Can you give it up?

I can't help but think how much free time I would have without TV or movies. The first week or two might be rough but then I think I wouldn't miss it. I remember reading "Being Caribou" about the husband and wife who followed the Porcupine Caribou herd in northern Alaska for a whole summer. They both mentioned that after a week or two in the arctic bush that all sorts of songs, lyrics, TV shows, etc. kept coming into their memory in a huge flood of information, then it all stopped and they had much quieter minds and thoughts and could appreciate their surroundings more. Its almost like the human brain cleared itself out by performing a data dump. We are too assualted by information on a daily basis from all things electronic.
 
I love to visit and play, but long term I'd miss beer too much. And buying new knives.
 
Have you guys heard about Dick Proenneke? You should google Alone in the Wilderness, it chronicles Mr.Proenneke's time living alone in the Alaskan wilderness in the 60's. He lived there well into his eighties after having built his own cabin. It is a wonderful story that is sometimes available on utube.

Cheers, Shane
 
CSG said:
The thing about using propane is that you're beholding to Hank Hill or one of his buddies. You are not "off the grid" when you rely on someone else to provide the things you need, like propane.

You can get 12v refrigeration using the type of refers that the RV industry uses. The problem is they tend to be very small.
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In an issue of backwoodsman a few months ago there is a recipe for homemade methane in plastic barrels from chickenshit etc. that can power a stove and coleman lanterns as well as Grandma's blackpowder recipe. Great magazine, I can't stop reading them with all the old school projects and articles. lehmanns website has tons of off the grid appliances and idea's as well. Blending the best of old and new technology is the way to go.
No one is really going to go back to primitive but if you can supply your own power then self reliance is at least probable.

I agree that medical and dental issues would be a critical survival factor.
Postmortem from the caveman days on showed that a leading cause of death in otherwise healthy young individuals was abcess from impacted molars and wisdom teeth. The infection takes over the sinus, then occular and brain. Almost no amount of herbs and homeopathic remedies are going to help.

As to one of my heroes Dick Proenneke. He would have had a rough time without all the food and supply drop off's from his bushpilot friend. His style of living in the wilderness was like many of the old time miner's and bushmen. They were almost self sufficient but needed a trading post of some kind once to a few times a year.
I actually gave PBS the 120$ dollars to get the book and DVD which is a visual how to manual to building a cabin alone with hand tools.
 
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silenthunterstudios said:
A lot of us fantasize about spending our lives in the woods, the wild. Away from the hustle bustle, taking care of ourselves. Living off the land in the wild blue yonder.

However, how many of our "crutches" would we still rely upon? Running water and electric light are two very ingrained "treats" that we have come to rely on. The power goes out, we might gripe until it comes back on. It is bearable. Would you be able to do it for the rest of your life? The next forseeable year?

I don't watch much TV, I know I would miss my dvd's though. I would miss a few radio shows, but would really miss my internet. No phone lines, no cellphone service. I hate to talk on the phone, and I don't have delivery service where I am, but it does help to call in a carryout order ;). No more.

So, for a few months, it would be great to build a small cabin, and live off the land. Fresh vegetables and fruit in the summer and fall. Fresh meat all around you. Wood for fuel.

Could you give it all up? I am not talking about moving to the country, but going to the boonies and living off the land. More than a trip, more than a couple years. Alaska, the Yukon Territories, Siberia, northern Europe, the Outback.
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I could.

When I was growing up, we lost power constantly. I didn't have internet, no satellite, phone was down most of the time too. I spent more than half my child hood in the woods. When winter came, we kept a path shoveled to well, and called the neibours to come over when they wanted water.:D

I dont take any thing I have for granite, I dont depend on it, and I never will. I would love to give everything up and go, but a girl friend who doesn't share the same mind set, and a mother who would chase me in are what keeps me away.:eek::D
 
I could for maybe a couple months, but longer than that, I doubt it. I would need to be back on the interent to talk to read the knife discussions and such.
 
I wouldn't want to do without electric or running water. My dream is a hunting cabin in a remote area. I would need an outbuilding for my knife work. I would still need a computer and PO to operate my business. No way I'd give up knifemaking.
Scott
 
i could, and i might for a year or two in the future, but i really enjoy modern conveniences.

winter camping especially makes me appreciate modern conveniences. all the work it takes just to melt and boil water to make cocoa is a bit surprising the first time or two out.

having "nothing to do" is also a big thing. when i'm bored i have alot of options here. i can surf any number of my favorite bushcraft and knife related sites, check the forums, watch videos on youtube, etc. i can also drop down to my "shop" and putz around there. of course i can go out in the back and play around in the woods.

i'm interested in trying out a longer term wilderness living situation, but i know that it won't be a walk in the park and i know that i will constantly be busy keeping myself warm and fed, among other things.
 
A life of convenience may be longer, but what about the quality?

I live in Amish country and it seems their outlook is that a life of work, god, and family is what is important - it's the journey of life, and not the length of it, nor the result, that is important.

Yes, the mountain men and frontiersmen lived shorter lives, but I wonder if it wasn't a richer life? Me thinks :)
 
I have pretty much done it, 7 months at Firebase Glory on the Kuwait/Iraqi border. Lived in a 9x9 tent with 2 other guys, no running water, electricity, internet, cell phone or really anything else. I really got tired of being dirty but other than that it wasn't so bad.

I would not want to be by myself but with my wife, son and a few neighbors, within a day or two traveling distance, I don't think I would miss much. Chris
 
There these magical things SOLAR panels and u can use satilite internet and a cell phone. I would definetly be able to give up these "crutches" i think its not a high price to pay to live in the wilderness imho.
 
brians said:
A life of convenience may be longer, but what about the quality?

I live in Amish country and it seems their outlook is that a life of work, god, and family is what is important - it's the journey of life, and not the length of it, nor the result, that is important.

Yes, the mountain men and frontiersmen lived shorter lives, but I wonder if it wasn't a richer life? Me thinks :)
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I have thoughts along these lines. Yes our lives are easier for all our modern conveinences, but sometimes I wonder at what price. I was on the Appalachian trail for about a month and a half last year, and I can tell you that in all that time, by the end of it I was only JUST BEGINNING to detox.

We may be living longer lives, but so do wild animals kept in captivity. At what cost, this loss of wildness?

Great thread! and to answer the question, I dont think I could give up every modern conveinence indefinitely. But it sure is nice to be able to hear your own inner voice clearly every once in a while;)
 
I have a two-part answer.
The first part is, yes, I could do it. I've done it. When I was a kid we went a few years w/o power or modern conveniences because work was slow for my dad (construction worker) and he had to take any old job he could. Then again later in life, I was homeless for a while. Which is primarily why I'm so interested in survival, etc, and why I'm not an ounce-counter. I'm prepping in case it happens again (with the way things are going, it's possible, if not likely, that a lot of folks may be in the same boat soon). Last time I had little gear and almost no knowledge (woods skills don't translate to homeless life in a city). And I remember how much I missed certain things (like a sleeping bag) and I missed them more than I would have cursed their weight -- food for thought.

Second part of the answer: But I wouldn't want to.
Survival sucks. Survival is hard. Honestly, if I had to eek out a survivor's existence, I don't think I'd bother this time, I'd rather just die.

That DOESN'T mean I'd mind primitive LIVING. There's much more to living than just surviving. My idea is to do like Hollowdweller mentioned and have a mix of lives. I've been considering buying a yurt to live in. I figure with a well, with a 12v pump and hand pump backup I'd be set for water. Put solar panels on top of the pump house. Have wood stove in the yurt. It'd be nice to have a dual-powered 12v/propane fridge (don't remember where, but I saw them. They were like $3000, but hey. . .) One of those old-style propane stoves (look like two burners off a full size range). And a 12v/propane water heater (worse comes to worst, though, I can heat water with one of the stoves. Combine that with some 12v chargers for cell and laptop, and I'd have a good mix.

Could I do without the electric items? Sure. Worst thing to go without, like HD said, is the refer. You eat a lot of canned/jarred food (whether you do it yourself or buy it), and that gets old.
 
I don't think there's a day that goes by that I don't think about selling 99% of my stuff and heading off into the woods. Yes, I'd miss the internet, radio and my motorcycle....but that's about it. Maybe one of these days I will take that step...
 
I've done it - well, sort of.

Back in my college days I had a job where I spent 4 months during the summer in a one-room cabin in the mountains with no phone, electrcity, running water, etc. The only people we saw were a couple other project members, park rangers, and occassional campers. We basically lived out of our backpacks, bathed in a creek, and collected our water from a spring or stream. We fought mosquitos, hid from moose, and got robbed by bears. Every two weeks or so we got together and went to the nearest town to stock up on some food. We didn't eat bugs - we caught fish and rabbit, but otherwise had to bring food back in with us. Your whole diet has to change, and you have to be creative with what you purchase and how you plan meals. We worked 10-12 hour days and only had a "day off" every 10 days or so - of course, you really couldn't go too far so we usually just ended up hiking a mountain, swimming in the lake, or chilling-out around camp.

It was a great time but, to be honest, I liked it so much more once it was over.

I didn't miss other people or tv or any kind of social scene. I did miss having the freedom to come and go as I pleased (we were basically dropped off in the middle of "no-where" with only a project truck that we couldn't use for personal purposes). I missed having easy access to store-bought goods - from food to books to clothes. I missed having a refrigerator.

Nowadays, my trips outdoors are even more minimalistic but also of much shorter duration. I know there is a lot I can do without, and some of it I wouldn't even miss - but I have also learned there are some conveniences I would prefer to keep.

I think everyone should go without things in their life at one time or another, if even just for a short while. It really helps you appreciate what you've got and learn something about yourself.
 
I hate the city. I was born and raised on a VERY rural farm, and spent my childhood playing in the woods. I hate the CITY!

I got cabin fever so bad right now....have'nt been able to go hiking because the ol kneecap is grinding away.
 
To give it up and go live off the land is a dream of mine, I wouldn't want to do it forever though.
 
Brad "the butcher";6471641 said:
In an issue of backwoodsman a few months ago there is a recipe for homemade methane in plastic barrels from chickenshit etc. that can power a stove and coleman lanterns
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If I remember correctly couldn't you run a propane Fridge too? Its been awhile since I read that article, but I am pretty sure he mentioned running a fridge of the methane that system produced.
 
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