The Paul Kirtley Podcast

On this episode I'm joined by Joe Flowers, a knife designer, outdoor guide, zoologist and entomologist. We discuss knife design, natural history, Amazon expeditions, traditional tools, and the role of curiosity and continual learning in developing wilderness skills.

I'm joined by Jon McArthur, a Canadian bushcraft instructor with a background in search & rescue. We discuss northern forest skills, influences from Mors Kochanski and Tom Roycraft, First Nations heritage, and how bushcraft knowledge is developed and transmitted.

I speak with James Steyn, one of only a handful of guides to hold the elite FGASA Scout qualification. We discuss the art of walking safaris, the rigour of CyberTracker, the evolution of guiding standards, and the skills needed in dangerous game country.

Bushcraft instructors Jamie Dakota and Adam Logan join me to discuss career paths in outdoor education, building a sustainable bushcraft practice, and the value of collaboration in the modern bushcraft community.

Stephan Kesting, author of Perseverence: Life and Death in the Subarctic, joins me to discuss his gruelling 1,000 mile solo canoe expedition in remote northern Canada, including reflections on the risks, rewards, and personal insights gained along the way.

Les Stroud, known to millions as Survivorman, joins me to talk about an area of backwoods lore and legend that has fascinated him for more than a decade: Bigfoot or Sasquatch.

Mattias Norberg, author of Konsten att Elda, "The Art Of Fire", a highly respected Swedish expert in fire-making and wilderness survival joins this episode of the Paul Kirtley Podcast.

Craig Caudill is Director and Lead Instructor of Nature Reliance School, based in Kentucky, USA. Craig has taught backcountry skills for many years. He's also a seasoned writer, to date being the author of eight books on backcountry skills and knowledge.

John Rhyder is a naturalist, writer and highly experienced bushcraft educator. He was the instructor on the first bushcraft course I took. John is passionate about wildlife tracking and is certified as Senior Tracker under the Cybertracker system.

Dave Holder is a wilderness living skills instructor and wilderness guide based in Canada. He is also a TV survival consultant, being the lead survival and safety consultant on the Alone show on The History Channel.

Theresa Emmerich Kamper, PhD., Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Exeter and author of Determining Prehistoric Skin Processing Technologies, has over 25 years of experience in prehistoric skin tanning and clothing construction.

A candid discussion with British military veteran John Boe, about his experiences suffering with PTSD, finding solace in the woods and transitioning to a successful second career as a bushcraft instructor.

Cliff Jacobson is one of North America's most respected outdoors writers and wilderness canoe guides. He is an outdoor skills instructor and a professional outfitter and guide, a canoeing and camping consultant, and the author of more than a dozen top-selling books on canoeing and camping. In 2003 the American Canoe Association presented Cliff with the Legends of Paddling Award and inducted him into the ACA Hall of Fame. In 2009 Cliff was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award by the Boy Scouts of America. Canoeing, camping and sharing his experience has been a lifelong passion for Cliff. He seems to have paddled every river in North America, certainly in Canada. His wilderness experience is massive and the relevance of the conversation this podcast goes far beyond the context of canoe tripping.

Major Les Hiddins became well known through his ABC TV series "The Bush Tucker Man". In 1980 Les had received a Defence Fellowship to research survival in northern Australia and looked heavily into traditional bush foods, with the help and cooperation of Indigenous communities. His work was compiled and used by the Australian military in various forms, including the clever idea of "snack maps". Les later included bush tucker information in his Bush Tucker Field guide, as well as Explore Wild Australia, and now on his Bush Tucker Man website. Major Hiddins was the principal author of the Australian Army's military survival manual, published in 1987. Les retired from the Australian Regular Army in 1989 with the rank of Major. In addition to his TV work and writing, he continued to work with the Australian Army Reserve until 2001, working with Indigenous Australian communities in northern Australia. He is still actively researching and sharing his information and we get into this and a whole lot more in this podcast episode….

Gordon Dedman is a former member of the Australian Army 1st Commando Regiment and is currently a survival instructor in NORFORCE, an Australian Army Regional Surveillance Unit, which conducts patrols in remote wilderness areas of northern Australia, working closely with Aboriginal communities. Gordon provides civilian training in Australia through his school Bushcraft Survival Australia. In addition, Gordon works seasonally as a tour guide in Kakadu National Park. In this podcast we discuss Gordon's experiences and work, and get into detail on bushcraft and survival in Australia.

Bruce Zawalsky is a professional wilderness survival instructor and author, with over 25 years of experience as an outdoor educator. He teaches survival courses, wildlife and bear awareness courses as well as wilderness navigation. Here in PK Podcast 48, Bruce talks with me about all these subjects and more, which have much wider application than just in his native Canada...

In 1995 Lars Fält organised a seminal survival instructors conference in northern Sweden. Tom Lutyens and Mors Kochanski were among the instructors. Johan Skullman was one of the students. Here they discuss the importance of that event....

Canadian outdoor educator and author Kevin Callan joins me to talk about nature connection, preserving wilderness, healing yourself with time outdoors as well as undertaking the Meanest Link…

Tristan Gooley, natural navigator and author, returns to the Paul Kirtley Podcast for a conversation centred on on becoming more attuned to the clues and signs surrounding you in nature, and finding the keys that help unlock these secrets...

John Hudson, Chief Instructor at the UK military's Defence SERE Training Organisation, joins me in conversation on the Paul Kirtley Podcast. Originally an RAF helicopter pilot and now the survival instructor responsible for training all the survival instructors in the UK military, John is the real deal when it comes to survival training and advice. In the civilian world John's expertise has been called on for Discovery Channel TV show Dude You're Screwed as well as other projects. He has laid down some key principles we can all apply to our lives in his book How To Survive: Lessons For Everyday Life From The Extreme World. In this podcast we talk about all this and more, including which survival myths need killing once and for all...