David has been involved with outdoor education for over 25 years. His experience includes Summer Camp Administration, operating outdoor education programs for K-12, lead instructor for Mammut Bushcraft, and for the past 22 years as Assistant Professor of Outdoor Leadership at Burman University in Alberta, Canada.
In addition to formal education that added some letters after his name, David maintains active qualifications in wilderness medicine, is a Canoe, Sea Kayak and Camping Skills instructor through Paddle Canada, served on the Board of the Wilderness Guides Association, and facilitates programs for Outdoor Council Canada. But the certificate that he appreciates the most was recognition by Mors Kochanski as a Survival & Wilderness Living Skills Instructor in 2015.
David served as part of a team of individuals that organised the 1st Global Bushcraft Symposium in 2019. He co-founded Frostbite Symposium on Traditional Winter Skills.
His philosophy of teaching is grounded in the assumption that wild spaces are our true home, but one that requires time to be comfortable within. This goal can be accomplished by recognising that the foundation of outdoor knowledge is practical and accessible experiences. As an educator he focuses on creating space for learners to explore, experience and be challenged. His areas of focus include natural history, canoe tripping, leadership development, and winter trekking.
Joining David on his adventure through life is the very patient, and remarkable musician, Naomi Burns Delafield and their three miniature humans. One of their adventures involved 84 days, 3,038km, 60+ portages, and carried them from the Canadian Rockies to the Hudson Bay in their trusty canoe. Together they tilt their hands towards organic agriculture, humanitarian efforts, and spending every possible moment exploring nature and paddling a growing stable of thoroughbred canoes.