THOMAS J. ELPEL grew up in Virginia City, Montana. Under the instruction of his grandmother Josie Jewett, he learned how to identify and use the local herbs and plants, find arrowheads, and appreciate wildlife and the outdoors. Elpel received training from the Outdoor Survival School and Tom Brown's Tracker School, and is now the director of the Hollowtop Outdoor Primitive School (HOPS) in Pony, Montana.
