The last two weeks have been spent in South Africa, on a game ranger experience trip organised by Woodland Ways training with Samantha Patrick and Colin Patrick from Colin Patrick Training.
For me the key part of this experience wasn’t necessarily the anti-poaching or shooting rifles at mocked up animal charges, though that was interesting and full of its own learning. For myself the key element was the immersion into track and sign and animal ID. I am incredibly please to say that after two weeks intensive training and lots of revision I scored 99% on my animal track and sign cyber tracker assessment, hosted by Sam Patrick. This was just one question away from the professional level 4. And it was last question of the day that I got wrong. The answers are reviewed during the assessment. So with every passing question the pressure increased to continue my 100% streak.
Colin very often states ‘tracking is life’ on his courses, and I don’t disagree. Jason also states fire is life, and I don’t disagree. Many others also state that water is life, and I still don’t disagree. Life has many elements, many aspects, and is fraught with its own suite of ups and downs, challenges and successes. We can learn to navigate those and not let them knock us sideways. We can learn to navigate through these, whilst learning more about the natural world around us, enjoying our part within it, and gaining a greater appreacition of the other animals, plants and fungi, that we occupy this wonderful planet with. It is these aims that I try to achieve on courses with Pippin & Gile. By reintroducing that sense of wonder, discovery, and sense of exploration, whilst understanding and supporting the highs and the lows within this.
Those moments when you’re trying and just not succeeding, when you’re on the trail of the animal and suddenly it vanishes. When you’re rubbing the sticks together for bow drill and not yet getting smoke, when your technique still has room for improvement. That is where Pippin & Gile comes in. We will teach you, support you, encourage you, dance for joy and cry with you, through all of those highs and those lows. And we promise you will leave our woods seeing them in a new light. Understanding more, appreciating more, and having pushed your limits that little bit further.
