BYU alumnus sparks off lucrative, controversial wilderness-therapy industry

As a Brigham Young University undergraduate in 1966, Larry Dean Olsen was promised $90 to teach primitive survival skills to fellow students.

Seventy-two people showed up the first night to learn fire and shelter building and other techniques for enduring the wilderness without modern gear. Surprised, his school bosses doubled his pay for the monthlong course.

Olsen soon was leading outings that lasted several days, and BYU deans began noticing changes in the students who went. Unexplained improvement in school performance and better manners at home pleased the students’ parents.

By Brian Maffly
The Salt Lake Tribune

Full Story: http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_10438570