Harrowsmith Summer 2019 | 81recurringcastmember
onDiscovery’sNaked
andAfraid, LauraZerra
isa NewHampshire
survivalistandan
expert in primitive
techniques and adventure travel.
Born in western Massachusetts,
Zerra spent her childhood exploring
abandoned coyote dens, stalking
deer, and crawling through swamps
in whatever “wild” lands she could
find in her suburban hometown.
Today, the backcountry guide and
survival instructor counts tracking,
foraging, bow building and knife
making among her many skills. Last
year, she published a book, A Modern
Guide to Knifemaking: Step-by-Step
Instruction for Forging Your Own
Knife From Expert Bladesmiths,
Including Making Your Own Handle,
Sheath and Sharpening (Q ua r r y
B o ok s). Harrowsmith had the chance
to chat with the fascinating Zerra, who
spoke about falling in love with nature
and pushing yourself beyond limits.Harrowsmith: How didyoubecome
this incredibly independent,self-
sufficient person? Didyoulearnall
this from your parents?
Laura Zerra: That’sthefunny
part. My parents are reallydifferent
from me. We’d go for walksinthe
woods occasionally, butwenever
even went on a campingtripwhenI
was growing up. Anyonewhohasmet
my parents is like, “Wheredidyou
come from?”
From early on, I hada strong
desire to be out in thewildworldand
explore and have crazyadventures.
As a kid, I loved goingout,stalking
deer. I started hangingoutwitha
pack of coyotes in a sectionofwoods
by my house. They learnedtotrust
me, and when they abandonedtheir
den, I would sleep in it.I wouldhave
this amazing time, andthenI would
have to come home andsleepina bed.
I hung out with animals,andI think
that is what caused metopursuethe
life I have. I wanted tobecomelike
this human animal.HS Howdidyougetintosurvival
adventures?LZWhenyoustartdoingit,
it’s surprising how much of it
is common sense and how naturally
it comes. I’m not particularly skilled,
but I have curiosity and tenacity
and I try to learn. I figured out that
failure is usually my best teacher,
to be honest. There’s something
so human about it. As soon as you
start doing it, you can feel it in
your blood. You can sit someone
in front of a campfire at night, and
you can see the transformation.
It ’s a m a z i n g.
In college, I didn’t have any
money, but I started travelling. I
went to this non-profit in Montana
and met people more like me. I
started doing the survival thing—I
started spending a lot of time in the
backcountry in Montana. I guess I
haven’t stopped since then.Survival expert Laura Zerra talks
about her wild childhood, man
versus nature and pushing yourself
to the limit.BY CATALINA MARGULISTR AVEL &
CULTUREJESSICA OLIVER