Another suffered multiple injuries after falling down a mountain in Oklahoma.

The threat of getting hurt should not scare you away from enjoying the outdoors and all the wonderful experiences the wilderness has to offer — protect yourself now with the knowledge and confidence to handle any situation that might arise.

Mountain Shepherd Wilderness Survival School’s Wilderness First Aid 101 course will teach you the necessary skills to treat a variety of common injuries and ailments, including:

• cuts;
• sprained, fractured and broken bones;
• insect bites and bee stings resulting in anaphylaxis shock;
• snake bites;
• hypothermia;
• heat exhaustion, heat stroke and dehydration.

If you are going to hike, camp, fish or enjoy any wilderness activity, it is absolutely essential that you know first aid. For outdoor enthusiasts, it is not a matter of “if” such a need will arise but “when.”

Knowing how to treat you, your family and your friends when you are miles from help could mean the difference between life and death.

You don’t need prior medical training to take Mountain Shepherd’s two-day, one-night course. Howver, for certified National Registry Paramedics/EMTs and Commonwealth of Virginia Certified Paramedics/EMTs, Mountain Shepherd’s course offers 16 hours of CAT II continuing education.

Click here to sign up now!

After attending the four-day training at Mountain Shepherd Wilderness Survival School and receiving the priceless instruction from Reggie, I am passionate when I say that I believe every person I know would benefit from attending one of MS’s training classes.

Click here to read part four.

Her four-part series chronicles her adventures.

“If you are entering the wilderness on a ‘Go Lite’ philosophy, you’re being selfish.” The instructor’s statement took me off guard. But his next statement hit too close to home with me. “What if you run into someone hurt, lost, or something?”

Check out Part 2 and Part 3!

"It’s all about empowering people." That is the mantra that three other students and I have heard repeated throughout the first two days of the four day wilderness survival training in which I’ve had the opportunity to enroll

Check out Sandi Bird’s article here!

“You never know when YOU might be a victim of a situation that requires you to have the level-headedness and skills to survive until help can get to you,” Bird writes.

In August 2008, National Geographic Adventure placed Mountain Shepherd at No. 1 in its list of Top Survival Schools.

Check out the introduction to Bird’s series here

What is the most important tool you can possess at this moment?

Is it a knife? A pack of matches? A tent?

No.

The most important tools you can have in any survival situation are the preparation and knowledge necessary to know how to help yourself and help those with you.

At Mountain Shepherd Wilderness Survival School, you’ll learn what to do when a sudden occurrence — a wrong turn off the hiking path, for example, or a nasty change of the weather — turns an ordinary day into a life-threatening situation.

Along the way, you’ll build confidence in your own abilities, knowing you’ve got the training and skills to take care of yourself and others in the wilderness.

On our 100-acre private wilderness reserve in beautiful Catawba, Virginia, you’ll learn Mountain Shepherd Wilderness Survival School’s seven priorities of survival. Practicing these will ensure your survival training becomes second nature.

You’ll learn important practical skills like building fires, putting up shelters and giving first aid to the injured. You’ll also learn skills that apply to all areas of life, like overcoming anxieties and leading teams.

You don’t need any wilderness survival experience to start your education. Many of our students have none. Our survival instructors personalize their skills instruction to fit what you need to learn.

Mountain Shepherd Wilderness Survival School courses are perfect for:

* individuals,

* families,

* groups of friends,

* corporate retreats, and

* anyone who wants to learn survival skills from top-quality instructors in a safe yet authentic environment.

In our Survival 101 course, you’ll learn the basic camping skills needed to thrive outdoors.

In our Wild Comforts course, your family will learn camping with confidence.

Those seeking more of a challenge can sign up for our Humble Thunder and Hidden Pursuit courses. They’re perfect those who want to learn about camping without tents and evading capture.

Mountain Shepherd Wilderness Survival School instructors are the real deal. They’re graduates of the U.S. Air Force Survival Instructor School. You’ll learn from the experts in global survival, primitive skills and much more.

Our instructors are tough, but don’t be intimidated — they’re also kind, humble and, most importantly, truly dedicated to providing you the best survival education available.

Mountain Shepherd Wilderness Survival School has trained everyone from Boy Scouts to Navy SEALs. We cater to a variety of clients, including:

* backpackers and camping enthusiasts;

* FBI, CIA and military personnel;

* doctors, nurses and EMTs;

* biologists, geologists and engineers;

* and many, many more.

After all, survival training skills aren’t just for the military. Maybe you’ll never find yourself in a situation that requires such skills, but can you afford to take that chance?

Suppose you and your family are camping. Your daughter falls and breaks her leg. You are miles from help and night is falling. Could you administer first aid and build a shelter to keep your family safe until morning?

Or picture yourself as a passenger on a small airplane, and the plane crashes in the wilderness. Your group survives, but some people are injured. Would you know how to help?

You no longer need to wonder whether you have the ability to handle such situations.

After studying at Mountain Shepherd Wilderness Survival School, you’ll know for sure.

Want to learn more? Check out our Courses page or sign up now!