Byron Kerns Survival School

Laurence Gonzales, National Geographic Adventure editor and author of the book "Deep Survival", hits the mark in his description
of Byron: "As I climbed out of the cockpit and onto the wing, I caught my first glimpse of our instructor, Byron Kerns. He swaggered
across the fueling ramp toward us wearing an 18-inch Panamanian machete, a big, macho-looking guy. He had worked at the
famous Air Force Survival School in Washington State. When I saw him, I thought: We're in for it now. Byron turned out to be
soft-spoken, polite, cheerfully earnest, and gentle to a fault. He moved slowly, never hurried, and was always carefully assessing
himself and his environment. He wasn't prone to high emotional states. He carried with him a contagious air of calm. Even after a
lifetime in the wilderness, Kerns entered the woods with a deep sense of respect and humility, like a man approaching a
magnificent, dangerous, and unpredictable creature."

Byron and his wife Francine, an ER nurse,
share their ranch, Tahavadream, with three
horses, two dogs, and numerous other
critters. Francine enjoys accompanying
Byron on courses, providing a cheerful
presence and aura of medical calmness.

Having received some of the best training in the world at the US Air Force Survival Instructor School, Class 71-02, Byron
understands his mission and continues to fulfill his instructional duty. For years he has been sharing his knowledge and
experience "so that others may live." His teaching is inundated with many stories and his students receive hands-on
instruction, delivered in a fun and humorous, yet serious manner. Byron provides clear, concise, knowledgeable
instruction, ensuring that all within his class learn. His previous survival school - Mountain Shepherd, which he
founded in Virginia and owned for ten years, brought Byron national media attention. His expertise and years
of successful teaching experience often have folks labeling him a "survival expert" and "one of the top
wilderness survival instructors in America." Byron sweeps the hyperbole aside. His traditional greeting
of "Welcome fellow students" to his course participants sums up his instructional ego quite succinctly.