Participating in Nature: Thomas J. Elpel's Field Guide to Primitive Living Skills

Rating:
Summary: A day in the life...
Review: A day in the life... of a man using primitive, and some non-prim skills. This book really is done in an interesting way. Combining philosopy, skills, aquired wisdom, and a "day in the life" kind of story telling method, I can say this book is a really wonderful addition to any outdoorsmans library. I dare say it's one of the top three books that one should buy if they're interested in primitive skills.

Rating:
Summary: A day in the life...
Review: A day in the life... of a man using primitive, and some non-prim skills. This book really is done in an interesting way. Combining philosopy, skills, aquired wisdom, and a "day in the life" kind of story telling method, I can say this book is a really wonderful addition to any outdoorsmans library. I dare say it's one of the top three books that one should buy if they're interested in primitive skills.

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Summary: Peer review
Review: As a survival instructor and naturalist for one of the largest state parks in the US (420 square miles) I was very impressed by PARTICIPATING IN NATURE. Elpel has some wonderful insights not only into primitive technologies, but also on people's roles in ecosystems, the human race's responsibility for our environment, and applications of primitive technologies in current times. This is more than an anthropological review or a crafts book. Elpel shares personal insights that inspire others to live with nature.

The title says it all. Elpel encourages the reader to participate in nature, to be at home in natural surroundings and to take an active and responsible role. While most of my courses are taught in deserts in the US, Mexico, and Australia, the philosophy of this book, using the Northern Rockies as a large part of its setting, is the same. As a published author on wilderness survival, I highly recommend this book.

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Summary: Packed with both innovative and traditional skills
Review: Discover nature by using it with the help of Thomas Elpel's Participating In Nature, a superbly informative guide which covers everything from how to tan hides from a fall hunting trip to fishing by hand and using willow baskets. Any studying primitive skills or survival methods will find Participating In Nature packed with both innovative and traditional skills in this important hands-on guide for the outdoorsman.

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Summary: From the Island Park News - Rocky Mountain Expressions
Review: Ever wonder how to start a fire with a bowdrill, weave a basket, build a stone oven, blow a coal-burned cup, or make reliable and comfortable shoes? Which plants are edible or medicinal, and what material makes the best bows and arrows? I've thought about these things and others, never really dwelling on them for long. None of these were on my list of things to learn to do for 2001Ñbut they should have been. I moved to the country to be closer to nature and to be more a part of it, and it's about time. So where do we start?
Take a beautiful quiet morning, before sunrise. Sit on a peaceful overlook with a view that you know will be breathtaking once the morning light touches it. Watch the stars shine until they fade into the half-light. Feel the dew on the grass and in the air. Listen to the day birds begin their chorus. Notice the smells that waft by on a soft breeze. Watch the animals begin or end their regular rituals as the morning breaks. Write a book.
This is how Pony, Montana resident Thomas J. Elpel wrote Participating in Nature. It begins before daybreak, and is written so that as you grow in understanding of many things natural, a day unfolds and runs its course. By evening, near the end of the book, you have learned how to do several things, and why.
This is not a survival book written for guerillas, though they might find it very useful. It is a book written for the average worker who wants to get away from it all or the family that wants to do something special together. It's those who want to learn something new, a new way of doing something old, or enrich their relationship with nature. It's a must-read for anyone who is interested in doing something on a personal level to help maintain and restore Earth.
Even if you don't consider yourself an environmentalist, you probably don't mind saving money, stimulating your brain, or learning a new stress-relieving habit. Learning skills such as those found in Participating in Nature could also help answer questions like "what do you want to do this summer?" or even the ever-annoying "are we there yet?"
Throughout the pages of this "Field Guide to Primitive Living Skills," you'll find pictures of the author's work with other medium also. Some of the photography is his, and most of the artwork, making it a book that is not only useful but attractive as well. Now that you understand the utilitarian and aesthetic qualities of the book, I'll move on to the style. In this, I've saved the best for last. He may describe it as a field guide, but don't let the name fool you. This is no dry instruction manual filled with only technical descriptions and directions for use. Oh, the step-by-step is there so you'll know you're getting it right, but there is so much more than that within these pages.
As I mentioned before, he wrote this as a day that progresses, and his details take you to the very spot where he sits wrapped in a blanket, leaning agaist a fir tree as the morning gradually pushes the night westward. By sunset, he has explored and explained Mind, Shelter, Fire, Water, Cooking, Plants, Animals, and Clothing. These are the chapters of the day that is the book. Of course, he adds a bibliography and a fairly comprehensive index.
"My tea is hot. I put away my journal and my pen... Then I sit back and think about what it is that I am seeking....
"I have always been drawn towards the idea of being able to move lightly, freely, almost invisibly through the ecosystem, to be like the breeze, being present, but invisible.... and I am referring to the Indian scouts from another era, is symbolic of that desire.
"...it is something I seek distinctly for myself. It is my dream to be able to move and live as the scout, to travel unhindered, hopping, skipping, and gliding through the wilderness."
Of course there are "trade-offs" that the author recognizes: "For me taking less gear means I can travel farther and faster, but it also means I have to spend more of my time providing for my sustenance....
"Thus I seek to balance what I take and what I bring so that I can have both the lightest load and the most free time."
Thomas Elpel writes from his experience with nature. "Primitive living is a metaphor we participate in. We journey into the Stone-Age and quest to meet our basic needs. We learn to observe, to think, to reach inside ourselves for new resources to deal with challenging and unfamiliar situations."
Aren't those the skills we need for everyday living even in the Space-Age?
-Deb Anne Flynt

Rating:
Summary: A Great Combination of Skills, Attitude and Philosophy
Review: There are many great books on Primitive Outdoor Living Skills or what some call Wilderness Survival Skills. Elpel's book is no exception. It is wonderfully original not only because it contains unique skills not found in other books, but it also includes insights on our role as humans in the greater ecology of the planet.

Along with fire making and shelter building techniques, among others, the reader is given some insight into minimizing their impact on the land and blending in with the immediate landscape. Perhaps my favorite aspect of the book is the emphasis on being flexible with one's specific environment. For example, some types of primitive shelters are clearly better suited for wetland environments than up high in Alpine meadows. This book, rather than simply give instructions for different skills, gives the reader a systematic way to think about how to get what they need in a diverse set of circumstances. It also emphasizes ways to minimize the work involved for various tasks, so that one can spend more time enjoying and exploring their surroundings (e.g. identifying plants, writing, napping).

On a final note, I would recommend using this book in conjunction with other Primitive Outdoor Skills books for a unique look at this growing interest among outdoor lovers.