I hope everyone’s fall is off to a great start! Growing up, the school break I looked forward to the most was always fall break.

I have many golden memories of spending these breaks with my family. One thing we enjoyed doing was going camping in Broken Bow.

I am not a particularly outdoorsy person, but the perfect autumn weather was always enough to get me lacing up my walking boots.

We liked to take short hikes, canoe, roast hot dogs, and then go back to the cabin for the night, usually in time to watch the OU game.

In short, we’ve spent a lot of perfect fall days there. and one key detail that helped make it perfect to me was the part where we stayed in a cabin for the night.

You see, this is what “camping” means to me, a cabin with all the conveniences. However, I know that there are more adventurous folks to whom the word “camping” means something quite different: tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, canteens, etc.

This is not my idea of fun; however, I know there are plenty of people who do enjoy this more rustic excursion. More recently I’ve learned that there are others who push the boundary of “fun” even further.

These trailblazers don’t bother with sleeping bags, canteens, or flashlights, preferring instead to construct their own shelter, purify their own drinking water, make their own fire, etc. Essentially, these individuals are true outdoorsmen.

We’ve managed to track down one of these wilderness specialists, and he has generously offered to share his knowledge at Q.B. Boydstun Library in Fort Gibson. Brett Ross is a former marine and a certified survival instructor. He is offering a series of free bushcraft classes.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, please visit our website to sign up! and for those less enthusiastic to sweat, we’ve got plenty of fun activities lined up in October for you as well, such as a Harry Potter-themed escape room, pumpkin carving, chess club, and more! Please stop by or check out our website, eols.org/fort-gibson, for more info. Happy camping!