How did you find it compared to other tracking courses you have done? Not sure if John will run anymore human tracking courses but the animal ones are also very good.
I wanted to attend but have already done several trailing evaluations with John end of last year and beginning of this year. Also have lots of family ‘stuff’ to attend to next few months this.
Reasonable question - and I will answer it - But I think its also important to acknowledge a timeline for myself as to when I first got introduced to tracking as that I feel is relevant - when you first are introduced to a new subject matter you tend to have your eyes widened the most I feel.
So I first did a Animal/Man tracking course with Ian Maxwell of Shadowhawks probably 25 years ago - this was my first introduction tracking , Ians background was as a Zimbabwe born tracker employed in both military and animal tracking for game reserves and animal conservation/TV productions from what I remember.
Shortly after that ( 12-18 Months ) I trained with Geoffrey McMullan of Pathfinder - this was dedicated Mantracking in a Scientific System and spiritual based system. His background was with the British Military Long range recon patrol based in Germany.
Probably ten years passed and then I attended a Tracking camp in South Africa on a private game reserve under the tutelage of the reserve owner and their lead tracker whom had gained his tracking working as a Recce SASFB - So much of the tracking being taught was related to the Bush animals , Prey and Preds and also Man tracking/Anti Man tracking.
So back to your question - the teaching on the course was shared between John and a guest Instructor called Stanley - Stans tracking background I discovered over various fireside chats was established from Netherlands military and elsewhere and teaching Bush rangers in anti poaching tracking techniques.
The teaching was shared between John and Stan - Stans instructional approach and teaching were very similar although I feel its fair to say Stans direct experience of Man based tracking was more diverse and tangible from his historical experience.
The difference and similarities between Animal and Man tracking are at the same time reflective in some ways and also different - slightly differing approaches to use the same tool sets to obtain differing results.
Thinking and behaviour will be different I think.
Obviously the animal world is more diverse and I would say smaller in potential details and track although also somewhat more predictable?
My experience - attending the course has definitely reinvigorated an interest in , provided me some confidence to show that I'm not quite as rusty ( skill wise ) as I thought I was and provided me with a good reacquaint course of things I had forgotten as well as things I was unaware of and how to employ them.
Working as part of a tracking team over a trail is also I think a useful experience - how to trust oneself , trust each other , know when to trust what you "think" and when to not trust or push a narrative to fit a trail or lack of trail.
Over the course of the evenings I did discuss at length the topic of cyber tracker , Track and Sign and the Trailing course - I can definitely see why future courses would be interesting to me even if purely animal based - I can also see how the assessed scoring and evaluation of ones ability to interpret and follow a trail to an intended quarry ( Man or Beast ) will be a very useful method to " gauge " ones ability and strive to improve ones ability to track - in essence it will keep one 'keen and honed' to strive for improvement.
HTH
www.woodcraftschool.co.uk
