As my
first post to this blog I suppose I should introduce myself.
My name is Dakota Shaffer, I'm from Liberty, Mo. And have been teaching outdoor skills since 2010.
But I suppose I shouldn't leave it there. That seems a bit shallow of an introduction, and to be frank probably won't keep your attention past 5 seconds.
So how did I get into teaching outdoor skills? Well I had a roommate in college who was really into going camping and hunting and because of our mutual friendly dispositions we naturally became friends. He took me on several outings my sophomore year and shared with me his philosophy of being a Prepper. For those of you that are unaware, a Prepper is a person who is preparing for a disastrous scenario of some type.
My name is Dakota Shaffer, I'm from Liberty, Mo. And have been teaching outdoor skills since 2010.
But I suppose I shouldn't leave it there. That seems a bit shallow of an introduction, and to be frank probably won't keep your attention past 5 seconds.
So how did I get into teaching outdoor skills? Well I had a roommate in college who was really into going camping and hunting and because of our mutual friendly dispositions we naturally became friends. He took me on several outings my sophomore year and shared with me his philosophy of being a Prepper. For those of you that are unaware, a Prepper is a person who is preparing for a disastrous scenario of some type.
Under this mentality we bought an extra couple cans of food every week from Wally-World and stockpiled them away in the basement while going out on outings into the woods to practice skills when we could find the time. The woods skills and the feeling of a good camping trip kept me looking forward to the next campfire.
Taking a chance I took a job at a summer camp in Iowa
that summer teaching basic horsemanship, and practical survival skills. Working
at that camp introduced me to new skills such as Archery, and showed me how
much I loved teaching. I loved learning new things to then pass on that
knowledge to others. And so that summer I grew and improved in my woodsman-ship.
Sadly, the September after that summer my mother was killed in a car accident.
My world was shattered. Nothing made sense and I shriveled inward. That same roommate saw this and started to take me out to the woods more often. I threw myself back into acquiring knowledge and going out and practicing skills. Not much made sense, not school, not my future, but I was slowly coping by learning what I could. I felt I was more in control with the world around me. I began planning extended trips, and even went on a few. usually taking my puppy Rip with me.
The next summer approached faster than I expected and I decided to actively look for a job teaching survival skills. I found another camp, this one located in Missouri, who would let archery and survival skills be my main focus. I signed on the dotted line and became their survival skills instructor for the summer. At first I was only to teach what I was approved to, but as the summer rolled on I was able to start teaching what I wanted to teach which was when I began to learn new skills simply for the sake of finding a more efficient way to pass specific information on to others.
I found my way back home to Liberty shortly after that summer ended. I was living with my father Bob and my little sister Kadee and spent my days working at a lumber mill, all the while going out on the weekends to explore and enjoy the outdoors.
I would take the local youth programs at church out for camp outs and also teach local kids archery. I was enjoying teaching still, but I wasn't enjoying my manual labor job as much. So I decided to continue teaching skills and contacted the camp in Missouri again and was invited to write my own skills program and teach it that summer in 2013.
So I began working on creating a program for kids ranges 7 to 17 that could be tweaked depending on the age group. It was fun to get to create something I thought the kids would be able to retain and be excited about. I even had parents come and do parts of the course along with their kids. It was a very rewarding summer to see how much the kids and their families loved it. I even had a few requests to teach individual lessons to the families after the summer was over, but unfortunately I had to decline due to scheduling and travel, but was none-the-less flattered.
As the summer drew to a close, my good friend John asked me to come try out for a wilderness therapy program in utah that he worked for. I decided at the end of the summer I would go out to try out and within 4 days from the last day of my contract with the camp I was on my try-out for the program.
I ended up working wilderness programs on and off for almost 4 and a half years. Usually 8 days in the field, 6 days off. My longest stint in the field was 10 and a half weeks! In the heart of a very bad winter!!
I am so very grateful for my time working wilderness therapy because it introduced me to many different people and opportunities. I've been given a chance to rub elbows with some famous wilderness peeps that you've seen on TV and some of their mentors. I learned how to teach both children and adults well and I was able to practice and hone skills in environments such as the high Desert and the deep mountains. I even spent a winter living in a bare bones cabin at 11,000ft!
Sadly, the September after that summer my mother was killed in a car accident.
My world was shattered. Nothing made sense and I shriveled inward. That same roommate saw this and started to take me out to the woods more often. I threw myself back into acquiring knowledge and going out and practicing skills. Not much made sense, not school, not my future, but I was slowly coping by learning what I could. I felt I was more in control with the world around me. I began planning extended trips, and even went on a few. usually taking my puppy Rip with me.
The next summer approached faster than I expected and I decided to actively look for a job teaching survival skills. I found another camp, this one located in Missouri, who would let archery and survival skills be my main focus. I signed on the dotted line and became their survival skills instructor for the summer. At first I was only to teach what I was approved to, but as the summer rolled on I was able to start teaching what I wanted to teach which was when I began to learn new skills simply for the sake of finding a more efficient way to pass specific information on to others.
I found my way back home to Liberty shortly after that summer ended. I was living with my father Bob and my little sister Kadee and spent my days working at a lumber mill, all the while going out on the weekends to explore and enjoy the outdoors.
I would take the local youth programs at church out for camp outs and also teach local kids archery. I was enjoying teaching still, but I wasn't enjoying my manual labor job as much. So I decided to continue teaching skills and contacted the camp in Missouri again and was invited to write my own skills program and teach it that summer in 2013.
So I began working on creating a program for kids ranges 7 to 17 that could be tweaked depending on the age group. It was fun to get to create something I thought the kids would be able to retain and be excited about. I even had parents come and do parts of the course along with their kids. It was a very rewarding summer to see how much the kids and their families loved it. I even had a few requests to teach individual lessons to the families after the summer was over, but unfortunately I had to decline due to scheduling and travel, but was none-the-less flattered.
As the summer drew to a close, my good friend John asked me to come try out for a wilderness therapy program in utah that he worked for. I decided at the end of the summer I would go out to try out and within 4 days from the last day of my contract with the camp I was on my try-out for the program.
I ended up working wilderness programs on and off for almost 4 and a half years. Usually 8 days in the field, 6 days off. My longest stint in the field was 10 and a half weeks! In the heart of a very bad winter!!
I am so very grateful for my time working wilderness therapy because it introduced me to many different people and opportunities. I've been given a chance to rub elbows with some famous wilderness peeps that you've seen on TV and some of their mentors. I learned how to teach both children and adults well and I was able to practice and hone skills in environments such as the high Desert and the deep mountains. I even spent a winter living in a bare bones cabin at 11,000ft!
There are days when I honestly miss that job and wish i could go back to it. I felt like the ultimate bad-ass out there, living the hard life with the skills i was teaching. But, I found me a good woman and I wanted to start a life with her. And that's not easy to do when you're gone in the wilderness always and not home much, so I decided to try for something more.
The After I finished with wilderness therapy I left
to go to Portland, OR to teach wilderness skills to children at another camp
that also ran programs regularly throughout the year. Its a fantastic Program they run and I highly suggest you check out Tracker Earth. Unfortunately life didn't let me stay
through the year there and I returned back to Utah when my contract was up.
My father in law planted an idea in my head on a hunting trip some years befor about teaching my own program in a club type setting. This idea always stayed locked in my head and i never could rattle it loose. Some friends and family supported me trying to begin my own club for outdoor skills so I took to the idea mainly because it allowed me to keep teaching and exploring outdoor skills. So now am running with it!
My father in law planted an idea in my head on a hunting trip some years befor about teaching my own program in a club type setting. This idea always stayed locked in my head and i never could rattle it loose. Some friends and family supported me trying to begin my own club for outdoor skills so I took to the idea mainly because it allowed me to keep teaching and exploring outdoor skills. So now am running with it!
I chose the name
"Kindle The Fire" because it's what my goal is. I want to help kindle
that fire for the outdoors in everyone I meet. I want to help people learn to
better enjoy the outdoors and be inspired to get out there in it.
If I can create a community that inspires people to get outdoors and help each other get psyched about that, then I'm doing something right in the world.
Our tag line is "confidence, wisdom, and enjoyment". I feel this is the three parts of the triangle. You get confidence through wisdom, which is knowing how to use the knowledge you've been giving, and by confidence you can better enjoy the outdoors. And by enjoying the outdoors more you gain more knowledge which, when tested and applied, makes wisdom. It's a cycle, and you can't obtain more of one without the others.
I want this blog to be a place that people can stop and read a short piece of info that intrigues them, or a short piece that makes them question something they're doing. I promise to make my posts diverse and informational based upon proven knowledge and my own experience, so please take them as such.
Hopefully this post helps you learn a bit more about my background and why I do what I do. Enjoy Kindle The Fire's new blog!
Our tag line is "confidence, wisdom, and enjoyment". I feel this is the three parts of the triangle. You get confidence through wisdom, which is knowing how to use the knowledge you've been giving, and by confidence you can better enjoy the outdoors. And by enjoying the outdoors more you gain more knowledge which, when tested and applied, makes wisdom. It's a cycle, and you can't obtain more of one without the others.
I want this blog to be a place that people can stop and read a short piece of info that intrigues them, or a short piece that makes them question something they're doing. I promise to make my posts diverse and informational based upon proven knowledge and my own experience, so please take them as such.
Hopefully this post helps you learn a bit more about my background and why I do what I do. Enjoy Kindle The Fire's new blog!
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