My name is David Scott
Growing up my life revolved around the outdoors. By the time I was 12 I'd already climbed Everest, explored the Amazon, crossed the Sahara and survived the arctic. The backdrop for these adventures was a small woods near my home in Northwest Indiana and story lines were fueled by an active and creative imagination.
My connection to this woods deepened when I found a small arrowhead in an adjoining field. I began reading everything I could find on Native Americans and practicing the skills they relied on for their survival. I began to dream of living in a remote log cabin in the Canadian wilderness where I could really put these techniques to the test.
These ideas lead to many great experiences including being one of the youngest graduates from Tom Brown's Standard and Advanced standard courses, multiple trips to Isle Royale, rerouting a trail in the Tetons with the Student Conservation Association, paddling the Boundary Waters and numerous weekend camping excursions in the woods near home.
Shortly after graduating high school, I was invited to spend a year in a log cabin in the subarctic of northern Canada. The experience I dreamed of for so long was working its way into reality and in 1991 I found myself standing on a lake at -40ºF., with a trip partner I'd only known for a couple years, surrounded by 4 months of food and provisions, watching the bush plane that brought us in fly away.
Our introduction to this experience was a week long struggle to survive. A forced bivouac, hypothermia, exhaustion, hunger, frostbite, dehydration, and a tent fire were all part of our subarctic introduction. Despite the difficult start, we spent the remainder of our trip building a log cabin, shooting a moose for winter meat and exploring beyond the borders of our map. It was a transformative adventure and the lessons learned there continue to unfold to this day.
I still frequent that small woods near my old house while also exploring / practicing traditional hand-tool woodworking, leather craft and flint knapping.
