PREPARE / NEW STUDENT INFORMATION
YOUR FIRST VISIT TO WOODSRUNNER
Coming somewhere new usually brings a few questions.
What should I expect? What is the training like? How hard is it going to be? What should I bring? Do I need experience? What happens if I struggle with something?
Those are good questions.
We want you to know what Woodsrunner is before you arrive.
Woodsrunner is a welcoming place to learn, but that does not mean every course is easy. This is an outdoor training school. Depending on the program, you may be challenged physically, mentally, and by the conditions around you.
You do not have to arrive knowing everything.
But you do need to arrive ready to participate, ready to learn, and ready to put in the effort.
We will teach you. You have to do the work.
BEFORE YOU COME
Start With Your Course Information
Once you register, read the information provided for the course you are attending.
Every Woodsrunner program is different. Arrival times, equipment, clothing, meals, physical demands, training conditions, and other details may change depending on the course.
Your course information should always be your first reference.
KNOW YOUR ARRIVAL INFORMATION
Know when and where you need to be and give yourself enough time to arrive without rushing.
CHECK THE WEATHER
We train outdoors. Look at the forecast and prepare for the conditions we are actually expecting.
CHECK YOUR GEAR
Use the Packing & Gear List for your course. Bring what is required and make sure it is ready to use.
KNOW YOUR ROUTE
Review your directions before you leave.
ASK QUESTIONS
If something is unclear, contact us before your course.
A little preparation before you arrive allows you to spend more of your time here concentrating on the training.
ARRIVING AT WOODSRUNNER
Know Where You’re Going Before You Leave Home
Your course information will provide the arrival instructions you need before coming to the property.
Take a few minutes to read those instructions before you leave home rather than trying to figure everything out when you get here.
Once you arrive, we will help you get settled and let you know where you need to be.
You are not expected to already know how everything at Woodsrunner works on your first visit.
You are, however, expected to arrive prepared for the course you registered for.
WHAT TRAINING AT WOODSRUNNER IS LIKE
Learning by Doing
Woodsrunner is an outdoor school, and our training is built around learning by doing.
We will explain things. We will demonstrate them. We will answer questions and talk about why something works, when it matters, and how it applies in the woods.
Then we want you doing it.
Put the compass in your hand.
Build the fire.
Tie the knot.
Work through the problem.
Make the decision.
Practice the skill.
Sometimes you will get it right the first time.
Sometimes you will not.
That is part of training.
We are not interested in students simply watching an instructor perform skills all day. We want you to leave having actually done the work yourself.
EXPERIENCE IS NOT REQUIRED. EFFORT IS.
Everyone Starts Somewhere
Our students come from all kinds of backgrounds.
Some are stepping into the woods with very little experience. Others have spent years camping, hunting, fishing, hiking, working outdoors, serving in the military, or practicing wilderness skills.
Both can learn here.
Experience is valuable, but experience alone does not tell us how someone will respond when plans change, pressure increases, equipment fails, weather moves in, or a real problem develops.
That is one of the reasons we train.
If you are new, come ready to learn.
If you are experienced, come ready to learn too.
Listen.
Ask questions.
Put in the effort.
Try the skill.
Accept correction.
Try it again.
We will teach you. But you have to do the work.
EXPECT TO BE CHALLENGED
Training Can Be Physically and Mentally Demanding
Depending on the course, Woodsrunner training can be physically and mentally demanding.
You may spend long periods on your feet, travel over uneven ground, carry equipment, work in heat or cold, function in the rain, practice skills repeatedly, solve problems, and continue working after you are tired.
There may be times when you are uncomfortable.
There may be times when you become frustrated.
There may be times when a skill does not come easily.
You may have to stop, clear your head, think through the problem, make a decision, and try again.
We do not manufacture hardship just so we can say a course is tough.
The outdoors provides enough challenge on its own.
Our job is to teach you how to work through those challenges safely and effectively while learning more about your own strengths and the areas where you still need work.
Some Woodsrunner programs are much more demanding than others. Read the description and preparation information for the course you choose and come ready for that level of training.
TRAINING SHOULD PREPARE YOU FOR MORE THAN PERFECT CONDITIONS
Real Skills Need to Work When Conditions Change
Learning a skill when everything is comfortable, predictable, and laid out in front of you is one thing.
Being able to use that skill when circumstances change is another.
During appropriate courses and exercises, Woodsrunner uses training modifiers to make training more realistic.
A training modifier changes some part of the situation after you have had the opportunity to learn and practice.
Conditions may change. Time may matter. Resources may become limited. A problem may have to be approached differently than it was during the original demonstration.
The purpose is not to trick you.
It is not punishment.
And it is not about seeing how miserable we can make somebody.
It is about helping you learn what happens when knowledge and skills have to be used outside of perfect conditions.
The first time you discover how you respond to pressure should not have to be when the situation is real.
WE TEACH. YOU PRACTICE. THEN WE ADD THE CHALLENGE.
Progression Matters
We do not expect students to perform something they have never been taught.
Our instructors explain the subject, demonstrate the skill, give you an opportunity to practice, answer questions, provide correction, and help you develop understanding.
You may hear it explained.
You may see it demonstrated.
Then you are going to put your hands on it and do it yourself.
As your knowledge and ability develop, the training may become more challenging.
That progression matters.
We want you to understand more than how to perform a skill.
We want you to begin understanding what matters, why it matters, when it matters, and whether you can put it to work when circumstances change.
WE WON'T GIVE UP ON YOU
You Bring the Effort. We Bring the Instruction.
Some things you learn at Woodsrunner may come naturally.
Others may not.
You may struggle with a skill. You may get frustrated. You may be tired, uncomfortable, wet, hot, cold, or simply having a hard time getting something right.
That is part of training.
Our instructors are here to teach you, coach you, correct you, encourage you, and give you another opportunity to try.
We are not interested in embarrassing students or proving how much more an instructor knows.
We are interested in helping you learn.
If you are willing to keep working, we will keep working with you.
Try it again.
Ask another question.
Listen to the correction.
Change what is not working.
Take what you learned and make another attempt.
We won't give up on you unless you give up on yourself.
That does not mean every task will be easy. It means that when the training gets difficult, your instructors are still there.
EXPECT TO BE OUTSIDE
The Woods Are Part of the Classroom
A lot of what we teach happens where the skills actually belong—in the woods and in the field.
That means you may deal with heat, cold, rain, mud, insects, uneven ground, campfire smoke, changing weather, and all the ordinary conditions that come with spending time outdoors.
We are not going to stop training simply because everything is not perfectly comfortable.
At the same time, safety matters. Conditions are evaluated, and training may be adjusted when necessary.
Part of becoming more capable outdoors is learning how to prepare for conditions, adapt when they change, manage yourself and your equipment, and continue functioning when everything is not perfect.
Check the weather. Dress for it. Come prepared to be outside.
PHYSICAL & MENTAL DEMANDS
Know What You Signed Up For
The demands of a Woodsrunner course depend on the program.
A shorter introductory course and a multi-day wilderness training program are not the same experience.
Depending on what you attend, training may involve walking over uneven terrain, carrying required equipment, standing or working for extended periods, repeated skill practice, changing weather, limited comfort, problem-solving, decision-making, and working while tired.
Mental effort matters too.
We may ask you to slow down when you want to rush, think when you are frustrated, reconsider a decision, solve a problem with what you have, and continue applying what you learned when conditions are no longer ideal.
Read your course information carefully.
Know what you signed up for.
Then come prepared to give it your best effort.
FACILITIES & THE TRAINING PROPERTY
A Working Outdoor Training Property
Woodsrunner is a working outdoor training property.
Do not expect a hotel, conference center, or polished indoor classroom.
Our classroom is largely the property itself.
Depending on the course, training may take place around Basecamp, along trails, in wooded training areas, around campfires, or elsewhere on the property.
Facilities are simple and appropriate for an outdoor school.
Specific information you need for your course will be provided before you arrive.
Come expecting an outdoor training environment.
WEATHER IS PART OF THE EXPERIENCE
Prepare for the Conditions We Actually Get
We cannot control the weather, and we do not expect every training day to be sunny and 70 degrees.
South Carolina can give us heat, humidity, cold, rain, wind, and changing conditions.
We train in normal outdoor weather when it is reasonable and safe to do so.
Weather is not just something happening around the course. Learning to prepare for it, work in it, and adapt to it is part of becoming more capable outdoors.
Check the forecast before you come.
Bring clothing appropriate for the conditions.
Then be prepared for the forecast to be wrong.
FOOD & WATER
Follow Your Course Information
What you need will depend on the program.
Some courses may require only water and food for the day. Longer courses and overnight programs may have different requirements.
Do not guess.
Check the information for the course you are attending.
If food, water, meals, or cooking equipment are required, your course information will tell you.
YOU DON'T NEED A PILE OF GEAR
Bring What You Need. Learn How to Use It.
Outdoor equipment can get complicated in a hurry.
There will always be another backpack, knife, stove, shelter, compass, piece of clothing, or gadget somebody says you have to own.
We do not want equipment to become a barrier between someone and good training.
Bring what your course requires.
Use what you already own when it works.
Borrow something when that makes sense.
Buy something when you actually need it.
Then learn how to use what you carry.
Good equipment has its place.
Knowing how to use it matters more.
VIEW PACKING & GEAR LISTS →TRAINING HAS A PURPOSE
Training Should Mean Something When You Need It
A wilderness emergency rarely happens at the perfect time, in perfect weather, with every piece of equipment you wanted and plenty of time to decide what to do.
That is why Woodsrunner training goes beyond simply showing someone a collection of outdoor skills.
Skills matter.
Knowledge matters.
But so do judgment, priorities, problem-solving, adaptability, and the ability to continue functioning when things do not go according to plan.
We want you to leave Woodsrunner with more than memories of what an instructor demonstrated.
We want you to have done the work yourself.
We want you to have struggled with something and figured it out.
We want you to better understand where you are strong and where you still need work.
And we want you to leave with training you can continue building on long after the course is over.
Because training should mean something when you actually need it.
COME READY TO PARTICIPATE
Hands-On Means You Are Involved
Woodsrunner is hands-on.
We want you involved.
Ask questions.
Try things.
Make mistakes.
Try again.
Listen to your instructors.
Accept correction.
Help the people training beside you when appropriate.
Be willing to learn something from somebody else.
You do not have to prove anything here.
But you do have to participate.
The objective is not perfection.
The objective is to leave with more knowledge, better judgment, stronger skills, and more real experience than you had when you arrived.
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
That Is What the Student FAQ Is For
It covers many of the common questions students have about coming to Woodsrunner, weather, clothing, registration, courses, and attending for the first time.
VIEW STUDENT FAQ →If you still cannot find the answer, contact us.
Tell us what course you are attending and what you are unsure about.
We will help you figure it out.
CONTACT WOODSRUNNER →COME READY
You Do Not Need to Know Everything Before You Get Here
Come prepared.
Come willing to work.
Come willing to listen.
Come willing to be challenged.
Bring your questions.
Bring your effort.
And come ready to spend some real time in the woods.
We won't give up on you unless you give up on yourself.
REAL SKILLS. REAL READINESS. TIME IN THE WOODS.