About
The school's location is near historic Madison, Georgia, an hour east of Atlanta and a half-hour south of Athens, GA (UGA).
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Your Instructor, Byron Kerns, is a former USAF Survival Instructor with three decades of public wilderness teaching experience. He has provided instruction to more than 800 groups, including, law enforcement officers, parks and recreation personnel, Boy Scouts, forest rangers, a very special SEAL team, and a variety of folks from all walks of life ... to name a few. Pictured with Byron is his outdoorsy wife Kelley, a cybersecurity doctoral candidate at Purdue.
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Laurence Gonzales, author of the book Deep Survival, says this about Byron: "As I caught my first glimpse of our instructor, he swaggered toward us wearing an 18-inch machete. He had worked at the famous USAF Survival School in the state of Washington. 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, Mr. Kerns entered the woods with a deep sense of respect and humility, like a man approaching an unpredictable creature."
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What our graduates say:
"Byron was an excellent host and instructor. He has a wealth of experience that he is willing to share. Not only is Byron well-qualified, but his stories were also entertaining, and he has a million of them. My spouse and I learned so much about surviving in the woods. We studied and practiced things like wilderness first aid, building an emergency shelter, starting a fire, disinfecting water, and maintaining a positive mental attitude when the outdoors might be trying to kill you. We feel more confident to go camping and hiking on our own now, and we are better prepared to help others in an emergency situation."
- Andrew B. & Marissa, Long-haul drivers
"While your accumulated skills are beyond impressive, your character and attitude impressed me most."
- Nick T., Pres., Truist Bank
"Within 2-minutes of meeting Byron, I knew all was going to be okay."
- Neil G., Heart surgeon.
"Another lesson that you taught us was having the ability to help one another is the best way to help yourself. It amazed me how contagious that attitude was."
- Terry G., RN
"Thank you, Byron, for such an incredible insight into the wilderness. I was intimidated and quite nervous and you never made me feel less than important and equal to those that knew more than I regarding the outdoors. You are a force to be reckoned with! I learned so much and now I have much more confidence on survival skills. Thanks for an incredible learning adventure."
- Terrie P., Retired
"The course was awesome! From learning how to build emergency-action shelters - with just a few simple items - to enjoying some jerky that we made, and everything else in-between. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. My camping experience was very limited coming in to it, but Byron was very patient with me, and extremely capable and knowledgeable about wilderness survival. Can't wait to put the knowledge gained and the techniques learned to the test on my next camping trip."
- Matt S., Real estate agent
"I would like to thank you for an amazing weekend full of fun and learning. From start to finish, I felt that I was learning in an intellectual and spiritual way. You are a wonderful instructor and human being - full of compassion, patience, and respect for others and Mother Nature. Not only did I learn from the tasks, but from your quiet and well-centered demeanor. You give off such a peaceful vibe that it soothes any fears one may have about embarking on the experience. I loved every minute! "
- Natasha S., Accountant
"Your methods and message were always delivered in a manner which was serious, yet witty. You created a comfortable atmosphere from which to learn for all attendees, regardless of occupation, background, experience or preconceived expectations."
- Joe G., Software designer
"While the skills you've accumulated over the years are beyond impressive, your character and attitude are what impressed me most."
- Nick R., SunTrust Bank President
"Your demeanor is unbelievable."
- Andy H., Physician
"Positive Mental Attitude has uplifted me in ways that I cannot describe."
- Lou L., High School principal
"Meeting you, Byron, and being a member of the group for three days has changed me in ways I never thought would be possible. I left class a different person." - Glyn J., Engineering inspector
"Byron was an excellent host and instructor. He has a wealth of experience that he is willing to share. Not only is Byron well-qualified, but his stories were also entertaining, and he has a million of them. My spouse and I learned so much about surviving in the woods. We studied and practiced things like wilderness first aid, building an emergency shelter, starting a fire, disinfecting water, and maintaining a positive mental attitude when the outdoors might be trying to kill you. We feel more confident to go camping and hiking on our own now, and we are better prepared to help others in an emergency situation."
- Andrew B. & Marissa, Long-haul drivers
"While your accumulated skills are beyond impressive, your character and attitude impressed me most."
- Nick T., Pres., Truist Bank
"Within 2-minutes of meeting Byron, I knew all was going to be okay."
- Neil G., Heart surgeon.
"Another lesson that you taught us was having the ability to help one another is the best way to help yourself. It amazed me how contagious that attitude was."
- Terry G., RN
"Thank you, Byron, for such an incredible insight into the wilderness. I was intimidated and quite nervous and you never made me feel less than important and equal to those that knew more than I regarding the outdoors. You are a force to be reckoned with! I learned so much and now I have much more confidence on survival skills. Thanks for an incredible learning adventure."
- Terrie P., Retired
"The course was awesome! From learning how to build emergency-action shelters - with just a few simple items - to enjoying some jerky that we made, and everything else in-between. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. My camping experience was very limited coming in to it, but Byron was very patient with me, and extremely capable and knowledgeable about wilderness survival. Can't wait to put the knowledge gained and the techniques learned to the test on my next camping trip."
- Matt S., Real estate agent
"I would like to thank you for an amazing weekend full of fun and learning. From start to finish, I felt that I was learning in an intellectual and spiritual way. You are a wonderful instructor and human being - full of compassion, patience, and respect for others and Mother Nature. Not only did I learn from the tasks, but from your quiet and well-centered demeanor. You give off such a peaceful vibe that it soothes any fears one may have about embarking on the experience. I loved every minute! "
- Natasha S., Accountant
"Your methods and message were always delivered in a manner which was serious, yet witty. You created a comfortable atmosphere from which to learn for all attendees, regardless of occupation, background, experience or preconceived expectations."
- Joe G., Software designer
"While the skills you've accumulated over the years are beyond impressive, your character and attitude are what impressed me most."
- Nick R., SunTrust Bank President
"Your demeanor is unbelievable."
- Andy H., Physician
"Positive Mental Attitude has uplifted me in ways that I cannot describe."
- Lou L., High School principal
"Meeting you, Byron, and being a member of the group for three days has changed me in ways I never thought would be possible. I left class a different person." - Glyn J., Engineering inspector