Preppers - the people who make sometimes-elaborate preparations for emergencies - are a growing segment of society in America, due, in part, to increasing concerns that surviving a natural disaster is less a question of "if" and more of question of "when".
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It's easy to drive over to the grocery store for a few days' worth of food, but preppers like David Hill Sr. suggest that in an emergency, resources like this might not always be available. Such was the case during WWII, when Americans were encouraged to grow "Victory Gardens" to increase local food supplies.
"My mother's parents had a 10-acre garden, and my grandfather worked at the dairy farm next door," explained Hill. "They worked by raising their own food, they had their own chickens, they canned vegetables and my grandfather fed a family of 12 like that." According to Hill, many of these invaluable skills have almost been forgotten in the modern world.
To uncover your hidden survivalist, learn the fundamentals from experts in the field who understand how to utilize primitive skills in a modern world. Many of these experts teach courses around the state:
Byron Kerns Survival
Courses start at $275 and take place near Ellijay and Helen. Call 352-350-4450 or visit www.byronkernssurvival.com.
Byron Kerns Survival, one of the top 10 nationally recognized survival schools, offers education and training in wilderness survival, teamwork, group behavior and preparedness. Topics include fire building, water procurement and disinfection, emergency shelter construction, signaling, wilderness first aid and the psychological aspects of survival.
Credit: Courtesy of The Homestead Atlanta
Credit: Courtesy of The Homestead Atlanta
The Homestead Atlanta
Prices vary. Courses take place in Atlanta and Rabun County. Call 404-590-4618 or visit www.thehomesteadatl.com.
With Homestead Atlanta, you'll learn the heritage skills you need to create the sustainable, old-fashioned lifestyle you dream of. Through their interactive, hands-on workshops, you'll learn canning and food preparation, permaculture, herbal medicine, foraging, blacksmithing, small livestock care, woodworking, fiber arts, beekeeping and more.
TruPrep Survival Center Marietta
Courses start at $20. Call 877-573-7173 or visit truprep.com.
Acting as a guide to help your family develop survival skills, the TruPrep Survival Center offers classes throughout the year on preparedness, wilderness survival, fieldcraft, farming and gardening, food preparation and cooking. According to TruPrep, "preparation saves lives and eases minds."
Georgia Outdoor Survival Skills
Courses start at $65 and take place in Pine Mountain, Harris County and Talbot County. Call 706-628-4093 or visit www.georgiaoutdoorsurvivalskills.com.
With courses taking place in multiple locations, Georgia Outdoor Survival Skills offers convenient and accessible survival skills and preparedness training. Courses cover a wide range of topics, including fire building, food preparation and storage, small livestock care, water storage and purification, fishing methods, natural hazards and risk management, wilderness first aid, making cordage, outdoor hygiene and more.
Credit: Courtesy of Medicine Bow Primitive School of Earthlore
Credit: Courtesy of Medicine Bow Primitive School of Earthlore
Medicine Bow Primitive School of Earthlore
Prices vary. Courses take place in Dahlonega. Call 706-864-5928 or visit www.medicinebow.net.
The Medicine Bow Primitive School of Earthlore doesn't just teach you basic survival skills, you'll gain an understanding about how the ancient peoples in this area lived off the land, survived in the wild and created a sustainable existence within nature. Courses include tracking, primitive skills, medicinal plants, foraging, survival skills, basket weaving, arrow making and archery, botany, conservation and ecology.
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