Explore the Residential Immersion Program at Maine Primitive Skills School
Michael Douglas, the founder and director of Maine Primitive Skills School, brings unparalleled expertise to this transformative program. Michael founded the school in 1989, making it the oldest survival, tracking, and primitive skills school in New England. As a student of Tom Brown Jr., a global expert in tracking and wilderness skills, Michael’s knowledge is steeped in generations of learning and mentoring. His extensive background includes training in American Judo, Kempo Karate, Wing Chun Kung-Fu, Philippine knife and stick fighting, Ju-Jitsu, American boxing, Muay Thai, and SCARS. A former Marine and martial arts expert, Michael trains the military, advises on nature documentaries, and prepares contestants for survival TV shows. He has lived in a survival shelter for over two years, hidden in the woods. Continuously seeking new skills and relationships with Indigenous cultures worldwide, Michael teaches and lectures globally, setting the standard in the field. Many of his students have gone on to start their own schools, and he has mentored over 36 Eagle Scouts. Michael is also a much-loved and respected medicine man within his community.
Experience a Different Paradigm for Nature-Connected Growth
Our immersion program is tailored towards sharing the skill sets and tools of talented outdoor educators, community builders, and contemporary hunter-gatherers with seasonal apprentices. This program goes beyond theory and lectures, providing apprentices with a wealth of first-hand experience and guidance from our dedicated staff as they explore a wide variety of skills.
The purpose of the Maine Primitive Skills School Wilderness Immersion, both Residential and Non-residential, is to provide the skills necessary to become an outdoor educator and community builder. This program specifically trains Outdoor Educators who can provide high-quality, instructor-led training in primitive/ancestral skills, bushcraft, wilderness survival, self-reliance, recreation guiding, and other outdoor education pursuits.
Additionally, successful graduates will be skilled in community living skills. These skills empower graduates to become community and outdoor leaders who have first become self-reliant individuals and have then been able to not only share their skills and knowledge through mentoring and facilitation but also draw out additional skills and knowledge present in community members. This creates a vibrant and resilient community that collectively supports and enhances the quality of life. Upon graduation, participants can return to their local community with skills and know-how to share them. In other words, bring the campfire back home.
You’ll live with fellow apprentices in our off-grid ‘Apprentice Camp,’ building a lively, self-sufficient community. Engage in activities such as tracking, raking wild blueberries on Maine’s incredible coast, building natural shelters, expanding nature literacy with awareness challenges and games, and much more.
Each session of our Residential Apprenticeship is 8 weeks long, with two sessions annually. Come for one or as many as you like! This full-time program is packed with classes, hands-on projects, and learning through living off the grid. Roughly 40 hours a week (in a 5-day period) are dedicated to instructional time, with Thursdays and Fridays off for rest and exploration.
What To Expect:
- Inventory Trip and Settling In: The program begins with an Inventory Trip to assess experience levels and group communication skills. Following this, participants will set up personal shelters and living systems in the off-grid Apprentice Camp.
- Daily Schedule and Routines: From Saturday to Wednesday, apprentices dive deeply into topics such as foraging, earth-living, awareness, and more. When classes aren’t scheduled, apprentices work on projects, foraging outings, and skills like canoeing or tracking.
Join us and transform your relationship with nature through the unique offerings of the Maine Primitive Skills School. Whether you seek a profound commitment or a shorter immersion, our program equips you with the skills and experiences to thrive in nature-connected roles.
Who Are Our Immersion Programs For?
Outdoor Educators
Professionals
Homesteaders
Gap-Year Students
And many others!
Naturalists
Elders
People from all walks of life participate in our immersion programs, often to experience and embody a more connected life-way that is our birthright as humans.
With our apprenticeships, we strive to create meaningful learning experiences, after which you can return home with the toolkit necessary to nurture the skills of nature connection into your daily life (and share it with your community!)

The Non-Residential Wilderness Immersion offers all of the courses, the “Apprenticeship Only” events, and the community access over a two year period. If you are interested in taking a few or more classes of your choice, and want to splice your apprenticeship in with other life commitments, this program is ideal; It is designed for professionals, parents and folks with full schedules.
The Residential Wilderness Immersion is our 8 week long, full-time immersion program. Apprentices will reside on site and experience an off-grid primitive skills instructor training program, one that covers a wide range of skills with an impressive depth. This experience provides growth in fieldcraft (what many call bushcraft), outdoor education and mentoring, earthskills, and nature literacy regardless of experience level. It is tailored for people that are dedicated to learning earthskills, and who can make a long & continuous time commitment (gap year students, seasonal environmental educators, people between jobs, retirees, etc)
Testimonials
If you want connection to the earth, if you want real survival skills, if you want to find more meaning and a deeper sense of purpose in your life, if you want to search out your path and learn within an energetic community of students and teachers, come to the Maine Primitive Skills School. It will change your life.
There are more things happening here at Maine Primitive Skills School than it seems one person can accomplish in a day… Classes are intense and demanding. It’s a place to feel comfortable. It’s a place to heal. It’s a place of a vast and still breathing collection of forgotten knowledge and skill, if one has the tenacity to find it out for their own self. Its a place where it seems parents have relented to the child’s wild curiosity in an endless playground – and some times we get hurt. But we learn, and learn well. This is the movement of spirit I see Maine Primitive Skills School is fully participating in. Weird and wild people dedicated to always learning better how to abide by a flow of nature greater than our own self.
Being an apprentice at the Maine Primitive Skills School plugs you into a community; I think that’s what really sets it apart from some of the other schools out there. The minute you step in and join the apprenticeship, you’re a part of a community of people who care about you, who care about where you’re going and where your growth is… There are experts around every corner with the community here, and there is always something to be learned at an expert level.
Every second there was a learning and growing experience…Maine Primitive School is not your average “by the book” learning experience, you will walk away a completely different person. I know I did…Not only did I gain so much more knowledge, courage and appreciation for the world around me, but I left with a new family of brothers and sisters that I will hold dear for the rest of my life…I went for the weekend primitive skills class and learned so much more than I could even process in one weekend and at the same time felt like it was a huge tease for what more there is to learn. I will definitely be going back for more classes and hope to see you there.
All the processes that are happening here are just unbelievable. There is such depth in their wisdom and understanding of earth teachings, culture, and community. This place is a stepping stone towards making a dream that you envision into a reality, because there’s that much attention to the details… You learn an incredible amount of skills here, which would amount to years and years of research, except you get to participate first hand.
The eclectic genius of Mike and his staff rivals a smoothie made up of parts Grizzly Adams, Carl Sagan, Robin Williams, and the entire Nat Geo training/ educational staff… I chose this particular school because of its apparent philosophy of surviving and thriving WITH the land. This mantra spreads throughout the entire experience, but it is not overly done, and stills remains pragmatic – the “wilderness” can be a symbolic partner… Despite the twelve hour car trip, it will remain one of the most impactful experiences in my lifetime.
Non-Residential Immersion Program
Want to learn all these skills, but don’t have the time to invest in a Residential Program?
- Opportunity to take any/all of the school classes available for a two year period.
- Stay at the school for up to three weeks at a time (provided courses are being attended).
- Opportunities to work on skills between classes with residential apprenticeship group.
- Expected to share in the duties of community life while at the school with fellow apprentices.
For full syllabus and more general info:
2025 Residential Immersion Program
Experience a full immersion into ancestral living skills
- Attend most/ all of the school’s classes during your immersion; 40 hours a week spent on a mix of skills instruction, scheduled class time, and experiential learning.
- Operate and develop ‘Apprentice Camp’ off-grid living systems as a cohort.
- Experience apprentice only activities to include survival trips, foraging outings, and gardening/ permaculture systems implementation.
- Opportunities for unstructured time to pursue your personal interest in ancestral skills of your choosing.
For full syllabus and more general info:

Learning With The Rhythm Of The Seasons
With either immersion program, you will feel the strong pulse of a seasonal life-way. Our classes and apprenticeships are designed to embody and use the gifts offered in each season of the calendar year. You need not search long to see the examples woven into our programs: Spring is all about meeting your needs with the landscape, using debris huts, pine bark baskets, and bountiful fresh wild roots and greens; Mid-summer marks the start of gathering and drying fruit to store for winter, and the long summer days set the stage for focused long-term shelter building.
These cycles of emergent growth, motivated focus, wandering, community harvest and storytelling, and more, give a necessary context for learning these skills, as each one has it’s own unique place in the puzzle.

2025 Dates & Pricing
Residential Program- Support and training to live Off Grid | Dates | Cost | Accommodation |
---|---|---|---|
Spring / Summer Residential Immersion Program (Apprenticeship)
Access to all course and specific off grid living training. Apprenticeship students also receive instructor support. Many students through this route have gone on to run their own school. |
16 May – 9 July 2025 | $5,000
GI Bill (veterans) Accepted |
Residential in the Apprentice Village |
Spring / Summer Residential Immersion Program (Apprenticeship)
Access to all course and specific off grid living training. Apprenticeship students also receive instructor support. Many students through this route have gone on to run their own school. |
8 August – 1 October 2025 | $5,000
GI Bill (veterans) Accepted |
Residential in the Apprentice Village |
NON- Residential Membership | |||
Access to all courses over a 2 year period. This option is perfect for people who live locally or people who wish to attend several courses over an extended period of time. This option provided the dedicated nature student a more affordable way to access expert tuition. | 2025-2026 | $7500* |
Short term week by week access to campground. Members with specific roles in the community may access the Apprentice Village, Adirondack shelters or Earth Lodges by invitation. |
All courses for 2 years | $45,000 | Campground access NOT Apprentice Village | |
5 day courses | $750 | Campground access NOT Apprentice Village |
Where They Are Now

Deneen Bernier
Mentor at White Pine Programs
WhitePinePrograms.org/?staff_cpt=deneen-bernier

Taylor Ackerman
Field Instructor at SUWS of the Carolinas
www.suwscarolinas.com

Braden DeLonay
Mentor at Whole Life Learning Center
wholelifelearningcenter.com
Co-Founder at Work Shift Corporate Team Building
workshiftatx.com

Lou Falank
Founder/Director Mountain Bear Programs and Guide Service
MountainBearProgramsandGuideService.com
Check out what our “Where They Are Now” page for information on job placements and where are past students have gone!