Category: The Paul Kirtley Podcast

John Rhyder
PK Podcast 55: John Rhyder – Woodsman, Naturalist, Educator and Senior Tracker

PK Podcast 55: John Rhyder – Woodsman, Naturalist, Educator and Senior Tracker

Comments 6 comments

This podcast is long overdue. My guest is John Rhyder, naturalist, writer and highly experienced bushcraft educator. Indeed he was the instructor on the first formal bushcraft course I took many, many years ago. John is an innovator in the field of bushcraft and nature education, and continues to push his own knowledge too. In particular, John is passionate about wildlife tracking; he is currently the only person in northern Europe certified as Senior Tracker under the Cybertracker system. There is much to savour in this conversation….

Man staring into distance while riding along on the back of a boat in the wilderness
PK Podcast 54: Dave Holder, Wilderness Living Skills Instructor and TV Survival Consultant

PK Podcast 54: Dave Holder, Wilderness Living Skills Instructor and TV Survival Consultant

Comments 10 comments

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. In this podcast episode we get into a wide-ranging conversation which should provide you with insights into long-term survival situations, psychological factors for success, skillsets required, equipment, nutrition and more.

Theresa Emmerich Kamper working on a skin
PK Podcast 53: Theresa Emmerich Kamper On Traditional Tanning

PK Podcast 53: Theresa Emmerich Kamper On Traditional Tanning

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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. She joins me on this podcast to talk in detail about traditional tanning, prehistoric skin processing, making clothing from skins and furs, and much more. I could probably have called this episode “Everything you wanted to know about tanning but were afraid to ask”….

PK Podcast 52: John Boe On PTSD, Finding Solace In Nature And A New Career In Bushcraft Instruction

PK Podcast 52: John Boe On PTSD, Finding Solace In Nature And A New Career In Bushcraft Instruction

Comments 6 comments

John Boe is a British military veteran with PTSD. In this podcast episode we have a candid discussion about John’s condition, how it manifested itself and how he came to realise he found solace in time spent in nature, especially in the woods. This ultimately led to a second career as a bushcraft instructor, delivering courses through Wildway Bushcraft, based in the South West of the UK. Having John join me on this podcast was also a good opportunity to discuss aspects of John’s experience in establishing himself as a bushcraft instructor and starting his own bushcraft school, and to draw out some broader lessons for those looking for a pathway in bushcraft instruction.

Cliff Jacobson on expedition
PK Podcast 51: Cliff Jacobson – Skills Are More Important Than Things

PK Podcast 51: Cliff Jacobson – Skills Are More Important Than Things

Comments 23 comments

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….

Archive photo of Les Hiddins the Bush Tucker Man
PK Podcast 50: Les Hiddins, The Bush Tucker Man

PK Podcast 50: Les Hiddins, The Bush Tucker Man

Comments 15 comments

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”. He was also 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….

Man in Australian army uniform blowing tinder bundle into flame
PK Podcast 49: Gordon Dedman On Australian Bushcraft And Survival

PK Podcast 49: Gordon Dedman On Australian Bushcraft And Survival

Comments 13 comments

In this podcast episode Gordon Dedman and I talk bushcraft and survival in Australia. Gordon is a survival instructor in NORFORCE, an Australian Army unit conducting patrols in remote wilderness areas of northern Australia. He provides civilian training via Bushcraft Survival Australia. Gordon also works as a guide in Kakadu National Park, which at 20,000 square kilometers is Australia’s largest national park….

Man wearing frosty winter clothing in Canadian snow conditions.
PK Podcast 48: Bruce Zawalsky On Canadian Wilderness Survival

PK Podcast 48: Bruce Zawalsky On Canadian Wilderness Survival

Comments 8 comments

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 Podcast 48, Bruce talks with me about all these subjects and more, which have much wider application than just in his native Canada….