Adventure IQ Skills Awards/ Recognition

This page will get updated often…

Responding to the AIQers out there who not only enjoy the seminars and workshops we do- we are building out a whole menu of skill awards. We started then venture before in 2010 and then again last year, abandoned it when we thought we found an outlet, but have now decided to continue on our own.

Currently the skills awards only include FireCraft and Navigation. For each award there will be the initial award and then tabs/rockers signifying advanced work. These are free workshops and clinics, however the participant may be required to provide resources, equipment, park entry fees, etc. Our instruction comes at no charge.

In addition, these are workshops where you meet face to face with an instructor or coach. There is not an online, challenge, or test out component.

Here is what we currently offer, again this is a growing list:

FireCraft

To meet the skills criteria for the FireCraft Badge participants must:

• Light 5 man-made tinders with ferro rod (ie- Cotton Ball dipped in petroleum jelly with a Light My Fire firesteel)
• Light 2 natural tinders with ferro rod
• Build a twig fire
• Build a twig fire (Self-Rescue Fire) in under 10 minutes and either boil water or have a 3 foot flame
• Build a fire using the star fire lay
• Baton/split wood using a knife
• Sharpen your knife after batoning wood
• Build a split-wood fire using ferro rod
• Build and use a hobo stove
• Char man-made and natural materials and light with a ferro rod
• Cook bannock bread on open fire
• Build and carry a combustion kit for your pack
• Using two logs, build a cooking fire
• Make feather sticks and shavings and use for a fire
• Make a lanyard or dummy cord for your ferro rod

To receive the Advanced Tab:

• Complete FireCraft Badge
• Make your own fire steel
• Make your own fire starters
  • One set from egg crates, wax and saw dust
  • One from cupcake baking cups, wax, and saw dust
• Make two tinder cords
  • One from wax and jute
  • One from cotton twine and pine sap
• Complete (5) Single-stick fires
  • Each fire must be a different wood
  • Each fire must use a different tool to process wood (only one tool may be used)
  • One of the tools must be hatchet, axe, or tomohawk
  • All fires must be ignited from ferro rod
  • All fires must use inner wood (heart shavings) for tinder—no bark
• Light fire using char material
  • Complete (3) fires using natural char
  • Use fire to make (3) natural chars
  • Must be lit using firesteel
• Light fire using flint and steel with char material.
• Light fire from soaked wood
• Hand sew cloth or leather bag for combustion kit.
• Cook minimum three-course meal including a desert on fire
• Make pot-hook and holder/spit/tripod and boil water for 10 minutes
• Cook Bannock without metal implement (pot/pan/griddle, etc)
• Light (3) Split wood fires at same time.
  • Each fire must have different ignition and tinder combination.
  • Same ignition source cannot be used more than twice.
  • Build a fire reflector

An additional award is being created for Master rocker/tab.

Navigation

To Receive the Navigation Tab:

• Demonstrate use of compass for finding direction
  • Demonstrate converting map direction (azimuth) to compass
  • Demonstrate converting compass direction (azimuth) to map
• Complete daytime compass course
• Complete nighttime compass course
• Demonstrate use of topographic map
  • Identify key features and contour lines on a map
  • Plot a route without using roads on a map
  • Use a map to self-locate
• Complete pace course
• Make a pace cord for marking distance up 5000 yards/5000 meters
• Complete daytime land navigation course without use of roads
• Complete nighttime land navigation course without use of roads

An additional award is being created for both Advanced and a rocker/tab for GPS identifier.

Adventure IQ FireCraft Skills Award

We had an outstanding weekend teaching Fire craft in our BushLab. In this workshop we build on other skills taught in other seminars, workshops, and classes. The day is packed with both fire theory and hands on fire making. We were also blessed to have James Stone attend our workshop and demonstrate primitive fire techniques such as flint and steel.

Father/Son team working together to create a twig fire for warmth.

Greg from our team did an excellent session on various hobo stoves and participants made and used their own as well. I was impressed with the stoves that the group came up with and how well they worked.

We will be awarding a FireCraft skills badge. Along with that will be multiple achievement levels, Advanced and Master which will be designated by tabs or rockers (above or below respectfully). Currently a cloth patch with the award is being created by a graphic designer.

Learning to light wood shavings is essential for later advancement of the skill

The criteria for the initial badge is set and the criteria for the Advanced and Masters are being finalized this week. I guarantee the latter two will be a challenge , the master level has skills I have not even done yet.

To meet the skills criteria for the FireCraft badge participants must:

• Light 5 man-made tinders with ferro rod (ie- Cotton Ball dipped in petroleum jelly with a Light My Fire firesteel)
• Light 2 natural tinders with ferro rod
• Build a twig fire
• Build a twig fire (Self-Rescue Fire) in under 10 minutes and either boil water or have a 3 foot flame
• Build a fire using the star fire lay
• Baton/split wood using a knife
• Sharpen your knife after battoning wood
• Build a split-wood fire using ferro rod
• Build and use a hobo stove
• Char man-made and natural materials and light with a ferro rod
• Cook bannock bread on open fire
• Build and carry a combustion kit for your pack
• Using two logs, build a cooking fire
• Make feather sticks and shavings and use for a fire
• Make a lanyard or dummy cord for your ferro rod

We are looking forward to giving out this award to our participants who have earned the badge soon!