivy or Poison Oak looks like. (However, the “leaves of 3 let it be” comes to mind.) Bryan still has to point it out to me every time we go outside, and tell me not to step in it. And yes, I will be the first to admit, I am directionally challenged. I cannot tell you which way is North without a compass. (My grandfather can tell you without a problem...but I can't tell you how he does it either.)

So, as you can see, I am the prime guinea pig when Bryan wants to teach something dealing with outdoor / pioneer skills. And if you ask him...I know next to nothing about any of this...but I am willing to learn.

I hope you enjoy our site. It will be a constant learning experience! Please join us on our trek into the outdoors...I'm sure you will learn as much from it as I will.

Happy trekking!

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My name is Bryan, and I grew up in Pennsylvania. As I was growing up, I didn't know it but my folks were pretty poor. Because of this, I spent a lot of time outside. I grew up fishing, hiking, exploring, and just generally tromping through the woods. Although my father was not an avid outdoorsman, he had been in the Boy Scouts as a kid and was very active in the Indian dancing and cultural side of the Boy Scouts. This always interested me, but not the dancing part. I was always trying to find out: how did the Indians hunt; how did they make their gear; what did they take with them when traveling? This led me to the Boy Scouts, and also started me on my studies of Herbal Medicine. I wanted to know what plants they used and what they used them for. I was also fascinated by stories of Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, and all of the pioneer heroes.

As I left college and started a computer career, these old pursuits took a back seat to making a living. It wasn't until mid 2003, when I had a mild heart attack, that I would come full circle and start looking back at the things that had always interested me. A heart attack makes you re-evaluate your lifestyle.

It makes you look at what is really important. After much soul searching, I decided that I wanted to get back to the woods again; if only as a way to relax. I once again began hunting and refreshing my knowledge of pioneer/primitive skills. I also decided to drag my wife along with me on some of my trips. It was while teaching her how to hunt and track that I realized how much of this knowledge I took for granted. It was skills that I had picked up a little at a time over many years, so I did not realize how much of a learning curve Denise was facing. Didn't realize it, that is, until she pointed it out.

That was when we decided to develop this course. So that anyone who wants to get back into the great outdoors, unwind, and refresh themselves in the cathedral that is Nature, can do so without as much trial and error.

Thank you for accompanying us on this journey...