Websites are fonts of knowledge, but the wise viewer is always suspicious of the water quality. So many personal sites--and quite a few commercial sites--espouse opinions when their author has only a shallow pool of "real world" experience, if any at all. Perhaps this isn’t as important if you’re simply posting pictures of your cat, but when you’re talking about the mountains, it may be a matter of life and death.
Not to worry--here, you’ll find the water of knowledge runs pure and deep. Eric Stoskopf, this site’s principal, is a man whose quest is firmly rooted in genuine experience. As so many of us, he lives in a modern world dominated by automobiles, televisions, and computers. Yet he is also a student of the wilds and the past, and--more important--someone who actually gets out and does what he’s talking about. If he recommends an axe, you can well believe he’s spent plenty of time chopping wood with the item in question. If he’s discussing a wilderness shelter, you will know he’s slept in it himself, and has not simply torn the idea from a survival handbook because it looked impressive on the printed page and from the comfort of his easy chair.
Why in the world would anyone want to sleep on the ground or start a fire without matches in these days of GPS and cell phones and credit cards? Of course, the answer to those questions are always personal and complex. A spiritual contact with nature? An intellectual quest to understanding the techniques and day-to-day lives of past cultures? The confidence which comes through self reliance and independence? Or the eminently practical training anyone who ventures out into the woods or mountains should have to prepare himself for the unforeseen wilderness emergency--or to help those less prepared souls he may encounter?
Eric Stoskopf is on a voyage of discovery. No, he doesn’t have all the answers yet, but he doesn’t pretend to either, and that itself is refreshing. As he learns, you, too, will learn. And when he makes a mistake, well, you’ll learn from that as well, just without having to suffer the bumps, bruises, scrapes or singed hair yourself. He is a student of the past and present masters, and is eager to share his knowledge.
Eric well understands the "leave no trace" wilderness ethic, and certainly is no advocate of indiscriminately trashing the environment. Quite the contrary--you’ll find that people like Eric often have a far greater appreciation for unspoiled wilderness than someone who only drives through a national park on a paved road, or who merely leafs through the pages of a magazine like National Geographic. Some of the methods you will see on this site are decidedly high-impact. Woodcraft, practiced responsibly (and that distinction is quite important), can add an entirely new level to the outdoor experience without desecrating the very outdoors you have come to enjoy. Eric Stoskopf knows that, and he will show you how.
Enjoy your stay in this little wilderness oasis.
Back to the Contents page.