This will be an immersive experience in the winter woodlands, learning to be comfortable in winter conditions, learning outdoor skills to meet our needs in this season, and enjoying the rare beauty of this time. We will hike out into a wild area near the Wisconsin River, interpreting species of herbs and trees and their offerings of food and firewood, and finding and learning from signs of our active winter wildlife. At midday we will learn about fire-making, cooking on the fire in winter, winter camping and site selection, safety and more. We'll discuss sourcing materials, traveling the winter landscape, and sheltering in an emergency, all while getting to know our landscape in winter. A moderate amount of physical fitness will be important for this experience to cover uneven terrain and potentially snowy conditions.
Date: Saturday, January 30, 2027
Time: 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Lunch will be provided.
Ages: 12+ (under 18 with a participating adult)
Location: Blue River, WI
Sliding Scale Course Fee Guidelines
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 Highlight — Nicholas WazeeGale
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.
