Outdoor Skills Courses
Outdoor skills courses are designed to teach learners essential skills and knowledge required to safely and effectively navigate and enjoy the great outdoors. These courses are ideal for beginners or individuals with limited outdoor experience who want to learn practical skills and gain confidence before embarking on their own adventures.
The courses typically cover a wide range of topics such as navigation, camping, hiking, wildlife identification, survival skills, first aid, and more. The goal is to provide learners with a strong foundation of knowledge and practical skills that they can apply in real-world outdoor scenarios.
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First Aid
Response
Responding safely
Patient assessment
Emergency communication
Evacuation decisions
Injury & Illness
Bleeding control
Wound care and management
Splinting
Allergies and anaphylaxis
Common medical conditions
Environment
Hot and cold emergencies
Lightning
Altitude
Bites and stings
$175 per session
(3 workshops included in each session)
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Beginner Map and Compass
If you spend a lot of time traveling in the outdoors hiking, backpacking, hunting, paddling, boating, snowmobiling, or skiing this course is right for you! Are you an aspiring Guide to be? Are you thinking of or currently involved with Search & Rescue? If you are a professional or if you simply enjoy time in the outdoors with friends and family this course will introduce you to reading and interpreting maps and prevent disorientation.
$175 per session
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Wilderness Skills
This class covers the basic survival skills everyone should know, including:
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How to make fire in the woods
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Where to find water and how to make sure it’s safe to drink
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How to build a shelter in the woods
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The most important tools for survival
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How to tye knots
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Tarpentry (setting up a tarp that will function extremely well and really keep out the rain)
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Open fire cooking
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Tracking
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First aid
Additionally, we’ll explore the role of wilderness survival in the modern world. You’ll also learn how these skills can help you to do so much more than simply survive. Over the course of four immersive days, you’ll increase your self-sufficiency and build a deeper connection with – and appreciation of – the natural world.
$225 per session
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Intro to Backpacking
Do you want a backpack confidently on your own? This intro to backpacking course is for you! This workshop is a three-part series in early spring that includes topics of: planning, gear and clothing, food, hygiene, special considerations for female hikers, and what to expect on the trail and in camp. During this three-part workshop, you'll plan the details of a backpacking trip with your instructor.
$175 per session
(3 workshops included in each session)
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Staying Warm and Safe in the Outdoors
The arrival of winter doesn’t have to mean that we all head inside and wait until spring to continue our outdoor adventures. On the contrary, the cold and snow bring opportunities for new kinds of adventures, and quite frankly, if you haven’t embraced skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, or the host of other winter activities, you’re truly missing out.
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This Class will cover layering, insulation and putting it all together for comfortable safe outdoor enjoyment during all seasons.
$175 per session
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Intro to Canoeing
We believe nothing is as satisfying as being able to paddle a canoe but why is it so special? We invite you to find out in Maine Guide Company’s introduction to canoeing skills course.
Maybe you’re starting a new outdoor activity, a hobby, or you want to simply refresh your existing knowledge of canoeing from the past, this course is designed with all skill levels in mind. The focus is on the basic functional skills needed for beginners to safely get started and continue canoe skill development.
$175 per session
(3 workshops included in each session)
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Solo Canoeing for Beginners
Learning to paddle a canoe solo is a liberating experience. This solo canoeing beginners course will teach you the fundamentals of paddling a canoe solo. Learn paddle techniques, adaptations to equipment, safety, environmental challenges, and how to control your canoe all alone.
$175 per session
(3 workshops included in each session)
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Tandem Canoeing for Beginners
Maine Guide Company’s tandem canoeing for beginners course is for the canoeist that is comfortable with basic paddling techniques and able to execute them correctly. We will help you to develop your ability and knowledge while expanding it with new techniques.
$175 per session
(3 workshops included in each session)
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The basics of Trip Planning
Beyond the hands-on experience of group gear and learning how to use it, participants will learn the steps of outdoor trip planning, including a selection of a route, monitoring weather forecasts, packing necessary equipment for location and climate, and meal planning and packing for any outdoor pursuit. This is all integrated with LNT principles as a core foundation.
$175 per session
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Planning a Thru Hike
GEAR - LOGISTICS - COMMIT
Join me for a 4-hour workshop. This workshop is designed for both novice and experienced hikers wanting to plan a long-distance hike or simply improve their trip planning skills. We will dive into the logistics planning process, including how to resupply, creating an itinerary, timelines, finances, town days, gear lists, and much more. Years of outdoor experience and a 2020 thru-hike allow me to give this very detailed workshop designed to inspire confidence in your personal trip planning. This seminar will help you to enjoy your hike knowing that the logistics are taken care of.
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Light snacks and beverages will be provided and every attendee will leave with something!
$160 per session
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