Calm. Prepared. Ready to help.
Wilderness survival and wilderness first aid for young people 14 and up, families, clubs and church groups. Learn to stay found, stay warm, find safe water, and care for someone who gets hurt far from help.
Master Guide Wilderness Survival
Certified instructor · Mt. Aetna Camp, Hagerstown, MD · 2014
Wilderness & Remote First Aid
American Red Cross instructor
Pathfinder leadership
Club director 2006–2019 · Leadership Instructor Trainer
Three programs, two free guides
Start with the honor or the first aid course; leaders go on to the Wilderness Leadership track. The field guide and disaster-ready checklists are free for everyone.
Wilderness Living Honor
Finding direction without a compass, safe water, shelter, signals, wild edibles, knots and a 15-item survival kit, practiced on two weekend campouts.
See the honor class →Wilderness & Remote First Aid
The Red Cross course for when help is an hour or more away: assessment, bleeding, splinting, cold and heat, bites and stings, and when to evacuate.
See the course →Wilderness Leadership track
The Wilderness Leadership and Wilderness Leadership Advanced honors: search and rescue drills, leading a weekend trip, then a week in the wilderness.
See the track →Field guide
STOP, the Ten Essentials, safe drinking water and signaling. Free to read before your next hike.
Read the field guide →Disaster ready at home
The federal Ready.gov family plan and disaster supply kit, as checklists you can work through tonight: water, food, radio, meds, documents.
Build your family kit →30-second path finder
Who is training?
What do you want most?
We teach students 14 and older; it is our standing rule for maturity and focus. Start with the free field guide as a family, and come see us at 14.
Free field guideClassroom sessions plus two weekend campouts. You will need the Pathfinder First Aid honor too; we will help you plan it.
See the honor classThe Red Cross course, about 16 hours. Bring a current adult CPR/AED certification.
See the courseThe leadership track for adults who take groups outdoors: search and rescue drills, trip planning, and leading a weekend trip.
See the trackLeadership builds on the camping, hiking, orienteering and first aid honors. Wilderness Living is the best first step.
See what comes firstRead the field guide, build a Ten Essentials pack, then book a family or church basics session.
Free field guideFelix Nieto II
Master Guide Wilderness Survival Certified Instructor and American Red Cross Wilderness and Remote First Aid instructor. Felix directed Pathfinder clubs for 13 years, earned a 1st Place Eagle Award, and trains Pathfinder leaders and instructors. He teaches the way he would want his own kids taught: calm, hands-on, and safety first.
- Master Guide Wilderness Survival Certified Instructor (Mt. Aetna Camp, 2014)
- American Red Cross Wilderness & Remote First Aid instructor
- Pathfinder club director, 2006 to 2019
- Pathfinder Leadership Instructor Trainer
Remember STOP
The first minutes decide most outcomes. We drill this until it is automatic.
Stop
Stay where you are. Sit down, breathe, and pray. Moving while panicked is how small problems become big ones.
Think
What do you have with you? Who knows where you are? When will they notice you are missing?
Observe
Look and listen: trail signs, water, roads, voices, weather moving in, how much daylight is left.
Plan
Stay put and make yourself easy to find: shelter, warmth, and a signal. Three of anything (whistle blasts, fires) means help.
Safety first, then real skills outdoors
Everyone signs the waiver
Participants sign; a parent or guardian signs for anyone under 18, with medical and allergy information.
Print the waiver →No guessing with wild plants
We only taste plants the instructor has positively identified, and never with a known allergy. Most wild plants are not food.
Our field safety rules →Fire where it is allowed
Fires only in permitted sites and conditions, with water and a shovel ready, and fully out before we leave.
More safety rules →Quick answers
What age can students start?
All of our classes are for ages 14 and up. That is our standing rule for maturity and focus, and it matches the American Red Cross minimum age for Wilderness and Remote First Aid.
Do I need the First Aid honor for Wilderness Living?
Yes. The Wilderness Living honor requires the Pathfinder First Aid honor, plus knowing how to prevent and treat conditions like hypothermia, heat illness, snakebite and dehydration. Whether a Red Cross card counts toward the First Aid honor is your club director's or conference's call; ask them. First Aid honor
What do I need before the Red Cross wilderness course?
The Red Cross requires a current adult CPR/AED certification and that you are at least 14 by the last session. Red Cross course page
Where are the campouts?
In Maryland, at permitted campsites. Each session lists its location, what to bring and the weather plan.
Can our church or club host a class?
Yes. We bring the class to your group. Send a request with dates and how many participants.