#832: The Return of The Lion Tracker — Boyd Varty on The Wild Man Within, Nature’s Hidden Wisdom, and How to Feel Fully Alive

Boyd Varty shares a riveting account of his life experiences as a fourth-generation custodian of Londalose Game Reserve, his time leading an elite firefighting team, and the profound lessons learned from nature and adversity.

Boyd Varty: Firefighter, Safari Guide, and Adventurer

Varty found himself head of an elite firefighting unit in his 20s, having taken over from a French foreign legionnaire with an impressive aura of confidence. The team was responsible for tasks like fixing roads, mending fences, ensuring animal safety, controlling burning programs, and fighting runaway fires.

Young Man Varty Led an Elite Firefighting Team On a Reserve, Facing Harrowing and Humorous High-Stress Situations

Despite feeling out of depth, Varty emulated the legionnaire's presence and imposed rigorous standards, initiating drills such as one on a small soccer field, using live flames to train his team to respond to fires. They had a set of commands, such as "station, station, station" and "positions, positions, positions," and practiced with urgency and precision under Varty's signals.

The detailed descriptions of these drills showcase how Varty aimed to uphold the high standards of the French Foreign Legion and bring a sense of diligence to the team's operations. The narrative includes anecdotes like the hose incident, which humorously demonstrates the unpredictability and chaos that can ensue during such high-stakes situations.

Varty's Formative Years in Nature

From assisting his wildlife filmmaker uncle as a camera assistant at the young age of six to navigating the challenges of driving for chase shots, Varty's narrations display his deep connection to the natural world and the invaluable insights he gained.

Varty, a Childhood Camera Assistant for His Filmmaker Uncle, Had Close Encounters With Dangerous Animals and a Deep Appreciation for the Wild

Boyd recounts various hair-raising experiences, such as facing a crocodile-infested river to help his uncle film crocodiles feeding on a dead elephant. These encounters shaped his sense of danger and instilled in him a profound respect for nature. His upbringing in the presence of lions, leopards, snakes, and elephants cemented his role as a steward of the natural world and honed his capabilities to face high-stress situations with an admirable calmness.

Varty recalls instances where his uncle's intuition and skills as a filmmaker led them to capture extraordinary wildlife moments, like the wildebeests crossing a river, often outfoxing larger media compani ...

Boyd Varty highlights how the Bushmen's deep understanding of their environment and sustainable living practices demonstrate their profound connection to nature and culture.

Bushmen's Ecological Wisdom and Sustainable Desert Living Practices

Despite many being displaced and living in towns with government stipends, the Bushmen manage to gather around 70% of their food from the desert. Varty emphasizes their exceptional ability to live harmoniously with the desert, suggesting that if AI wiped out modern society, the Bushmen would walk comfortably back into the desert due to their ecological knowledge.

Bushmen Live Sustainably, Taking Only What They Need and Replanting For Abundance

Varty observed Bushmen moving slowly through the desert, where they would dig up tubers or roots, eat a portion, and then replant a section back to ensure future growth, instead of harvesting the entire food source.

The Bushmen's Mastery of Persistence Hunting

Varty remarks on witnessing Bushmen excelling at persistence hunting, a practice in which they track and exhaust animals over long distances, indicating deep environmental connection and endurance.

Persistence Hunting: Ancient Bushmen Practice of Tracking and Exhausting Animals, Demonstrating Endurance, Skills, and Spiritual Connection

After tracking a porcupine for about 10 kilometers, a group Varty was with began tracking a herd of kudu. They entered a state of intense energy, similar to a peloton in cycling, and pursued a single kudu using complex tracking and navigating skills. Varty explains that persistence hunting becomes an act of faith, as hunters fully commit to running deep into the desert without certainty of success. The experience transforms from concern about the extreme conditions to surrendering to the energy of the hunt.

Varty illustrates that Bushmen hunting is not merely physical; it also embodies a deep spirituality. The "Great D ...

Experts Varty and Ferriss delve into the profound impacts of nature on personal transformation, discussing mechanisms by which disconnecting from technology and engaging with wilderness lead to heightened awareness and growth, as well as the essential role of community in fostering personal development.

Disconnecting From Technology and Immersing In Nature

Removing Digital Distractions Allows For a Different Quality of Presence and Awareness to Emerge By Living By Sunrise and Sunset Cycles

Varty and Ferriss discuss the necessity of removing digital distractions to allow a different quality of presence and awareness to emerge. Varty strictly enforces a no-technology policy during retreats to prevent participants from being pulled back into usual concerns, which can disrupt the transformation process. Ferriss talks about his own experience in Montana, being disconnected from technology and living in sync with the natural sunrise and sunset rhythms. This removal of modern conveniences, he suggests, helps people access a more natural state of being, allowing older human capacities the chance to reactivate.

Benefits of Engaging Body and Senses in Transformation

Nature Pursuits: Tracking, Running, and Challenging Catalyze Shifts in Consciousness

The act of physically engaging with nature—such as tracking, running, and enduring challenging conditions—leads to significant shifts in consciousness. Varty describes an experience where a 70-year-old Bushman outperformed them in tracking a cheetah despite having no sips of water all morning. Boyd describes tapping into an energy that seemed to come from the earth during a hunt, suggesting a profound connection between physical exertion in nature and mental transformation. Varty also discussed watching a warthog's intelligent behavior, which was followed to a spot with lush green grass, illustrating a deep, beautiful way of living, which includes expanding one's community to include animals and trees.

Ferriss recalls the mission-critical faculties needed in the wilderness when trying to make a fire in the freezing rain, obliging one to tune into nature's cycles for survival. Both hosts agree that sensory engagement with natural rhythms brings about transformative experiences that are not just about the physical but also alter perceptual lived experiences. This is echoed by Ferriss's experience of waking up with light and winding down with the sunset, which made his days feel longer and fuller.

Community and Shared Experience in Personal Growth

Challenging Ventures With Trusted Peers Foster Support, Feedback, and Collective Transformation

Varty and Ferriss also emphasize the critical role of community and shared experiences in personal growth. Va ...

Boyd Varty, a lion tracker, storyteller, and literacy and wildlife activist, shares his insights into the profound capacity of nature for storytelling and the importance of presence and energetic attunement.

Varty's View on Nature's Storytelling Capacity

Interactions With the Natural World Hold Potential For Meaningful Stories and Symbolism

Varty tells riveting tales of guests encountering animals that resonate with their personal lives, suggesting nature's awareness and desire to assist in human healing. For instance, a bird associated with a guest's late father visited him, and a woman discussing her trauma had her toast taken by a monkey at that exact moment. Varty sees these engagements with nature as potential to tell profound stories, whether on a safari or simply walking in the bush, leading to a broad range of encounters from the ridiculous to the sublime.

Embodied Presence & Energetic Attunement in Storytelling & Teaching

Varty Stresses a Visceral Connection and Sensitivity to Truly Share Nature's Wisdom

Varty shares powerful examples of how animals can trigger psychological shifts and facilitate personal breakthroughs, noting that nature's capacity to reflect personal change can become teaching moments in retreats. He advocates for a shift from a fact-based approach to a deeper, immersive experience in nature, valuing silence and observation over understanding. His recount of a hunt not only respected the life taken through ceremony and symbolism but also taught the primal connection between life, food, and survival, contrasting profoundly with the disconnection of modern life.

Passing On Oral Traditions and Experiential Knowledge

Varty's Efforts In Preserving Bushmen Tracking Skills Through Experiential Learning and Storytelling

Varty recounts the flagship stories of a troublesome baboon named Lunch, who, through his mischief, portrayed levels of awareness and emotional intelligence. Lunch's antics provide a lens through which Varty underscores the power of storytelling in capturing the essence of nature's wisdom. Varty also stresses the reenchantment with life's magic, as he believes modern society has lost its connection with natural wonder. Through retreats, Varty strives to bring people ...