The Turtle Island Staff
Eustace Conway
Founder of Turtle Island Preserve, star of the hit TV series, “Mountain Men”, adventurer extraordinaire…and so much more…what an amazing opportunity to have him helping to direct and lead Boys Camp again this year. His reputation as an amazing outdoor educator precedes him. Eustace Conway is a unique naturalist. He celebrates the freedom of individuality in all aspects of life. He is a spokesperson for the Earth, giving voice to the natural environment he loves. The renowned wildlife artist, Sallie Middleton, told him on his thirtieth birthday, "You are the most interesting man I have ever met." Perhaps this is because Eustace has lived the life he has imagined...followed his dreams. Like Thoreau, Eustace has gone to the woods to live deliberately, fronting only the essential facts of life, to see if he could not learn what it had to teach, and not when he came to die discover that he had not lived. He has lived in the woods for over forty years. He learns by visiting extremes; once when Eustace severely cut his thumb, he sewed it back together with twelve stitches, and used plant medicine to heal it.
Family Camp, Adult Camp & Father-Son Camp Director
Spencer “Two Dogs”
Spencer 2 Dogs Bolejack operates Land of the Sky Wilderness School in Western North Carolina where he lives with his wife and three kids. An apprentice of mountain man Eustace Conway in the 1990s, Bolejack holds dan rank in multiple styles of martial arts including Tang Soo Do, Kenpo, IMA, and a 5th degree black belt in ninjutsu. After a rough start at Appalachian State, he gave everything away and moved into the woods for a total of three years, surviving on little and accumulating many of the skills discussed in camp. Eventually graduating from UNC-A, he has taught public school, won state level awards from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, has been published in Best Practices for Middle School Teachers and has taught internationally. The 11th generation Carolinian also co-hosted 59 episodes of Discovery’s Hillbilly Blood.
Spencer likes to use one of his best resources; his teachers and friends! Whenever possible we bring in guests from a variety of backgrounds who are experts in their fields of study. These have included beekeepers, blacksmiths, craftsmen, bushfolk, trackers, and fellow martial artists.
Spencer with his daughter, Iris