About the Instructors

Tony Nester

"We were safe with Nester.  A survival expert who knows the woods and desert intimately."  ~ Jay Stowe, Executive Editor, Outside Magazine

Ancient Pathways is a wilderness skills company specializing in desert survival and primitive technology. The focus of all Ancient Pathways courses is to provide hands-on training in practical survival skills and outdoor safety techniques. Our survival courses emphasize direct experience with the valuable skills you need to take care of yourself in the wilderness. Tony Nester, who has over 20 years of experience teaching outdoor survival and guiding wilderness trips, began the company in 1989.

Tony has instructed desert survival courses for the National Transportation & Safety Board, National Weather Service, U.S. Military Special Operations Units and for private corporations. He is also a longtime faculty member of the Desert Institute at Joshua Tree National Park. Tony has extensive experience working with the media and film industry and has provided survival training for actors Josh Brolin (Jonah Hex) and Emile Hirsch (Into The Wild) along with working with Andrew Zimmern, the host of the Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods.

Tony has been featured in numerous media outlets including on NBC News, the Travel Channel, Maxim Magazine, the New York Times, and the Discovery Channel.

In addition to extensive experience in wilderness survival, Tony has a BA in anthropology, is the author of four books on outdoor survival through Diamond Creek Press, and writes a popular monthly column for Outside Online Magazine.