At the end of many classes taught at the Tracker School, Tom and/or the instructors would gather on stage for a lengthy Q&A session with the students. It was invaluable time spent making sure nothing was missed and to inspire us all on our journey. Oftentimes, written on the white board were a few stock answers like:
1 - dirt time
2 - next class
3 - inner vision
It was sort of funny when someone who was unknowingly way too stuck in their own head (certainly wasn't ever any of us, right?) would go on at length about half-formed questions and random thoughts, after which Tom would smile and just point to answer #1 on the board. Dirt time. If you want to get to the questions that matter, you have to get in that dirt time, that practice time where your hands and knees are covered with dirt from tracking all day or you're muddy from head to toe because you decided to crawl to the middle of a Pine Barrens swamp to meditate. Might be figurative 'dirt' as well. So much of what Stalking Wolf (Grandfather) passed down to Tom in the ways of the Spirit demanded ongoing practice if you had any hope of expanding your capabilities. And as Tom would sometimes mention, every day with Grandfather involved three lessons - three opportunities to get that dirt time. A lesson in tracking & awareness, a lesson in the way of the spirit, and a lesson in a physical workout.
Tom also spoke of ways to enhance those dirt times, his favorite of which can be summed up as "Play the Game". Make it real. It's no coincidence that the Scout class, a major pinnacle of the teachings of Grandfather and the Lineage, opens with a talk about the choice to play the game. Make it real! Take that dirt time beyond mere practice into a story arena where you or those you love might not make it unless you succeed. Make the repercussions of failure matter so that you might remember and grow more capable. Bring that mindset into your daily life and your routine dirt time sessions. If you don't get that fire, you don't just whip out a lighter, you eat cold food for a day or a week. Ignore that gentle nudge from inner vision and instead of forgetting about it, you spend an hour asking, "why did that happen?" and "what is this teaching me?". Tom considered those questions as "...the passion not only behind all of the forces that drive my thirst for awareness and observation and all of the passion and fires behind discovering and following the mystery of tracks, but it is also the foundation of every story that I discover and live."
So, with all that in mind, the idea for a class came about where we heard from folks who have really 'played the game' in developing their skills. Basically, folks who've had the opportunity, whether planned or unplanned, to test their skills in real life situations or something close to that. This includes Tracker folks who have been on shows like 'Alone' or 'Naked & Afraid', folks who have challenged themselves with survival outings, or simply found themselves in situations where there was a crucial need to use the skills for more than just practice. And then beyond just hearing those stories, we want to ask those sacred questions of 'What Happened Here?' and 'What Is This Teaching Me?'. What did those folks learn, how did it impact their lives, and what can we learn from their experiences?
The nightly Q&A should be epic, and hopefully we all become inspired to up our own game!
The roster of presenters isn't final, but so far, we'll be hearing from:
Lee Trew (Naked & Afraid 2016 s6e4, former Tracker School caretaker)
River Brown (Tracker School instructor and one of TBj’'s sons)
Tom McElroy (Naked & Afraid 2014 s3e5 / former Tracker School caretaker & instructor)
Shannon Thomas (Naked & Afraid 2014 s2e4 & e7 / former Tracker School caretaker)
Ruth Ann Colby Martin (former Tracker School caretaker & instructor, multiple survival outings)
Carleigh Fairchild (Alone 2016 s3 / Tracker School visiting instructor)
Matt Corradino (Alone 2021 s8 / former Tracker School caretaker & current instructor)
Jon Young (one of the few mentored by Tom as Stalking Wolf did, multiple survival outings)
Katie Rydge (Alone 2025 s12 / former Tracker School caretaker)
Travis W. (Tracker School visiting instructor, multiple survival outings)
Dave Ott (former Tracker School caretaker, several tracking cases with TBj)
