Living in the Wilderness....

I have a strange need/desire to get away from it all for a while. I find my self traveling for hours in attempts to get away from "civilization" so to speak. Going on hikes, spending the day out in national parks just doesn't seem to satisfy this strange need I have had the past year.

I find my self fighting two forces in a sense. One sense I'm a productive, successful IT manager, the other side I have a great longing to get away from everything and just be a part of nature. I also like the feeling working with my hands, building a shelter, hunting, fishing, soaking up the fresh air, getting time to think without all the distractions.

So I'm seriously considering taking an extended camping trip so to speak. Could anyone offer some pointers, I want to take as little as possible with me and survive off the land. I've studied the area that I'm going to. I know which plants are useful/are for eating, what not to eat, ect.

There is another aspect to this that is very appealing to me, the struggle to survive and to see if I have what it takes to make it.

Anyone else out there have my "problem" as so many of friends like to call it?

I figure if the world goes to hell I can leave quickly and run for the hills without a lot of preparations. I know that there is something that is telling me to get ready. It really was subtle at first but as of late it's been much more prominent thought in my mind.

[edit on 6-10-2009 by oconnection]

I have your problem, I know exactly how you feel. I'm tired of everyday life, doing the same thing over and over again, and I just want away from it. Normal life is boring.

reply to post by oconnection


I too have a desire to get off the grid for awhile. It's not because I'm anti-social or anything I'm just fed up with the BS. I also think it would be a good life experience to live off the land for awhile.

It would probably be a good idea to pick a place with a mild climate. It would be rough trying to survive through a heavy winter.

Other than that I really don't have any answers. I do have a question to add.

If you don't own land one would need to use public property i.e. a state park, but I doubt it's legal do 'extended camping' or cut down trees and build yourself a small cabin/shelter. I could be wrong though.

Does anyone know of a state where you can live in the wilderness without fear of being arrested?



[edit on 6-10-2009 by lucentenigma]

I know what you mean. I have that same problem too. Watch the movie into the wild, you will enjoy it.

I'm the same way oconnection. Periodically, I pack up and go to the national forest in virgina and do a walkabout for a few days. The wife always complains but I come back feeling refreshed and whole so I think she understands it's true worth.

My recommendation is take everything you need and then see what you can improvise or forage from the land around you. Don't take any foolish chances with eating unknown plants or thinking that you don't need a tent. Things often go wrong and it's wise to have a backup especially if you wander far away from your car like I like to do. Take a phone, just don't turn it on unless you need to. Last time I went it was a full moon and from the top of the mountain I watched a sunrise, sunset and moonrise all from the same spot. All day long there were monarch butterflies heading south along the top of the ridge. it was pure magic. Go man, go. You need nobody's permission. Get out there and enjoy the world as it is meant to be.
thanks for the reminder, I'm due for a trip myself!

reply to post by oconnection


I would say try and find a few like minded individuals engage in some conversation,explore those feelings fully,and enjoy your adventure.
Maybe you just need to commune A little.
I think you need to find A few that are of that mindset your conveying that are near by.

Your post comes as no surprise when I read it. There seems to be some global consciousness pulling people away from the hub of civilizations. I’m thinking that it’s probably your inner instinct telling you to get ready for something. What, I’m not sure. When, who really knows, but it would be wise to listen to that one in unfailing inner-self, and heed the warning. That is, if you count such things as credible.
Ever had a feeling that somebody was watching you? Or that you felt something was wrong, and later it was confirmed that you were right, something really was wrong. It’s the same feeling, only this one kinda’ sneaks up on you, out of nowhere, and it fills you up, until you listened and complete what you think you should be doing. Some people call this instinct our “spiritual guides:, other call it our “guardian Angels”.

Some people carry these felling from the moment of birth, others feel it at a later age. The 1970’s saw a massive explosion of these feelings, as crowds of people threw off the yoke of society and head out into the bush.

Listen close, heed the feelings. Do what you heart tells you to do, and peace will come later on, perhaps even confirmation that you were right along, again…

reply to post by oconnection


You will be absolutely amazed at how little you need.

Put everything in a waterPROOF bag. You'll need lightweight shelter from the elements, the means to reliably start a fire, a means of collecting and retaining water, and something to cook in.

A lightweight poncho liner is real handy, and after that - it's your choice. I love coffee, and I love salt-cured bacon and the calories therein.

In the Arctic Ranger company, I was laughed at when I pulled out my box of Gerber's baby cereal - Rice, but I noted about a third of the guys had it the next time we went out.

Every ounce counts, so weight is going to make you or break you.

Depending on terrain, you'll need to supplement your diet, and have the appropriate equipment.

There is NOTHING like the sound of nothing.

Rainy day? So? You just sleep in.

reply to post by AlaskaFranke


When you keep a person from what they love, they suffer.
This is true of people and situations.
No one has the aptitude to tell anyone else what's good for them. Only the individual can know that.
When you feel the pull, answer it.
This wonderful gift we have, (instinct) and everything about modern life suppresses that.

Like I said before elsewhere,

We are hard wired to survive. It's the lifetime of BS that we experience on a daily basis that numbs us to our natural abilities.

Those instincts if strong enough will force their way out of you.
There is no avoiding it.

Just don't be stupid, have a contingency plan.

Cool places I go to get way from everything are festivals, there are hundreds all over the country. basically their gatherings of hundreds of people camping out in remote places for a few days, usually a weekend, and having a good time. You can really get into them when you start going their very addictive and you see a lot of the same people at each festival so they get to be like your family. Going to a festival is like stepping into a another world, I would recommend it to everybody, its good for the soul.

I've been having the same urge myself. I thought it was just homesickness. I used to be able to hit the woods at will, and stay there until I'd fully recharged. Can't do that anymore, since I live in the city now, but I hope to be able to again one day.

What Dooper said sounds about right. For lightweight shelter, I used to take an old military poncho that I could rig a hootch out of if it looked like rain or snow, any sort of "falling" weather. They roll up pretty well, and don't take a lot of space. Plus they have a degree of versatility. That and a poncho liner can make a reasonably waterproof sleeping bag in a pinch.

For cooking, since it was usually just me, I'd take an aluminum canteen cup, nested in to my canteen carrier. Made better use of available space that way. Carried in a few packs of ramen noodles, in case I couldn't round up anything when I needed to, and a bottle of bullion cubes. You'd be surprised what a charge you can get out of just one of those, if you really need it. You can also get little "stoves" (actually more like a stand) that will support the canteen cup for cooking, and nests right in the carrier with it. I've also got a tiny german model, that folds up instead. Those are made to be used with trioxane bars, which will boil a canteen cup full of water in about 10 minutes, and can be used in a pinch to help start a fire. I used those about a third at a time, but if you don't use the whole thing pretty quick, they "evaporate" after the seal is broken, in just a few days.

If you're in the mountains or the desert, where daytime/nighttime temperatures take wild swings, a sweater helps.

A variety of pemmican, using peanut butter instead of fat as a binder, and including some nuts and dried fruit mixed in, can carry you a long way as well. It's rich, and high energy. A little goes a long way.

Where I was, if I didn't take anything away but pictures, and didn't leave anything there but my footprints, the local landowners didn't have a problem with my meandering. If I cleaned a few groundhogs out of their pastures, that was a plus to them. Kept their cattle from breaking a leg by stepping in a hole.

Living off the land is one thing, but you'll need some suppliments for those special occasions when you just can't find anything quick enough.

A litle nylon cord comes in handy, for rigging hootches and such. It probably goes without saying, but a knife is really handy. You don't need a Rambo bowie. A folding pocket knife is a lot easier to manage, unless you plan on going hand to hand with sabertooths. I also always took a small machete, for gathering firewood and such, but it's useless for fine jobs.

I hope I helped a bit.

reply to post by oconnection



Normal life can become very boring, I have this sometimes. Sometimes i just want to like do one of things like surviorman but not to that extreme.

watch the PBS movie "Alone in the Wilderness", it will be a great help. If you are going for a prolonged trip, you can a few more items of comfort. I would recommend a pocket chainsaw, very compact and useful to the extreme. My one item of comfort would be my small 6 in cast iron skillet. A little heavy but it makes cooking so much easier.

Prolonged living in a wilderness setting is a great way to become more in touch with nature. You will be surprised at how little you may actually need, but there will be a period of adjustment to get used to it. Call it comfort withdrawals. After a while you just learn to cope and go on. Take a good book or a deck of cards, loneliness will set in and you must keep yourself busy. Learn to make do with what is at hand. There are a number of wilderness communities that live a primitive lifestyle. Amazingly enough you can find some of these people on the internet. Primitive does not mean out of touch. You may be able to visit and or live in such a community.

Expect a large learning curve. Even one experienced in primitive living will have some major adjustments to make. Your body will change as well. Dietary needs will make themselves known to you through cravings. That is why so many primitive cultures ate some strange things. Listen to your body it knows more than you think. Sleeping schedules will change as well. Not to mention your overall fitness level. Mentally you mat find out just how exhausted your daily routine really is. It may take a few days to wind down.

Good luck to you, I wish I was going along. It has been tooo long since I last lived in my natural environment for any length of time.

Try researching Wilderness Way Magazine, The Backwoodsman Magazine, And anything by Christopher Nygeres. However he generally tends to better versed i living in the western regions. I will be more than glad to offer any assistance I can, with any questions that you may have. But sometimes it is better to just learn on your own.

respectfully

reluctantpawn

A small dugout shelter, or even a small low cabin will go all but unnoticed in most of the state wilderness areas as well as federal land. Keep it well off of the trail and use the surrounding landscape to help hide it. Even the rangers very seldom venture far from the well traveled path. remember a small shelter is easier to keep warm in cooler weather. Using the earth to shelter it from wind and weather is a natural way to build. it has been done by indigenous people all over the world. When you are finished with it, it will eventually collapse and return to its original condition. However I once built a small dugout that could not be easily seen and used it for a number of years without any major repairs.

respectfully

reluctantpawn

reply to post by Urban Shaman


Since you mentioned that, there are a lot of historical encampments around.
A small cross section of oh say, colonial life.
The entire thing is geared around how people lived in a certain era.
Tools, clothing, food, etc....

While it's not too much like a camping festival, it can get you away for the day and really give you some perspective.

Stay away from "Into the Wild." That self-righteous pompous moron was an absolute buffoon. He got what he deserved for being an idiot.

This guy here had a pretty entertaining little adventure.

His major troubles were loneliness and not being able to harvest the game he needed because of hunting laws.

You want to do it right follow the example of Dick Proenneke. Though current legislation and taxation policies would make this life nearly impossible unless you're independently wealthy or willing to live as a perpetual felon.