Survival: that’s a scary word. When I heard the word “survivalist”, I thought of collapse, collapsology, anything with a frightening future… then I got to know experienced instructors… and took part in my first course.
We often talk about the need to reconnect with Nature, with the Living, but the formula doesn’t often come with the recommendation. And I tended to approach the subject through the mind.
There’s nothing military about a survival course; in fact, it places more emphasis on conviviality and cooperation than on physical performance. It starts with adapting to the pace and progress difficulties of the group members. There’s a kind of attention to others, a kind of intuitive benevolence that is quickly established in this type of trip. It’s a far cry from groups visiting the same iconic tourist site!
The essential needs of shelter, food and water are soon expressed, and the group gets down to work, either spontaneously or following the guide’s instructions. The bivouac is set up, the hammocks are hung and those who finish before the others go to advise or help the apprentices. Sub-groups are formed to fetch water, fish or harvest fruit. Some are busy building fires for the approaching night. Others prefer to imagine how to improve the bivouac, arranging a trunk to serve as a bench, or building a table from wicker.
In short, the community is active according to its abilities and knowledge, but feels safe in the sole benevolent presence of the group.
This workshop is a form of reconnection with the environment, a pragmatic way of experiencing this link, this dependence and, above all, the fact of being an integral part of Nature. Through the learning of basic gestures and techniques, all directly related to this environment, participants experience a form of concrete spirituality, relearning to interpret what Nature sends as messages, with a view to “survival”. But this experience, and the reflections that inevitably come with it, end up being a way of initiating self-care, of healing one’s relationships with others and with one’s environment.
I remember the amazement of one of our travellers, telling us at breakfast about his dream that night, while saying that he never remembered his dreams: “I didn’t know nature could speak to me…”.
If this sounds like something you’d like to do, if you’re ready to step out of your comfort zone, get in touch with us to define the experience that’s right for you, without putting yourself at risk.
You can also consult the trips we present on this site: Knowledge
