Tangentially Speaking with Christopher Ryan Peter Michael Bauer (Experimental Anthropologist -- Rewilding Expert)
Apr 1, 2026
Peter Michael Bauer, founder of Rewild Portland and veteran rewilding teacher, shares stories of learning ancestral skills and building community resilience. He discusses language and consciousness experiments, polyamory and grammar, and the ethics of engaging with indigenous practitioners. Conversation covers urban rewilding, leveling cultural mechanisms, and plans for courses and a film project.
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Rewilding Language With E-Prime
- Peter experimented with E-Prime (dropping the verb "to be") to rewild English and make language more place-based and reality-aware.
- He found it improved writing discipline but hindered spoken authority, so he kept modifiers like seems or appears instead.
Justin Alexander Tree Jump And Charisma
- Peter Michael Bauer met Justin Alexander at a Tracker School camp where Justin lit a hand-drill fire in eight seconds and later performed a dangerous 10-foot jump from a cedar tree, surviving with a head wound.
- The story illustrates Justin's fearless risk-taking, his charisma as an inspirer, and how those traits both motivated Peter and contributed to Justin’s eventual disappearance in the Himalayas.
Running Away After Ishmael Led To Tracker School
- Peter ran away at 16 after reading Ishmael and Tom Brown Jr., hitching to Tracker School and couch-surfing while working to afford survival training.
- He describes a theatrical last day at high school dressed as crucified Jesus, escaping school via a bathroom window to begin his new path.
