Bushland skills classes to teach primitive survival training

PICKENS — Hagood Mill will welcome back an EarthSkills wilderness self-reliance workshop this fall.

The hands-on survival class is open to all adults and runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the fourth Saturday of every month from September through November. Each class is limited to 10 students.

 EarthSkills instructor and U.S. Army veteran Alex Garcia will return with an expanded training schedule to augment last year’s introductory classes.

Sept. 27 leads this year’s schedule with survival knife skills, basics of the number one tool in wilderness survival. The cost for the class is $65 per student. On Oct. 25, students will be challenged with trapping fish and small game, hands-on instruction on using natural materials to provide meat for your meals. The fee for the class will be $60 per student. November’s cooler weather will be the perfect time to sign up for creating fire: part two. This last class on Nov. 22 will provide in-depth knowledge on how to identify and gather fire-making materials and create a fire using several natural methods. There will be a $65 fee for the class. Visit www.visitpickenscounty.com/calendar for registration and payment options, or call the Hagood Mill at (864) 898-2936.

EarthSkills was founded in July 2013 by Garcia with the purpose of helping re-introduce people to the bounty of nature and teach the skills our culture once depended on to prosper as human beings.