Tracker School Standard Class Review
Two weeks ago, I (24/M) returned from my standard class at Tom Brown Jr.'s Tracker Survival School in New Jersey, and I can't stop talking about it and thinking about it, and now I am turning to Reddit after 3 years to talk about it some more.
Ever since I came back, I feel like I have been living my life with blindfolds on. I was gifted the book "The Tracker" by my aunt who had been a long time fan of Tom Brown, and finally took her standard class the year following his passing. When she came back, she was able to sneak up right behind me and others as a little joke, and I have watched her become invisible in the woods, while only being a few feet in front of me. She would tell me about her learnings, and I would nod my head and listen with open ears, but that's it, I didn't really get it. When I finally showed up to my standard after two or so years of debating and questioning, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
I went through the motions for the first few days, taking in all I could at every lecture, filling my notebook incessantly, eating as much soup and plain oatmeal as they would let me have, and meeting some great people like Tom's son River. But, it still wasn't truly clicking with me. I was having fun, but I just wasn't fully getting it. I couldn't understand what the instructors meant when they said "plant people," or "dead air space," or when they talked about listening with your heart instead of your ears. In theory it sounded great, and I wanted to feel this great connection with nature and the Earth, but every time I tried, I felt alone.
It wasn't until the final night, which is a very important night at standard class, that everything finally made sense. I understood why they taught the way they did, giving us just enough information and leaving us with the tools to search for the answer ourselves. I understood why they fed us what they fed us, why they thanked the fire and the plants and the Earth, I understood why they are teaching all of this and why it was so important to Tom and Stalking Wolf, and it made me cry with both joy and sadness. I was sad when I realized how separated I have been from the Earth, how I haven't cared to sit and watch her and care for her. I felt sad that most of humanity lives this way, but relieved to be learning these ancient skills, and hopeful that I can maybe bring at least one person into nature and show them the beauty I was shown at the Tracker School.
I can't say what made that final night so special to me, what opened my eyes to the patterns of the Earth right under and all around me, but I can say that it not only opened my eyes, it opened my heart. I still have an endless amount to learn and to practice, but this experience was one of a kind, and I can't recommend it enough. The practical Earth living/survival skills are so tangible and real that I can't question the spiritual ones, and I have to search for the tracks that lead to some form of an answer. I have a feeling they're hidden in plain sight.
TL:DR- it was awesome.