Survivorman

Sun., July 12, 2-4 p.m., $3, Warwick County Park, 191 County Park Road, Pottstown, 610-469-1916 (pre-registration required).

by Lauren Fleming

[ workshop ]

Throw one of us city dwellers into the middle of the woods for a few hours, and we're likely to assume the fetal position, cry and wait for Bear Grylls to save us.

Nick Zurga's got a very different, more rational idea of how to approach such a situation. A schoolteacher by trade and naturalist by hobby, he's been gallivanting through the forest since he was a young boy. "I grew up in rural, west Pennsylvania with not much to do but go in the woods and hike and camp," says Zurga. "And I guess what really fueled my passion for this stuff was when I was given a book called The Tracker." Written by Tom Brown (who, might we add, could be left in the woods naked and would emerge with a bear pelt and a cheesy grin), the book is steeped in American Indian philosophy and covers tons of survival skills.

In his two-hour course, Zurga will teach students some of these basic skills, like how to tap into your wide-angle vision, build a debris hut and, most importantly, remain positive. "Staying positive is the most essential survival skill," stresses Zurga. "You alone are in control of your destiny and you have the power to make a bad situation a good one."

Sun., July 12, 2-4 p.m., $3, Warwick County Park, 191 County Park Road, Pottstown, 610-469-1916 (pre-registration required).