Lynx Vilden is a renowned author, wilderness guide, and ancestral skills teacher known for her immersive “Stone Age Projects,” where participants live off the land using only primitive tools and techniques. With over three decades of experience in earth-based living, Lynx has dedicated her life to reconnecting people with the rhythms of the natural world through traditional lifeways. Her teachings blend deep ecological awareness with hands-on instruction in skills such as hide tanning, fire-making, and shelter-building, inspiring a global movement toward rewilding and self-sufficiency. Her work has been featured in documentaries, books, and international media, and she continues to guide others on the path of ancestral remembrance and ecological belonging. In her stunning memoir Lynx Vilden chronicles her journey to reconnect with the earth, offering a model for how we all can nurture the wild around and inside ourselves.

Show notes:

00:03:33 - Connection to Nature and Ancestral Skills

00:07:06 - Finding My Path in Community

00:10:12 - Importance of Community in Wilderness Skills

00:13:54 - Exploring Stones by the River

00:15:32 - Exploring Natural Elements for Survival

00:17:19 - Exploring Earth, Water, and Fire

00:20:12 - Indigenous Survival Skills and Practices

00:24:33 - Learning Wilderness Skills with Lynx

00:27:07 - Exploring Nature's Grandeur

00:29:17 - Journeying Through the Wilderness

00:33:48 - Understanding Our Safety Plan

00:36:52 - Journey of Writing and Discovery

00:39:34 - Exploring Non-Conventional Publishing Paths

00:45:46 - Connecting with Nature and Moon Phases

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Dana Anderson, better known as Wild Mountain Man Dan, is a celebrated bushcraft instructor based in Matlock, Washington. Now 68, he has spent over six decades honing wilderness skills and teaching them to others. Dana has lived completely off the grid in a hand‑built cabin by a creek for more than three decades, cultivating a rich life subsisting on foraging, hunting, fishing, and primitive craftsmanship.

A master of stone‑tool crafting, arrowhead chipping, primitive cooking, and stone‑age technologies, Dana has taught countless students in wilderness gatherings across the western U.S. He’s best known for leading shelter‑building and raft‑building challenges at the PNW Survival Games, emphasizing resourcefulness, survival principles, and hands‑on learning. With over 33 years off‑grid experience and ongoing instructor roles in events like PNW Survival Games, Dana shares not just skills but also deep respect for wild landscapes.

Ean Anderson, Dana’s son, has followed in his father’s footsteps in a rugged way. As a veteran bear hunter and certified survival skills instructor, Ean blends traditional wilderness mastery with modern safety and technique. He specializes in teaching advanced tracking, big-game fieldcraft, and hands‑on wilderness preparedness.

With a strong focus on black and brown bear hunting, Ean has earned a reputation for combining ethical hunting practices with deep survival know‑how. Drawing on his father's traditions and his own professional experience, Ean teaches both individual learners and groups how to thrive safely in bear‑inhabited wilderness—from crafting emergency shelters and gear improvisation to honing decision-making under pressure.

Show notes:

00:04:26 - Childhood Adventures and Life Lessons

00:08:03 - Growing Up in a Remote Town

00:10:08 - Lessons from Childhood Hardship

00:12:11 - Growing Up in Nature

00:14:45 - Childhood Adventures in the Woods

00:17:33 - Ancient Skills and Modern Gatherings

00:19:59 - Traditional Survival Skills Overview

00:24:05 - Traditional Hunting and Food Connection

00:26:06 - Honoring Animals Through Sustainable Hunting

00:28:09 - Respecting Nature Through Hunting

00:30:56 - The Significance of Names

00:33:41 - Finding Identity Through Names

00:36:01 - Passion for Bear Hunting

00:37:08 - Passion for Bear Hunting

00:39:00 - Connection Between Hunting and Conservation

00:41:48 - Understanding Nature's Clues

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Together, Tim, Heather, and Lindsey strengthen Salmon State’s mission: defending rivers and salmon through policy advocacy, community engagement, and protection of critical watersheds across Alaska and its transboundary rivers.

As Executive Director based in Juneau, Alaska, Tim Bristol is a leading voice in salmon conservation policy. He has testified before the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee, highlighting the urgent need to curb bycatch from large trawl fleets off Alaska and demanding stronger tribal co-management for rivers like the Arctic, Yukon, and Kuskokwim—calling salmon population crashes “a human rights crisis and an ecological disaster”. Under his leadership, SalmonState champions habitat protection and bycatch reduction, bringing Indigenous stewardship into fisheries management at both local and federal levels.

In her role as Salmon Beyond Borders Campaign Advisor, Heather Hardcastle leads cross-jurisdictional efforts to protect salmon ecosystems that transcend political boundaries. Based in Juneau, she coordinates with stakeholders across Alaska and Canada to ensure the health of transboundary rivers—such as the Taku—by advocating science-based policy and Indigenous-led watershed governance. Her work helps strengthen salmon runs that cross national borders, safeguarding migratory pathways essential to species survival.

A second-generation gillnet captain from Bristol Bay, Lindsey Bloom brings first-hand fishing experience and a background in sustainable development (M.A.) to her campaign strategy role. After more than a decade fishing, she now organizes Alaskans—particularly young fishermen—and collaborates with tribal, nonprofit, and business communities to protect salmon habitat and influence fisheries policy around rivers and coastal waters. She helped lead the grassroots movement opposing the Pebble mine in Bristol Bay, even addressing its importance during President Obama’s 2015 visit.

https://salmonstate.org/

Show notes:

00:05:16 - Connecting with Alaska's Natural Heritage

00:08:17 - Protecting Transboundary Rivers Together

00:11:36 - Impact of Mining on Wild Salmon

00:17:30 - Advocating for Wildlife and Wild Places

00:20:29 - Understanding Salmon Species

00:21:50 - Salmon's Unique Life Cycles

00:25:23 - Connection Between Fishing and Family

00:28:20 - Protecting Alaska's Salmon Habitat

00:31:24 - Protecting Alaska's Salmon Ecosystem

00:34:19 - Tim Bristol's Conservation Journey

00:36:45 - Protecting Southeast Alaska's Forests

00:39:09 - Salmon State: Protecting Alaska's Ecosystem

00:42:06 - Transboundary Rivers and Mining Issues

00:44:39 - Lessons from Salmon Resilience

Please help us keep the podcast version of the show advertisement free while also supporting our educational outreach efforts by donating $3/month on Patreon. To donate, visit Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

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