I grew up exploring and playing outdoors. From the time I could walk, my parents had me going on hikes, taking adventures with them, and exploring the world around me. I went backpacking in West Virginia’s Otter Creek Wilderness with my dad when I was eight years old, and it was my first real taste of the wondrous frontier of the great outdoors. Since then, I have spent my life learning and studying different skills, pursuits, and activities rooted in the outdoors; but when I was in college, I took my first real Survival course and I became fascinated with the world of primitive skills and primitive living. Nearly ten years ago, I was working for the Kirkmont Center (the location of our annual gatherings) as a maintenance associate. Through Kirkmont, I was introduced to outdoor education and outdoor programming. I was asked to assist with creating and running a survival class for middle school aged children based on the book Hatchet written by Gary Paulsen. In the years that followed I honed my approach to teaching those with little to no experience about the skills and places that I hold so dear. I saw a disconnect between people and the woods, a lack of understanding how it all fits together, and I saw a place where I could bridge a gap by shining a light into an otherwise dark and confusing place for some folks.  For several years, I worked on overhauling part of the outdoor education programming for Kirkmont, and ran their survival class every Spring for local school groups. In 2018, I pitched the idea of hosting a bushcraft gathering at Kirkmont to help market the facility better to the outdoors community and as a way to bring outdoorsmen and women to the property. They told me that they wanted me to go ahead and put one together. At the time, I had never been to a bushcraft gathering, or large-scale outdoors event in person and had no real idea of where to start. I reached out to some good friends who I knew to be more experienced in the bushcraft community, and with hosting/attending the kind of event that I wanted to host and they helped me put together my first gathering. The event ended up being eight people and we did have a couple small classes and a plant walk, but cold temperatures and rain ended up pushing us inside one of the lodges where we talked, enjoyed one another’s company, and ordered pizza. Not what many would call “bushcraft.” But I continued to work on and refine the concept, learning more along the way and with the help of several like minded individuals, I was able to eventually create something unique, and appealing to a broad audience. Each year, the Central Ohio Outdoors Fall Gathering, formerly known as the Central Ohio Bushcraft Gathering, has seen growth and expansion, and has begun to draw people from all over the eastern half of the country. 2022 was the fifth event that we put together, and the event hosted over one hundred attendees and boasted several presentations, workshops, and over a dozen different vendors.  Now we have a vision to unite behind to take us even further. Beginning in 2023, we introduced new forms of programming, new events, and we began exploring ways to become involved with the local communities of Central Ohio. We will continue to pioneer new and interesting ways for people to come and get a taste of the outdoors and we will continue to strive to bring glory to the Creator by exploring the creation. We hope you’ll join us on our adventures!