John Gibbons
Euell Gibbons legacy lives on in North Country
About John
Besides being a licensed guide, John Gibbons is the grandson of Euell Gibbons.
He started learning survival at the early age of eight by participating in a
three day survival trip with his grandfather. His father was active with the
U.S. Air force and John moved every two years to places such as Washington,
Nevada, Idaho and northern New York. He and his mother stayed with his
grandmother in New York while his father served in Vietnam and Thailand. He
spent a lot of time in the woods where he studied and practiced the teachings of
Larry Dean Olsen, Baden Powell, Seton, Hillcourt, his grandfather and many
others.
Several weeks would be
spent in Pennsylvania at his grandfather's farm. It was here that John would
search for fossils and explore the areas of Bald Eagle state park. At age 16,
John hiked the Northville – Lake Placid trail, hiking one week alone. At a
later date he completed the trail with his best friend, Craig Wilson.
"Those were
great days" learning to travel light and fast using little gear. From age 16
until completing his B.A. in Anthropology, John worked at several
scout camps teaching nature, survival and camping. During the Voyager program he
worked for the Adirondack B.S.A. National High Adventure Base. Here he logged at
least 3000+ combined miles of canoeing, hiking and sailing and guiding trips,
as well as being an Eagle scout.
After spending three years active duty in the US Navy as an electronics
technician (another 3 years + 2 IR reserve), John returned to New York and spent
time perfecting his outdoor, primitive
and wild food skills. At the same time he held a variety of jobs such as
teaching, Import / export, writing and construction. He is the author of, An
Adirondack Guides Cookbook and is currently working on a survival handbook
and outdoor videos.
Presently, John logs about 145 days, about 5 months,
per year in the woods and on the waters, guiding and teaching woods
skills. Lots of dirt time.