Way of the Wolf: Wolf Tracking and Storytelling Residential

Track Wolves by Day, Hear Wolf Myths by Night

This 3 day course provides an immersion into the ways of the wolf, led by experienced tracker Greg Sommer and storyteller Dougie Mackay, hosted at a Wilderness School in a beautiful location:
https://wildnisschule-hoherflaeming.de/kurse/wolfstracking-mit-greg-sommer/

Overview
The Wolf is like a ghost moving across the landscape, flitting between the trees with hardly a leaf being disturbed, only when one is really lucky can you catch a glimpse of its presence. The howl, tracks or fleeting images to stoke our imagination and wonder, or to invoke fear or hatred depending on our perspective. Probably one of our most controversial figures in stories, mythology and lore, from the villainous 'Big Bad Wolf', to demi-gods or the saviour of our forests. Even in modern times the wolf seems either loved and praised or hated as the destroyer of our flocks and game. Science confirms it is a keystone species, vital to habitat restoration, and influential in creating ecological diversity.

We will spend a weekend together exploring traditional stories of the wolf, looking at facts and fiction, and spending time on the landscape learning to read its sign and presence. What does the wolf mean for us and how do we relate to them? How can we seperate science, from lore and lived experience, or usefully learn from each? How can we incoporate factual knowledge into our stories that we tell about them and how can we be better ambassadors to these creatures.

This weekend is about following the tracks and sign of the wolf through story and landscape to bring us a bit nearer to these creatures and to see them as who they are without our biases. We will be situated in a place where the wolf been present for 15 years, our hosts have observed their movements for much of their time.

It is a weekend for storytellers who wish to bring more depth to the wolf as a character; for outdoor people that seek to understand this creature better; for nature educators that wish to learn a bit more storytelling and tracking.

Description

Days will be spent learning the fundamentals of tracking, and honing our natural awareness as we head out into the forest on the trail of the local wolf packs. Context will be offered through first hand anecdotes of encounters with wolves and tales of tracking. As well as wolf tracks we will inevitably discover boar, fox, marten and other wild creatures, yet our primary focus will be on the wolves. Through tracking we will learn to read the natural world around us, as well as getting to learn about wolf behaviour through the tracks and trails they leave behind. 

We will be learning about the wolves in Brandenburg through their tracks, the signs they leave behind, honing our awareness in the landscapes which they move, and reflecting on the stories of tracking them and traditional stories We will learn some basics around wolf tracking, movement and sign recognition and also basics of how to tell stories. Their are options for those who want to go deeper into the story telling aspect and for others who want to delve deeper into their signs and presence on the landscape and how to distinguish them from the other animals we find.

Guides
Gregory Sommer grew up in Washington State running around the temperate rainforests, camping, tracking, listening to birds making fire without matches and sleeping under the stars. He learned tracking and nature mentoring from Jon Young and first encountered wolves and their tracks in the foothills of the cascades and later in the mountains of Idaho. He spent a year living in a debris hut in the Pine Barrens at Tom Brown`s Tracker school. He has been tracking around the wilds of Brandenburg getting to know the wolves on their return to Germany over the last 12 years and has been teaching kids and adults nature skills, tracking, about birds there. He has a Bachloers of Science from Evergreen State College. He is a certified level three in track and sign from Cybertracker both in Western Washington and Germany

 Dougie Mackay is a Scottish storyteller and outdoor educator, who's been researching wolf myth and story for a decade. Intrigued by ecological decline in Scotland, he became interested in the role of wolves in the landscape and how first-hand encounters often differ from the 'Big Bad Wolf' trope in European fairy tales. This led him to track wolves in Europe and create the storytelling show 'A Wolf Shall Devour the Sun', which recently received 5* reviews at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He passionate about the role of the arts and folk culture in impacting ecological attitudes and supporting learning.

Practicalities

Cost
£350-450 sliding scale. Includes all tuition, food and camping accommodation.

Food
Delicious vegetarian meals, prepared by our expert outdoor chef, will be provided.
Bring snacks.

Accommodation
Camp space is provided, bring your own camping gear. (some may be provided at request)

Alternative local accommodation is recommended at 
https://coconat-space.com/stay/

Travel
Within 1 hours train ride from Berlin, we can arrange pickup from Bad Belzig station if needed.

Venue:
https://wildnisschule-hoherflaeming.de/kurse/wolfstracking-mit-greg-sommer/

Email: dougie@storyconnection.org with questions.