About

Bryan Taylor

CO-FOUNDER & CEO

When I was old enough I joined the boy scouts where I learned many outdoor skills and went on camping trips at every opportunity. My first venture into really big woods came when I was eleven years old and was the youngest member of a group adventure to the Canadian wilderness on a 110 mile canoe and portage trip. Here I encountered my first serious survival situation when we lost many of our supplies in a storm and ended up eating insect infested food, clothes frozen stiff while wearing them, and encounters with wildlife only found in deep woods. I was hooked. The more challenging the environment, the more I liked it.

Through the years to come, friends and I organized a group where we would practice survival skills on weekends and through the summer. Following the violent death of my best friend, my survival instincts kicked even further into high gear and I cultivated a venture of deep searching that led me into the world of survival philosophy and psychology. I entered the US Air Force at age nineteen where I gained military survival training and a lot of psychological survival training.

Scott Christensen

CO-FOUNDER & COO

I am a wilderness/urban survival, disaster preparedness, awareness instructor. My training and background come from a number of sources ranging from military training to learning from old timers in the backwoods of Appalachia. As long as I can remember I have been deeply connected to nature, the outdoors and primitive living. I learned the value of stillness in nature observation. At night I would star gaze which gave me a strong foundation in celestial navigation.

I was always playing in a little wooded area behind our house in the midst of downtown Lexington. It was here that I got some of my earliest training in outdoor and urban survival. Our neighborhood was surrounded by some of the worst parts of town so I learned early on the evasion tactics needed to make it on the street. I dug a scout pit to have a place to hide out should I need to escape some of the local bullies who claimed the streets. Friends and I built elaborate tree forts, and ground shelters where we spent many of our days.

Vickie Hayden

CONTENT MANAGER, PHOTOGRAPHER & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

When I was just a kid I remember thinking, “Everyday in the outdoors is a good day.” This has been a motto for me my entire life. I spent many hours in my young years in the stillness of the world of nature. I recall standing for hours as still as I could waiting for butterflies to land on me.

To this day, I have a special sit spot where I observe the daily life of the world around me. One day a few years back a mocking bird landed on my foot and we developed a cautious relationship with one another. I watched her every day learning so much that I could even tell what the weather was going to be in the coming hours. This went on for nearly a year until we were struck with a devastating ice storm. I never saw her again, but learned so much of nature from this simple observation.

For as long as I can remember, I would study the night sky in wonderment at that vast uncharted wilderness of the universe. My passion for astronomy continues to this day, and is a familiar companion wherever I am. I always know that as long as I can see the stars I can navigate my way.

Rich Burnett

CONTENT MANAGER, WRITER & PHOTOGRAPHER

I entered the US Air Force at age nineteen where I gained military survival training and a lot of psychological survival training. It was here that I was in a special group of trainees trained in the psychological effects of nuclear war. For several days we were isolated and during that time were in a full scale nuclear catastrophe.

My return to civilian life left me needing more exposure to the outdoors, survival training, and activities with the intensity I was used to. I got involved in Shao Lin Do martial arts, and this was the perfect companion to all other survival training. Through this training, I learned to regulate my body, an essential in deep survival. I learned about herbs for medicine, and honed my awareness skills to be adaptable in a wilderness or urban setting.

Several years ago, I involved myself with The Tracker School founded by noted survival instructor, Tom Brown. I attended several classes and learned the core elements of survival. I continue to practice these skills to this day. In 2010, I was hired as a wilderness safety officer, and advisor for the filming of a movie.