I have written about this so many times now on so many different websites that it’s getting hard to communicate! Think I’ll just copy/paste… Ever since I was a child, I wanted to live in the woods. I think I was first inspired by Grizzly Adams on TV…but whatever the reason, the thought has always been there. What I have been longing for is a life out of the societal norm…where there is no use for money, only hard work. I recently saw the film, “Into The Wild” and can’t get it out of my mind. That has been my dream for so long now. I would love to go and do the same thing, though hopefully not with the same ending. I have hitchiked, learned carpentry and built a small house single-handedly, learned how grow plants from both seed and propagation, fished, and developed a good sense of problem-solving… My only fear in leaving society is a fear of the pain of lonliness that I might feel after months or even years of solitude. I’m afraid of going stark crazy mad out there alone. Yet, my biggest fear is not of trying and failing—but of never trying at all. This makes me wonder if there is anyone else out there who would like to do this journey, into the wild as well? I don’t take this lightly…this is a great desire of mine and one I’m sure I’ll live out. I think Alaska would be the place, not being a land-owner. It’s remote enough that I think you could really pull it off without ever being noticed. If I sound like yourself, or you know of someone, a group, or a WEBSITE for those who also share my vision, please post and let me know. I can’t tell you how appreciative I would be. Thanks for reading…God bless! John
John, did you ever see the movie Alone in the Wilderness? It's about a man that did just what you describe, back in the 60's I think it was. He (Richard Proenneke) went to Alaska and built a cabin all by himself, hauled the rock for the chimney, & did everything with just a few hand tools. He lived all alone out there, with only an infrequent (once every month or two I think) delivery of supplies by someone in a helicopter. He originally planned on doing this for just a short while but wound up staying for about 30 years. It was really a great movie and we were able to get it at the library. I highly recommend it! One thing about him.... he was so happy & peaceful, just a joy to watch. By the way, he filmed himself during his time there.
Yes, I've seen documentaries on him and read much about him on the internet. It is almost exactly my dream...less the dropped parcels from a helicopter. Can't imagine the delivery charge on that! I really hope I can find others who share this vision and who are ready to go. I will do it alone ...but am giving it time to see if I can find any companions. I guess there are just few of us loons around who'd be willing to do this! Take care...and thanks for the info... John
I want to live that way. But there is one problem. I live in Europe East-South Europe and I dont know if i can get visa for America. But if you want you can come to Macedonia(my country) and we could make a hippie comune here. We will live in the wild. Consider this. peace
I would like to live thatway but it is like you said so hard to find people or a person who is willingto actually do the hard work it takes to succed. Contact me and maybe we could make a go of it.
Well consider it this way. It will be like going on a vacation, a long one. We could live few months. If we get bored we could go home. I dont think that permanent commune is possible. But I'm sure it will be wonderful experience, which will change our attitude toward life, make us better people, learn some new skills. It might work
I must have posted the same info on 10 websites. It has struck a lot of conversation up, but only one person who is really serious at all about it. The island thing, I think, would be a disaster waiting to happen. I'm certain we'd be found and forced off it. Natural resources would be shaky, at best...especially when it came to fresh water. The woods have all the resources needed that I can possibly imagine I'd need. When I head out, it's for keeps...even if anyone who went with me changed their mind halfway there. I can't even think about it as a temporary vacation as it could be dangerous thinking otherwise in my planning.
Here's another website exclusively for those who want to escape society, and meet other who do too. It's brand new but I think it will prove to be very useful! http://www.freewebs.com/theescapesociety/index.htm Peace... John
i am seriously interested in doing this this too has been my vision as to how i want my life to be it just seem.. "right".. i guess to say to revert back to how i think we really should live and not to mention.. i've kind of already done it before except with that, i was FORCED to.. by my father.. slept outside a lot in urban areas and then decided the best choice was to set myself up a tent in the woods, which i did.. and absolutely loved at first it was hard.. and then i started to develop a deeper appreciation for the world, and for people who still continue to live today as hunter/gatherers (although i didn't kill anything..) but please message me with more about this! i would love to talk more with you about your plan, and if it is something i could join you in..
i would join you bro... i too want to live in harmony with mama earth. i'm down to help anyone who wants to live that way namaste'
i have been doing some research on this we should bring seeds to grow our own food... find a spot with a fresh/pure water source... and then we should be fine...i am sure mama earth and our star family would love for us to try and live that way hugs for all namaste' some cool vids... The Green Beautiful - Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5CmMm_SRpM&fmt=18 Into the Wild (2007) http://thepiratecity.org/922_Into_the_Wild__2007.htm
My dad and I started doing something similar to this in remote British Colombia. We located a spot on the side of a mountain that was very difficult to hike to which eliminated the chance of being found. The spot includes 4 lakes with water falls and a cave. Just beautiful. We're still planning on building a rock cabin there. It would be used as a summer retreat. The winters are just brutal.
i would love this kind of thing but sadly its next to impossible in this neo-modern world. alas. we rely on technology to much and yet don't use it for its full potential.
Are you still interested in doing this? I would be interested enough to talk about it, but not in Alaska. See my location over there under my name? There's a reason I moved here ... lol. There was a documentary on PBS some years ago about people who did this in Alaska. It was really fascinating. Most of them eventually came back. The life up there is just too hard, especially in the winter. The growing season is so short, and as you get older, you simply can't keep up with the physical demands. How many people are you thinking of? Two people would never work, unless they were married, and even then it would be really hard because of the amount of work involved. Four or six would be better, so you could have a division of labor as well as someone around to help with difficult tasks. But now you're talking about a formal organization, with rules and things. Maybe that's what you want to get away from. If you're still around, email me if there's a possibility of doing this somewhere other than the far North.
I read your post and thought it was very interesting as I have wanted to live in the woods all my life. Then, I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw that you were from Pittsburgh! I just got kicked out of my college student housing apartment, and have 3 days to find a place to live. I've been looking into communes, but will be heading to the woods if I can't find anywhere to stay. Please message me and we'll see what happens.
Hello, Great thread, so glad i found it. I would love to live in the wilderness, just living with mother nature. Grow our own food and fish. I'm totally in if you all are really serious. I have lots of skills, wood working, fishing, cooking lots of stuff. Looking forward to talking with some of you.