The trainees have been immersed in the wilds for a little over a month now. Their guts are fully accustomed to drinking lake water, they are no longer dependent on matches for fire, and they have perfected their tarp set ups without the use of cordage.

The Guardian Intensive Training emphasizes a nomadic way of living. To better learn these skills, they broke down camp each day, without leaving any trace. They then packed all their gear on their pack-frames, which they are still modifying.  For many suns, they looked for good nearby spots to set up their tarps, to practice setting up quickly and packing up on a moment’s notice.  They are now skilled enough to venture further into new and unfamiliar territory.

Those who have spent time immersed in the wilderness know that everyone encounters at least three thresholds before finding peace and comfort living in the wild. The Psychological Threshold usually occurs within the first three days.  Without the distractions of modern life, such as commuting to work, music, email, Facebook, Netflix, and socializing, many people find that the emotional and relationship issues that exist in their lives are magnified. They will either make peace with these internal demons or pack up and leave with the intention of resolving them.

Within a week, they’ll encounter the Tolerance Threshold, a slow erosion of their morale due to the accumulating physical discomforts, such as rainy weather, the lack of food choices, being too cold or hot, and of course—bugs.  If they can make peace with these mounting factors, then the Gifting Threshold awaits them. This is also referred to as the Feast-and-Famine Threshold, because when a person is in the wilderness for a longer period of time, they experience the up-and-down cycles of the natural way of things—hot and cold, wet and dry, bounty and scarcity. Despite the discomfort, they begin to understand nature’s cycles. They know that if it is raining for several days, it will eventually stop and the sun will indeed shine again. If their sleeping bag is wet, it will dry. If the fish aren’t biting today, they eventually will, or perhaps they’ll find some clams or a marsh full of cattail roots over the next hill.

Those who make it through these three thresholds will enter the Gifting Way, a way of being where they no longer exist apart from nature; they are nature. It is at this point that they can dwell in the wilderness indefinitely. They are now just as comfortable as they would be in their living room, and just as well-fed as at a restaurant. If they choose to leave the wilderness, they can return at any time, knowing they have a place there.

Last week, one of the remaining five trainees hit a threshold that he could not reconcile. Goes His Own Way decided it was best that he return home, and he left camp.

Any time a trainee leaves, it affects the morale of the entire group. To make matters more complicated, Goes His Own Way was the holder of the group tomahawk. Each group has one tomahawk, and the one they had just happened to be owned by Goes His Own Way. When he left, the tomahawk went with him.

With their smaller numbers, the group came together in a new and inspiring way. They realized that with fewer people, each person was going to have to step up and work together as a true organism; everyone became even more essential. They recommitted themselves to one another and to the group as a whole. They also learned that when an organ is ailing—in this case a fellow trainee—it is imperative that measures are taken to help that organ return to balance. In not recognizing the importance of the matter, the clan lost an organ and its vital assets.

To hear more about their experiences from the trainees themselves, you can listen to the latest recording below. And of course, stay tuned for more adventures…