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Earth Connection North Carolina
School Profile
Earth Connection North
Carolina
Wes Massey, Hardee Merritt and Todd Magers,
along with other colleagues have formed Earth Connection North Carolina.
The story of ECNC is one of good fortune and serendipity. Tim MacWelch's
cousin Jeff and Wes Massey have been friends since childhood. Spending
much of their youth playing in the woods, they both developed a great fondness
for the outdoors. Years later as adults, Jeff mentioned his cousin Tim's
interesting career path. Wes decided to come up to Virginia for a class in
2003 to see what these "survival classes" were all about. We all had a
great time. Wes and his friends became regular attendees of Earth
Connection classes and after a few years, became experts in many fields of
outdoor survival skills. Seeing their skills, the quality of their
knowledge and their skill at presenting that knowledge, Tim offered them the
opportunity to become a branch of Earth Connection. The deal was struck in
December of 2007. They acquired a great piece of property and prepared it
for classes and camping. The doors were opened for students in August
2008. They will continue offering weekend classes throughout the year,
with their 2009 schedule coming out this Fall.
Their specialties are classes in Friction Fire Making, Kid's classes,
Primitive Survival Strategies and Modern Wilderness Survival. See
for yourself just how much more there is to learn about the great outdoors!
Join them for one of their excellent classes.
Earth Connection North Carolina Instructors
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Wes
Massey
Wes Massey is Earth Connection -
North Carolina's (EC-NC) Head Instructor and a founder of Earth
Connection's North Carolina
(NC) chapter which began in 2008. Wes focuses on experiential training as his
teaching foundation, spending much of his free time in the Mountains and
Piedmont areas of NC practicing primitive and wilderness survival skills. A
rigorous teacher and practitioner of primitive/wilderness skills, Wes validates
the techniques in simulated survival situations BEFORE he teaches them. Wes sets
the highest standards for skill and technique validation, reproducible results,
and historical authenticity. He specializes in friction fire techniques, making
even the "fire plow" look deceptively easy. Among his teachers, Wes has
received extensive training and mentoring from Tim MacWelch and Rick (Hue)
Hueston, leading experts in their field and founder/instructors of Earth
Connection in Virginia. Wes Massey is also a Second Degree
Black-Belt in To Shin Do� Ninjutusu and martial arts instructor at the Chapel
Hill Quest Center
https://www.ncquestcenter.com. Since 2001, Wes has been actively involved in
martial arts including seven years of wrestling, MMA training, and Brazilian
style Ju-jitsu (in which he currently holds a Blue-Belt). One of EC-NC's
specialties is in wilderness self-defense, which meshes well with primitive
trapping and hunting classes. Wes' outstanding all-around skill set and
dedication makes the material easily accessible to students at all levels of
experience.You can email him at wes@masseybrothers.com
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Hardee
Merritt
Hardee Merritt, EC-NC founder and Instructor sees
wilderness survival skills as the driving force behind his personal study in
self-reliance. An avid backpacker and adventurer, he began learning wilderness
survival skills in the Boy Scouts. Hardee's instructional emphasis is on
providing his students with the rudimentary wilderness skills and expertise
needed to keep them out of trouble and make their time in the wilderness more
comfortable. Hardee Merritt has traveled extensively for outdoor training,
particularly studying with Rick (Hue)
Hueston and Tim MacWelch, Instructor and Founder of the original Earth
Connection school. Hardee also brings more than a decade of teaching
experience to his work with EC-NC. As a Fourth-Degree Black-Belt in To Shin Do�
Ninjutsu and is a Senior Instructor and Co-owner of the Chapel Hill Quest Center
https://www.ncquestcenter.com. Hardee has led classes, seminars, and training
of all kinds for adults and youth. Hardee also currently holds a Blue-Belt in
Brazilian style jujitsu, and has six years of Mixed Martial Arts training that
includes putting it to the test in the ring fighting. Hardee's determination to
learn and patient willingness to teach, combined with his passion for the
outdoors never fail to inspire his students to appreciate what he has to teach.
You can email him at hmerritt@ncquestcenter.com |
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Todd Magers
Todd Magers EC-NC Instructor and founder, has pursued
all things athletic and martial from his youth: he has studied tae kwon
do, karate, wrestling, and fencing, is a Black Belt in To Shin Do�
Ninjutsu, and has served on active duty in the U.S. Navy and as a medic
in the Army National Guard. Todd lives in the Durham area with his wife
Rosanne, his daughter Phoebe and his son Greyson. Todd's extensive
outdoor survival training comes through his military experience as well
as through Earth Connection training and his own avid outdoor pursuits.
Todd's experience as a full-time Instructor at the Chapel HillQuestCenter
https://www.ncquestcenter.com has prepared him to make his wilderness
training classes fun and interesting for people of all ages and
experience levels.
You can email him at tmagers@ncquestcenter.com |
2008 Class Schedule in
North Carolina (2009 schedule is coming in Dec.)
August 23rd � Emergency Fire Skills
Half Day
A well constructed fire can dry your
clothes; increase your core temperature, cook your food, purify your water, and
light your way. This course will cover skills including fire safety, proper
fire materials, fire lay construction, and many methods of starting and
maintaining fires with modern materials and techniques.
2:30 pm �
5:30pm ($40)
September 20th � Modern Wilderness Survival Strategies
Full Day
Do you
know what constitutes a survival situation and how to properly navigate it? In
this course we go over the modern skills necessary in any
survival situation. Topics of instruction include: priorities of survival,
survival kit construction, knot tying, fire strategies, modern water
purification, survival fishing in the pond on site, signaling for help and building tarp
shelters.
10am �
5pm ($80)
October 11th � Friction Fire Full Day
This course will focus on the Bow Drill
and the Hand Drill methods of Friction Fire. Proper construction and
implementation of fire making equipment will be emphasized along with fire
safety, tinder and firewood selection, and the construction of a primitive
fireplace.
10am-
5pm ($80)
November 15th � Primitive
Wilderness Survival Strategies Full Day
This course covers crucial skills to ensure your safety
and well-being in any survival situation using Primitive Skills as your ultimate
back up plan. Topics include: Priorities of
Survival, leaf hut shelter construction, friction fire with the Bow Drill, primitive cooking, using fire to make wooden dishes,
make string from bark and stone age tool use.
10am -5pm
($80)
Required Equipment for all Earth Connection NC
courses:
-Sturdy knife (fixed blade preferred)
-Rain gear
-Personal water and food supply
(a snack
is recommended for half day courses; a lunch and snack are recommended for full
day courses)
-Notebook and writing utensil
-Insect repellent
-Camp chair
Property Description
Conveniently located between the Piedmont and Triangle
areas of the state, the sixteen acre Earth Connection North Carolina ecosystem hosts an impressive
variety of plants and wildlife. Turtles sun themselves near cattails
at the edge of a calm pond, which is also home to fish, beavers, and other
wildlife. Smooth native stones line a winding creek threading through the
hardwood forest. A system of paths connects a generous graveled
parking area with the outdoor classroom, camping area and other training sites.
Useful plant life such as Wild grape, Russian olives, and Paw-paw trees growing
on the land provide materials for classes in primitive and survival skills.
The variety of terrain within this self-contained environment supports small and
large-group classes for adults and youth in many areas of plant identification,
fire making, camping, basic survival priorities, shelter-construction,
team-building, and other survival and outdoor-recreation activities.
Driving directions are sent out upon receipt of
applications and tuition.
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Visits to this page
since October 28, 2008
Thank you for your visit!
Please call (919) 489-8893 for more Info!
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Earth Connection School of Wilderness Survival and Ancient Skills
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Web site designed by the MacWelch's This site was last updated
12/12/08
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