MEET THE FOUNDER
JOSHUA BARNES
Founder & Director of Operations
Joshua Barnes is the Founder and Director of Operations of Woodsrunner School. For more than forty years, Joshua has practiced the outdoor and wilderness skills that shaped his life. For more than a decade, he has taught those skills through wilderness education, helping people build knowledge, gain experience, and develop the judgment needed to enjoy the outdoors with confidence.
His background includes law enforcement, emergency medical response, wilderness medicine, firearms instruction, leadership development, more than forty years of hands-on outdoor experience, and more than a decade of wilderness education. That combination of field experience and formal instruction continues to shape his approach to preparation, judgment, responsibility, and leadership. Those experiences continue to shape the courses he teaches, the curriculum he develops, and the direction of Woodsrunner School.
EVERY JOURNEY BEGINS SOMEWHERE
Rooted in the Woods
Joshua's journey began in the hardwood bottoms of Northeast Georgia and the Piedmont region of South Carolina.
Camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, and time spent in the woods were simply part of everyday life. Along the way, experienced woodsmen invested their time in him, teaching lessons that couldn't be found in books.
They taught him to observe before acting, prepare before leaving home, solve problems with what was available, and appreciate the quiet confidence that comes from knowing what to do.
Those early years shaped far more than his love for the outdoors. They shaped the way he thinks, the way he teaches, and the values that would eventually become the foundation of Woodsrunner School.
WHY WOODSRUNNER SCHOOL EXISTS
More Than Teaching Skills
Joshua founded Woodsrunner School because he believes outdoor education should be about more than teaching skills.
It should help people build knowledge, gain experience, and develop the judgment to make good decisions outdoors.
Books introduce ideas. Videos demonstrate techniques. Experience develops understanding.
That understanding grows through time in the woods—asking questions, solving problems, learning from mistakes, and returning again and again.
The goal has never been to help someone complete another course.
The goal is to help people continue learning every time they step outdoors.
WHAT HE BELIEVES
Principles That Shape the School
Everyone starts somewhere.
Questions should always be encouraged.
Confidence grows through experience.
Preparation shapes good decisions.
Learning never ends.
Knowledge becomes more valuable when it is shared.
Some of life's greatest conversations happen around a campfire.
A LIFE OF LEARNING
The Best Instructors Never Stop Learning
Joshua believes the best instructors never stop learning.
For more than four decades, he has continued to study, practice, and spend time outdoors, while teaching wilderness skills and outdoor education for more than a decade. Every season offers another lesson. Every student asks another question. Every experience creates another opportunity to learn.
That commitment to lifelong learning continues to shape the way he teaches today.
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Students Learn by Doing
Joshua believes students learn by doing.
Every Woodsrunner course encourages students to participate, ask questions, practice, solve problems, and gain experience.
His responsibility isn't simply to teach outdoor skills. It is to help students understand when to apply those skills, why they matter, and how to continue learning long after a course has ended.
Some lessons happen during formal instruction.
Others happen while preparing a meal, navigating a trail, or sitting around the campfire after the day's training is over.
Those moments are often remembered long after the course is finished.
BUILDING WOODSRUNNER
A Long-Term Educational Organization
Joshua's vision extends beyond teaching courses.
He is building Woodsrunner School as a long-term educational organization dedicated to Wilderness Readiness, Woodland Living, Outdoor Pursuits, instructor development, and lifelong learning.
That same vision led to the creation of the Woodsrunner Youth Project, helping young people discover the outdoors through hands-on learning, meaningful experiences, and opportunities to build confidence that extends far beyond the woods.
The purpose has always been the same:
To help people become more knowledgeable, more capable, and better prepared every time they step into the outdoors.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
Experience That Shapes the Work
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
Time Outdoors Still Matters
When Joshua isn't teaching, he enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife, Janna.
Whether cooking over an open fire, hiking woodland trails, exploring mountain streams, woodworking, or simply sitting beside a campfire with friends, those moments continue to remind him why Woodsrunner School exists.
LOOKING AHEAD
Knowledge Worth Preserving
Joshua believes outdoor knowledge is worth preserving.
He hopes Woodsrunner School will continue preparing future instructors, helping families spend meaningful time outdoors, encouraging people to keep learning throughout their lives, and preserving the knowledge and traditions that deserve to be passed on.
The vision has never been about building another outdoor school.
It has always been about building an organization that will continue serving people for generations.
UNTIL OUR PATHS CROSS
Every Experienced Outdoorsman Was Once a Beginner
Every lesson begins with a willingness to learn.
Knowledge earns confidence.
Experience builds judgment.
Readiness prepares people for whatever comes next.
Joshua hopes your paths cross around the campfire someday.
— Joshua Barnes