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The wilderness philosophy
skills taught at Backtrackers originate from an Apache known as Stalking
Wolf who was born in the American Southwest around 1875. Stalking Wolf's
parents were killed during the violence that swept that region during the
latter part of the century. From that time, he was raised by his great-grandfather
Coyote Thunder, among a small group who evaded capture and thus never lived
on a reservation. This small clan lived a traditional life in the wild places,
remaining close to nature and the things of the spirit.
From an early age, Stalking Wolf grew into the ways
and knowledge of things of the spirit, and was given guidance by the elders
and people of his clan. Early in his life, he received a vision leading
him into the ways of the Apache Scout and Shaman. Part of this same vision
directed him to spend 60 winters wandering and learning, simplifying, and
passing on the old ways of nature and spirit. This is what he did as he
wandered North and South America for the next 60 years. At the end of that
time, he travelled to the coast of New Jersey where he began to teach these
skills to his grandson, Rick, and to Rick's friend, Tom Brown.
For the next 10 years, Tom and Rick were taught
by Stalking Wolf, whom they called Grandfather. A vast range of physical
survival skills and awareness skills were covered in great depth. In all
of the skills and lessons that were taught during those years, Grandfather
always stressed the things of the spirit as being of primary importance.
At the end of the high school years, Rick and his
family moved overseas. Grandfather, then about 93, went back to the Southwest.
And, soon thereafter, Tom set out to wander both North and South America
for ten years, testing out the many things he had learned from Grandfather.
At the end of this period, his first book, The Tracker, was published in
1978. It was also at this time that he began teaching. He still teaches
today at his Tracker School
in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.
The skills and wilderness philosophy taught
at Backtrackers are presented with the sincere intent to preserve the powerful
simplicity of the philosophy of Stalking Wolf.
________________* Photo credit - 1978 Readers Digest