A Family Skills Festival in the Forest
A Retrospective
Check out the video below or watch it here!
Imagine a weekend where kids, parents, educators, learners, and mentors gather under towering trees to rediscover the art of living close to the land.
That’s what happened at this year’s Legends of Tracking Skills Festival—a weekend of campfires, craftsmanship, and community. Families, friends, and educators from across the Pacific Northwest joined our Trackers team at Camp Roslyn in Sandy, Oregon for an incredible weekend of hands-on workshops, storytelling, and connection. It was part wilderness skills fair, part family reunion, and entirely unforgettable.
Learning Old Skills in New Ways
From the spark of the forge to the scent of cedar shavings, the forest became our classroom. Adults and youth side-by-side learned to:
- 🔨 Forge tools at the forest blacksmith station
- 🪶 Weave cordage from cedar roots and flintknapp stone blades
- 🐾 Track local wildlife such as elk, deer, bobcat, and bear
- 🔥 Light friction fire with bow drills and natural tinder
- 🐏 Learning to butcher on of the sheep from our farm
- 🌿 Craft herbal salves and remedies
- 🍲 Share a community feast—complete with food we prepared together
Even the legendary black-powder demonstration lit up the crowd (and the sky) with cannons firing blank, powder-only charges! Each skill became a bridge—linking generations, families, and friends through the rhythm of doing, making, and learning.
Community in Action
One of my favorite parts as a mom was watching my 14-year-old son, Robin, work alongside his mentors and friends from our Trackers A-Team Program. In true Trackers style, the our Trackers A-Team teens stepped into leadership through action—sharing their own skills in workshops and learning even more from our amazing guest and community instructors: Nicole Apelian, Brian Schuch, ProudStar Espinoza, Dan Clark, Tim Smith, and Tony Deis. Huge gratitude to each of them for passing on knowledge with such generosity and heart.
The Spirit of Legends
The real magic of the weekend wasn’t just the skills—it was the laughter, the smell of woodsmoke, and the feeling of belonging. Around the fire, people traded stories, songs, and handmade treasures. The forest rang with hammer strikes and bird calls, the quiet hum of a community remembering something ancient and true: we learn best together.
See You at the Next Skills Festival!
Building community is the heart of Trackers, and we’re already planning an even bigger, family-friendly Skills Festival for next October. Expect more hands-on workshops, live demos, and campfire feasts open to everyone. Whether you’re brand-new to outdoor skills or a lifelong Tracker, this is your invitation to join the circle. Check out our upcoming Community Events:
- 🎃 Oct 29: Track-or-Treat + Goblin Market @ NE Portland HQ
- 🐾 Nov. 16: Community Tracking Club @ Camp Roslyn (Sandy, OR)
- 🎁 Dec 20: Trackers Holiday Faire @ SE Portland HQ
Visit our Community Events page for details, photos, and updates. Come learn, laugh, and make something real. We can’t wait to see you in the forest!
See you in the forest,
Molly Deis
Trackers Earth
Founder & Mom