Learning Lion Tracks in Africa


Six weeks of diligent study in Africa turned into the adventure of a lifetime.  While working on the film, Origins, we participated in a 28 day Trails Guide course which included: Tracking, Scouting, Animal Behavior, Wilderness Survival, Botany, Meteorology, Navigation, Astronomy, and more.  Our quest was to return to the environment of primitive man and live as he lived.  We wanted to re-learn the information that our ancestors had worked so hard to acquire.  We wanted to return to the source and chronicle the changes in our consciousness while living in the wild of Africa.  We really got what we went there for.

Here’s a key point to walk away with-

Any animal who forgets how to survive in the very environment it comes from is stupid. Welcome to humanity.

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Above Lion's Head in Capetown

I have just returned from a 6 week trip to Africa where I was studying wilderness survival, tracking, animal behavior, and local plants.  I got to meet with chiefs of tribes, medicine women, expert trackers, other film makers, local green celebrities, and much more.  It was an incredible trip and we produced an amazing movie out of it (set to release next year).

We visited the main theme of our journey quite often and much light has been shed on the subject.  The essential question was: why and how have we gone so astray and how can we possibly fix it before the ecosystem starts to unravel and life on the planet is compromised? (more…)

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South Africa Sunshine


How is it that we don’t know the difference between the songs of different birds anymore?  If you were to see animal tracks on the ground, would you be able to tell:

  • What kind of animal is this?
  • Is it male or female?
  • Where is it going and where did it come from?
  • Is it pregnant?

Or maybe even “What is it doing right now?”

Well, our ancestors did and we somehow forgot.  That is why we’re in Africa.  We’re navigating by the stars at night, studying animal behavior, learning survival skills, and interviewing medicine men.  The project revolves around reconnecting man with Nature and re-establishing our innate understanding of who we are and how we fit into the ecosystem.  Survival is an interesting phenomenon.  Although most of us are not running from lions on a daily basis, the notion of survival plays are central role in most of our lives.  How?  It’s called mortgage.  Taxes, salaries, rising costs, hospital bills…all of these concepts that are tied to money are conceptually related to our survival.  We stress about it every day and it consumes much of our attention.

So what does this have to do with Africa? (more…)

Lion's Head in Capetown


I have begun my 6 week trip to Africa.  I’ve been wanting to complete this training for a number of years and now is the time.  What training?  Wilderness survival training with an emphasis on understanding animal behavior, tracking, and observation.  I’ll be learning to navigate around the African Savannah by the stars…understanding the bird call and reading this language to understand where the big predators are…using medicinal herbs to heal any ailments and much more.  Now, I’ve spent a great deal of time in my life working these skills and I have spent a good amount of time in the wilderness alone already.  Why this?  Why more?

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