Dan Wowak, Mahanoy City, loves being outdoors. He was one of ten people chosen from a nationwide search to appear on Alone, a History Channel reality docuseries, season three. He and the other participants were dropped off in the wilderness of Patagonia, where he’d had no trouble supplying himself with basic necessities, such as fire, shelter and water.

Now he’d like to help other outdoor enthusiasts develop their skills and a lifelong passion for the wilderness. He’s launched Coal Cracker Bushcraft (coalcrackerbushcraft.com), a survival school near Ringtown. A graduate of Mahanoy Area High School and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (criminology), Wowak has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Alvernia. He’s combining his “bricks and mortar” education with his “wilderness” education to develop special programs.

“We have made added new shelters to the school property to better enhance the experience of the students attending classes,” Wowak said. “Our core curriculum classes have of course stayed the same, with Basic Bushcraft becoming our most popular class.”

“We have added one-day specialty clinics, such as Fire Making, Wild Edibles, Camp Cooking (because we know everyone loves to eat good) and Navigation to name a few,” he said. “We also added 3 new instructors to the lineup which allows students more one on one attention during larger classes.”

But what if you have very little experience in outdoor survival skills?

“For beginners or even individuals who have some knowledge around survival and bushcraft we always recommend they start with our basic classes - everyone who comes to classes who thought they knew more normally leave telling us they are happy they began with a basic class,” Wowak said. “If someone is totally new to outdoor living, Basic Bushcraft is the way to go, because it’s not physically intensive – it’s about enjoying what is around you.”

Wowak said that Basic Bushcraft “graduates” leave with a good understanding of how to use materials found in the outdoors. He described the Basic Survival course as more “down and dirty” and teaching individuals how to stay alive.

“Younger children would probably learn more starting with basic bushcraft and then taking our survival class,” Wowak said. “We also offer custom classes, which is a perfect option for families and groups.”

Coalcracker Bushcraft has held a variety of custom classes, for groups such as scout troops, kids’ birthday parties and even family reunions.

“We truly customize the classes to what people want,” he said. “I always tell people our vision is to Create passion for the outdoors - I don’t want to make people hate being outside, I want them to leave and be thinking about when they can schedule their next outdoor trip!”

Wowak said he finds it “humbling” to be recognized as an expert in his field.

“I do have a lot of knowledge about wilderness skills and living, but my passion to carry on these skills comes from the generations of people who had no choice but to live this life,” he said. “I always stop when I’m in the woods and think what life would have been like for a young man on the frontier that had no place to go but further into the wilderness.”

“There is something about sleeping in the dirt, working for every meal, and only getting warm next to the fire, that enhances your life,” he added. “At the end of the day though, I want people to be excited to get outside and enjoy nature.”