Winter Camping Symposium

Greg Wilcox is the co-founder of Country Ways and for the past twenty-five years has brought us the very best in showshoe kits and finished outdoor equipment. Greg will be teaching a seminar on snowshoe lacing and repair.

Donnie has been tracking wildlife for over ten years now and holds a Level III Certification in Wildlife Track and Sign through CyberTracker Conservation, an international organization that evaluates trackers over two days in the field. He is also a member and one of the lead instructors for the Minnesota Wildlife Tracking Project that provides tracker training workshops and help coordinate wildlife surveys using track and sign to identify animals in an area for various agencies and organizations.

Kelly guided wilderness canoeing and winter camping trips for several seasons with the Northern Tier Boy Scout Base. A few years ago he and some friends completed a 70-mile, 19-day snowshoe and toboggan trip across the Boundary Waters. Kelly loves exploring the northern woods and waterways in every season but finds special magic in the snow-covered time of year.

Kevin is a Penn State graduate, outdoor industry veteran, and lifelong silent sports enthusiast. He cut his teeth working for other companies with the goal of building his own. Now, nestled into a quiet Duluth shop, he draws upon 30 years of experience as designer and athlete, to craft outerwear using traditional textiles that offer timeless performance.

Garrett Conover is best known for his years as co–proprietor of North Woods Ways, the classically resonant traditional canoe and snowshoe guiding service leading wilderness trips in Maine, Quebec, and Labrador. In 2008 he started work as one of the Assistant Managers of Borestone Mountain Audubon Sanctuary. Garrett is author of Beyond the Paddle. His most recent book, Kristin’s Wilderness, has won four awards. The Snow Walker’s Companion was co–authored with Alexandra Conover, and is now in its third printing. Garrett Conover standing in the snowGarrett lives along the Big Wilson Stream in Maine, a scant few miles and in the same watershed as Borestone Mountain. In addition to co–leading special trips with Alexandra, writing and photography are continuing interests, and Garrett remains in demand as a presenter of North Woods Skills Workshops and Adventure Travel Slideshows where the narration weaves a bit of history, how–to, natural history, and the intrigue of glorious trails.

Outdoor enthusiast with a passion for eating well on the trail no matter the season. Believes food brings another level of enjoyment to outdoor adventures and camaraderie. Enjoys cooking for others and making food a memorable part of every trip.

Scott loves getting outside--no matter the time of year--to explore, enjoy the wild, and test his outdoor skills. He eagerly works to convince others to join in the fun--in hot or cold weather--as he is thoroughly excited to introduce people to the outdoors and the adventure it holds. No stranger to cold weather camping, Scott earned his first "Zero Hero" more than 25 years ago, sleeping in a quinzhee on a frozen lake. An Eagle Scout, he is currently involved in teaching at the BSA's Winter Camping School and Okpik Cold Weather Leader Program, as well as developing and coordinating other advanced outdoor training programs. Scott is also a Registered Maine Guide, and co-owner of Bull Moose Patrol, an outdoor skills and adventure company.

Sam Larson is a wilderness skills instructor and author from Nebraska. As a young man Sam travelled throughout North America, living out of a backpack while exploring wilderness areas and learning from seasoned instructors. He is best known for his time on HISTORY's hit survival series ALONE. During the show Sam lived completely alone for a total of 115 days in British Columbia, and Mongolia, with just 10 survival items. As an instructor Sam is dedicated to sharing his skills with beginners and spreading survival skills throughout the world. He is the founder of Woodsong, a wilderness education company. He spends all of his spare time with his wife, and kids.

Ryan has been helping to run the symposium for the past six years. He is first and foremost a husband and father, right after those two responsibilities are fulfilled, he can usually be found in a canvas tent staring down the fire in his wood stove. Ryan has been teaching Winter Camping 101 for the last couple of years, each year he brings new experiences to share. If you are new to this sport, this class is for you!

WCS Board Member/Organizer I am the father of two fine boys. I love to teach them whatever I can about camping in all four seasons, winter has the most to teach. I work in IT, so getting outside and away from tech is a very good way to keep me sane!

Winter camper for over 40 years . Leading Winter camping trips into the BWCA since 1974. Mostly ski-tarp camping until making sil nylon hot tent in 2008. With CCS has over 30 years experience designing and sewing winter camping and mushing clothing and sled bags.

Warren Peterson is from Medford, Wisconsin. He's been making knives since 2001 after getting a knife making book from a friend. His specialty is a Scandinavian-style knife, which is a combination of wood, antler, birchbark, and occasionally mammoth tusk, as well as making all leather sheaths or wood, leather, and antler sheath combinations. Warren will also make knives with all wood or antler handles for a more traditional look. His knives are being used throughout the states, with one even making it to Alaska. Warren is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying camping in all the seasons as well as canoeing, kayaking, cross-country skiing and hunting, fishing, and trapping.

Jeffy Geer is the owner/lead instructor of Common Folk Self Reliance, a wilderness Skills school located in Michigan. As well as being a survival instructor, Jeffy is also A successful big game hunter and avid outdoorsman. For the past several years, Jeffy has used the fun of wilderness skills education in a ministry effort with Church youth Groups, Men's groups, and Coed adult groups

A four season outdoor enthusiast! Spooner, Wi. Retired, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Veteran solo winter camper with over 30 yrs of experience testing and developing equipment, author of articles on winter camping and survival, owner of more winter camping equipment then anyone should have.

Nick grew up with a love for the outdoors reinforced through scouting and summers at the family cabin in northern WI. In college, many of these activities were put on the back burner but that didn’t last long. He started guiding for the university as a TA and realized that his passion for backcountry adventure and education would become a lifelong pursuit. Nick Gordon, NREMT and WEMT, is owner and lead instructor for NOW Outdoors LLC. He teaches more than a dozen wilderness adventure courses for UW-Milwaukee and holds the highest level of wilderness medical training in the state of WI. In addition, Nick is a certified instructor for the SOLO School of Wilderness Medicine. Nick also runs the largest outdoor themed meetup community in Wisconsin and volunteers as the SE Regional Coordinator for the Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education.

Luke Soderling is a experienced public speaker, with a dynamic and engaging method of connecting with his audience. As a master plumber, he has spent nearly 20 years selling service to clients. He has studied sales and interpersonal communications which have been vital in being able to connect and motivate his audience. In 2017 Luke was selected as a survivalist on the Discovery Channel's new show, "The Wheel". Luke survived in 6 places in South America over 60 days alone. With ingenuity, hard work and determination he excelled in the wild, building complex shelters with the materials available, catching 142 fish and killing a caiman with a machete. His drive and determination in wilderness survival is only overshadowed by the grit and determination he showed as he beat stage 3 thyroid cancer in 2013.

Deb is the founder of Painter Creek Soap Company. She has been making soap for over a decade!

Brian is the owner of Sagewood Gear, a small leather business located in Duluth that specializes in Knife Sheaths and other specialized Adventure Equipment. His product designs are founded on a function first mentality, and are a blend of the hard wearing, durable nature of leather and the functionality and precision of modern materials. He is inspired by the famous explorers of the past, and takes a great interest in the philosophy of Adventure and the history of Exploration. Most often you will find him off-trail exploring lesser known areas and searching for spots of historical significance. He is always a student, and continually seeks to expand many skillsets such as Land Navigation, and HAM Radio.

Roger Pilsner has been involved in a variety of crafts working with wood, leather, metal, fibers and anything else he can get his hands on, for over 50 years. Everything from blacksmithing and creating functional objects from mild or high carbon steel, brass and aluminum to reshaping salvaged metal into a variety of tools, camping gear and household objects. Owning a bandsaw mill he typically starts with green trees for his woodworking projects, sawing the lumber, kiln drying, machining it to dimensions and eventually creating a finished product is very enjoyable for him. He takes logs to finished goods. According to his wife he has at least two or three or four of every tool known to mankind and then some. He has built cedar strip canoes, houses, chairs, tables, weaving looms, boxes, guns, bowls, spoons and a variety of handmade tools such as bow saws, chisels and hammers utilizing his high end woodworking abilities. There is sawdust running through his veins.

Duane Lottig, an avid winter enthusiast is the owner and founder of Snowtrekker Tents, LLC. He has been designing, manufacturing and selling equipment for the traditional winter camper for over 17 years. His lightweight canvas tents are expedition quality and can be found in use from Alaska to the Arctic regions of Scandinavia and anywhere else it gets cold. Duane continues to create new tent designs and refine his existing ones on a continual basis. 60 years young Duane lives with his wife Margot, his indispensible partner, in Solon Springs, WI. His business started in his garage and continues in his garage to this day.

Sydney Tanner and Jim Nosker are Azen Lodge Outfitters. They’re parents of 10 children, have been cooking together, for groups, for decades. They’ve camped from coast to coast, from the rain forests of Central America to the Arctic Circle, in all seasons. They’ve hiked, backpacked, run dog teams, skied, showshoed, canoed, kayaked, hunted, fished and trapped at one time or another throughout their lives and have been long term Boy Scout leaders. At this year’s Winter Camping Symposium they’re offering a class on tent lighting and a class on desserts!

Rhonda lives on a tick farm on a lake at the end of the road in da Nort Wuds of Wisconsin. She was the first winner of the "Golden Spatula" award in 2008. She promptly sold the solid gold spatula to "Cash For Gold" and has been living of the proceeds ever since. She has been winter camping for more than 10 years. She hosts the Winter Rendezvous the first weekend in February each year in Northwest Wisconsin.

Natives of SE Wisconsin, lifelong outdoors enthusiasts, lovers of all things natural. A shared love of cooking regardless of where and how. Bought our first hot tent 5 years ago, were instantly hooked,and now consider winter the best season by far for camping.

Engineering Technician in Duluth, MN, introduced himself to winter camping by living in a wall tent for a winter while attending college. He started building his own winter camping gear out of economic necessity and continues to do so for the love of the creative process and the ability customize and innovate.

Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from the University of Minnesota; Theatre Arts major/English minor. Married since ’77 – yes, to the same man – Dean Barrett. We have two grown children, a daughter and a son. Career path history: Director – high school, community college, and community theatre, Costume Designer – Mpls/St. Paul and greater MN, On-Camera and Voice-Over Artist for television/radio/training/marketing industry based in Mpls/St. Paul but reaching around the country, Owner/CEO/Agent NUTS, ltd. (Non-Union Talent Service, Limited) in Minneapolis with clients across the US and internationally. In 2012, I sold my talent agency and left the industry to pursue (as a business) my avocation and passion: sharing the wilderness experience with others through guiding and teaching in the great outdoors! And in case you’re wondering how the heck to pronounce my name, it’s PAY-tah…long ‘a’ where you see the ‘e’. Happy trails!

Jason Gustafson is the owner of Lester River Bushcraft He is a knife builder, outdoors man,bushcraft enthusiast and student of survival and self reliance. "I'm a father, adventurer, and craftsman. My hands tell me as much about the world around me as my eyes. From the simple angles of a bevel to the last knot in a cord, I build deliberate gear so you can use it with purpose. So when all of the glitz and technology of the catalog pages fail you in the woods, my tools will be there in your hand. No 12V plugs, microchips, or fancy interlocking pieces- just steel, sharp and solid."

Brian Dallmann is from Owatonna Minnesota. He’s been cooking with Dutch ovens for over 7 years, for groups as large as 30. He is an active member of the International Dutch Oven Society (IDOS) and Lone Star Dutch Oven Society with his Southern MN DOG group. He has given DO cooking demonstrations at state wide events, from Grand Marais to Rochester. The Dutch oven has become a fixture within many of his personal hobby’s, including Winter camping, Blacksmithing, Ham Radio, Competitive Shooting and Curling. His friends who have experienced his DO cooking have given him the nickname “The Iron Chef”

Ben’s full time job is testing, researching, and selling tools and outdoor goods for life in the north woods. He uses hand tools like axes, hand-saws, and knives daily for fishing, hunting, foraging, self reliance, and primitive bushcraft.

Mors Kochanski jokes that Kelly is probably his oldest student. Kelly met Mors at a 6th grade camp almost 40 years ago! Since then Kelly has been inspired to live of life full of wilderness experiences. There is a lot to write about Kelly, if you would like to learn more- check out this link. http://karamat.com/about-kelly-harlton/

Brian is a Bushcraft Instructor, seasonal Conservation Officer for Alberta Parks and retired member of the Canadian Armed Forces, with 25 years of service. He grew up surrounded by the Canadian Shield, and the hardwood forests of Southeastern Ontario, where the seed was planted for his love of the Great Outdoors.

English teacher at Virginia High School in Virginia, Minnesota I have always had a deep love for nature and the outdoors. I have walked on winter traplines. I fish, hunt, hike and snowshoe. The sight, sound and smell of a wood fire is one of my favorite things. Add a book and a cup of tea to that and I am in ecstasy. I really like hot tenting. I hope to do more winter camping in the future.

John is an award-winning writer/photographer and correspondent for Paddling Adventures Radio. A lifelong outdoors enthusiast, the Wisconsin resident considers himself outrageously lucky to have hiked, camped, backpacked, biked, motorcycled, paddled or gone scuba diving on five continents. He is president of The Outdoor Kind, LLC, a company founded specifically to conduct outdoors safety-education outreach and raise funds for wilderness first responders. He organized the 2018 Yukon Journey Charitable Canoe and Kayak Expedition, and will return to the historic river to raise more funds in 2020. John came by winter camping the usual way - he spends as much time outdoors as possible and simply stayed out camping "too long." After several accidental winter camping adventures, he began cold tenting intentionally and fell in love with the quiet, solitude...and lack of mosquitoes! He will attempt a winter thru-hike of the 1,140-mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail in 2020-21.

Telling outdoor stories comes naturally to Bill Sherck. Television viewers know him better as “The Man About The Woods”; A six-time Emmy Award-winning outdoor reporter and show host. Bill’s earned just about every award in the business for his unique style of storytelling. Viewers can catch Bill’s work on several of the country’s most popular outdoors television programs including, “The Flush” on Outdoor Channel, “Due North Outdoors”, “Rooster Tales” and “Backroads” on Fox Sports Networks and “Minnesota Bound”, seen on NBC affiliates throughout Minnesota.

Kevin (aka The Happy Camper) is the author of 18 books; including Complete Guide to Winter Camping. He is an award winning writer and a keynote speaker at outdoor events across North America. Kevin is also a regular guest on several television morning shows and CBC Radio. He has won several film awards, writes a column for Paddling Magazine and Explore Magazine. Kevin was listed one of the top 100 modern day explorers by the Canadian Geographical Society. He was also made Patron Paddler for Paddle Canada. Check out his web site at www.kevincallan.com and YouTube channel KCHappyCamper.

Camping (summer and winter) with the Scouts in the Boundary Waters triggered Chuck Rose's interest in wilderness water quality which eventually led to a career studying and teaching lake, stream, and wetland science. Between trips, he is a Professor of Environmental Science at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.

Jonathan McArthur, ​is involved with Search and Rescue in Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦 Currently the Northeast Region Director of SAR Alberta. Sgt McArthur of the RCAF is an ACS Tech employed at 1 Air Maintenance Squadron. Jonathan is very passionate about his secondary duty with 4 Wg GSAR team, where he currently is the D/OC Jon has led and organized many Survival Training Exercises most notably Ex Frosted Flier for the RCAF Pilots and Aircrew. During his tenure he is reintroducing “Northern Bushcraft” into many facets of GSAR Survival Training. He teaches all over the province both in Boreal Ops, SAR Skills and Leadership. He has combined his enthusiasm for both SAR and outdoor living skills to create a unique learning environment for all skill levels. He recently has done some traveling to Sweden and England. This “Bushcraft Sojourn 365” was inspired by his mentor Mors Kochanski in order to further develop his network and knowledge. Jonathan is currently developing his latest venture, Bear Lake Bushcraft.

Chris is a big fan of snowy, cold winters, so much so that he and his wife Selena quit their jobs and moved from England to live in Manitoba where he works for a not for profit environmental organisation. He graduated from day hikes on snowshoes to hot tenting in a home sewn bedsheet tent, inspired along the way by a copy of A Snow Walkers Companion and the discovery of the wintertrekking.com website. He tries to get at least a dozen nights out each winter though always longs for more. He also make and sells outdoor gear through his website canoepaddler.net

-She started camping only five years ago, in 2014 when her good friend introduced her to tent camping. - Starting in January 2016, Karla has camped at least one night a month - 46 months now and has plans to continue into a 5th year and since April 2016 exclusively hammock camps. - She is the host of BACONFEST camping weekend where bacon is consumed with every meal. The 4th Annual BACONFEST will be held at Lake Wissota State Park on May 15-17, 2020. More info www.tinyurl.com/BACONFEST2020 - In 2017, she started camping with her cat, Kizme (Kiz-mah), a rescue kitten. Karla runs the Facebook group Camping & Hiking with your cat – feel free to join our group! - Karla wants to camp in every state park in Wisconsin. She has visited 39 of 54. - Her favorite camping foods are anything in a pie iron, dutch oven, and any type of woofum. - She collects a patch from every park she has visited and wears them on her red wool vintage Valeninto cape. https://www.instagram.com/i.am.karla.with.a.k/

Chris Evavold has been making tools and equipment since his start carving cedar canoe paddles back in the mid 80’s. Dogsleds and hand-hauling toboggans are the most widely used of his creations. His sleds have been used all over North America in events like the Iditarod and UP200 as well as sledding loads on caribou hunts in Alaska or Lake Trout trips into the BWCA. “There is nothing more satisfying than making something that has a practical use and is appreciated.” Chris and his wife Ingrid live raised three kids on the Black River (northwest Wisconsin) within earshot of Big Manitou Falls and the coal and taconite train whistles in the river valley. Check out Black River Sleds on the web at www.blackriversleds.com

My name is Dave Wenger and I hail from Hudsonville, Michigan. I have been a professional knifemaker and American Bladesmith Society Journeyman Smith since 2012 and making knives since 1993. I currently make a living designing and creating high quality , user knives and Tomahawks with an emphasis on bushcraft and survival style knives. I have done several collaborations with Jason Gustafson of Lester River Bushcraft on tomahawks, and various knives designed to excel in the woods. My mode of operation is do what works while keeping an open mind to the potential improvements on everything including time proven designs, even what are considered by some to be sacred cows. I plan on talking about and demonstrating, with my "assistants" Jason Gustafson and Ben Piersma, different design intents and the application of these designs on the media you are cutting. In short we're gonna cut stuff and examine different techniques and designs as well as deployment of these tools, that may make life easier in the woods

Veteran paramedic, wilderness enthusiast, Scoutmaster, and Search Manager for missing persons cases.

Don is the proprietor and owner of the Four Dog Stove Company. He has been designing and building portable wood stoves for the past 23 years. From a 2¼oz titanium back-packing stove to a large steel stoves that can heat a 14’ x 20’ wall tent at -30 below. He is known as the leading innovator in trail stove design and construction. All stoves are hand crafted with his wife, Roxanne on their back 40 acre Minnesota-based workshop/farm, where they enjoy family, friends, raising a large garden, chickens and working their mules. Don’s passion for creating time tested and proven items for use in the harshest wilderness conditions is evident by the testimonials of hunters, trappers, outfitters, guides and adventures throughout the globe.