This will be an immersive experience in the winter woods learning to get more comfortable with winter conditions. We'll use woodland skills that provide for our needs in this season, reading wildlife track and sign, identifying winter wild edibles, and enjoying the rare beauty of this season. We will hike out into a wild area along the Wisconsin River, navigate the marshy landscape and learn from what we observe, then set up a space for our afternoon activities. After roasting some foods and cooking a hearty stew on the fire we will learn about setting up winter shelter, water sourcing, picking good camp locations, lost-proofing, and safety. We'll cover sourcing materials, fire-making under adverse conditions, and more in the open winter woods. A moderate amount of physical fitness will be required for this experience.
Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Lunch will be provided.
Ages: Adults, and 14+ if accompanied by a participating adult
Location: Blue River, WI
Instructions: Be sure to come with warm clothes, jackets, mitts, hats, insulated boots, etc. Pack a backpack with water, something to sit upon, TP, and any other personal needs for a serious day out. Nicholas will send a more complete gear list as we approach the date.
Sliding Scale Course Fee Guidelines (not including Materials Fees)
Supporter Level Ticket: $130
If you move through the world with financial ease and the means to fulfill many of your wants as well as your needs – you are able to eat out when you want, abundantly meet your needs through employment or can comfortably not work, have access to family wealth, own property, etc. – consider paying at this level, which will help us ensure the long term sustainability of our programs while keeping our offerings accessible to those with access to fewer resources.
Sustainer Level Ticket: $105
If you are able to meet your needs with relative ease while budgeting your educational and entertainment spending – for instance, you are able to take classes and eat out occasionally as long as you are mindful – consider paying at this level, which will help sustain the work of the Folk School at a modest level.
Supported Level Ticket: $80
If you struggle to fund your basic needs and have limited access to resources in your family and community, or if you would not be able to access this offering without a discounted payment option, consider paying at this level. We value your presence and contributions to our community and do not want any economic circumstances to be a barrier to attendance!
Instructor Bio
Nicholas WazeeGale is a lifelong student of the natural world, traditional cultures, and sustainability. His life is intricately tied to the Driftless landscape through foraging plant and fungi foods, hunting and fishing, tanning skins, making traditional handcraft, and obsessively observing and tracking the myriad unfoldings of the living landscape. He is a long time instructor with the Driftless Folks School and other outdoor education institutions, contracts as a professional wildlife tracker with the Wisconsin DNR, and teaches at the Kickapoo Valley Forest School. He is a certified Wilderness Guide through a year long wilderness living immersion course and holds both a Professional and Specialist Certification in track and sign via Tracker Certification North America.