Wanting to disappear into the forest

This thread reminds me of a regret I have....I always wanted to try hiking the AT. But I let life and work and marriage and kids get in the way. Now it really seems like a pipe dream! To the OP, since you are still pretty young at least you can keep your options open and explore these things little by little. Just dont ignore them and find 10 years down the road that the life you built doesnt leave much room for heading out into the woods and honing your self reliance!
 
Hi bowieknifenick,

Over all ... and just having checked your profile, my sense is that we may have lost you here ?

I invite you please ... and sincerely, ... convince me otherwise, because I think I do get it ... and that I can contribute on the subject of your leaning to natural surroundings and what others have done to realize their dreams in past and present.
 
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I never found taking a dump over a log while 10,000 mosquitos nailed my butt to be an attractive option. Or having them so thick that you can't take a deep breath without sucking them down your throat. Or sand fly bites that you don't feel until the next day and they all start itching and enflame, with them crawling into your nose and mouth for moisture, every day. So times this by 10, no showers, TV, whatever. It's not so romantic when you stink and are cold/hungry. Because without serious prep/resources, that's what will happen. Bust or chop open a leg in total isolation..............yada, yada. Look buddy. Want to get away, have more inner peace. Move to a rural area with small towns and isolated spaces between them to play in. As much as we seek peace, we also need people. We are hard wired to be social animals. Take as much as you need from either side, but I wouldn't go all mountain man, it'll suck after a while.
 
Hey bud...
I totally understand...
At the risk of revealing too much...
I'm pretty close...
But like most things, too much, too fast, too excess is often too much.
I live alone, (well with my dog) in a cabin. I can run into town if need be, but I haven't since Early Dec.
Broke my leg & can't get in my damn pickup with the cast.
I've pretty much had it with traffic, and people...and criminals, and people...
It's easy for me since I'm disabled from a bike wreck. Got no work to go to.
Anyway... I do understand that with all the bad news these days, escaping to make a wooden castle in a forest is appealing!!
But don't give up on humanity yet.
Well, don't keep humanity from getting to know you.
You sound like a very cool young man.
Go camping, go travelling, take up some hobbies, and then share your experiences!
your thoughts and ideas spread through your friends & folks you meet will improve the world, don't laff!
You'll grow, and maybe meet enough folks that will want to make you alter your plans...
you know, like us here, buy a couple knives (lol, couple...) a 1911, a good rifle & a 4x4, and enjoy being an outdoorsman.
That way you benefit from knowing how to head for the hills when the SHTF.
In the meantime, be glad for the things that didn't happen today.
And, looking back, as I wonder what friends & relatives deserve what when I go to the happy hunting/drag racing grounds in the sky...
I should have spent way more time learning about financing & investments, and financial planning...
That way I could have afforded to have a big collection of sharp stuff, and fast stuff, with money left over.
What I'm trying to say as a die hard, bring it on, MOLON LABE hollering survivalist prepper is:
Don't put your eggs all in one basket!
And if things do go really bad, I'll give you directions to where me & mine are going of "it" ever happens...!
 
Nice post, 6850.

I'm one of those people that really benefits from a lot of quiet alone time to relax and feel independent. I like to travel solo, and often do, cross-country for work. I like to explore alone, don't mind going out alone, and 70% of my outdoor time (hiking, backpacking, etc.) is solo. My motorcycle doesn't have a passenger seat, and the convertible has no back seat.
Living where there's an ample amount of public land and sufficiently-empty back highways is absolutely critical.

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But I also appreciate having a regular home to come back to. And having a family to share hidden places I've 'discovered'. And having a job in order to pay for leisure hobbies... :)
 
And don't fall in love before you leave or it might change your plans. The allure and love of a woman is relentless. :D
 
I find the Dick Proenneke story an amazing and tantalizing one. Loved watching his movie and reading his book. He took an amazing leap of faith but he must have had the confidence and balls to just go and do it. Didn't he still rely on people though as that pilot would occasionally stop by with mail and gifts from those that knew him?
 
bapabear said:
I find the Dick Proenneke story an amazing and tantalizing one. Loved watching his movie and reading his book. He took an amazing leap of faith but he must have had the confidence and balls to just go and do it. Didn't he still rely on people though as that pilot would occasionally stop by with mail and gifts from those that knew him?
Click to expand...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke

He prepared far in advance, and developed useful skills throughout his lifetime. He basically retired into the wilderness.

A very remarkable man and an amazing accomplishment...but it wasn't a rash charging into the wilderness to avoid society.
He did it right. :thumbup:
 
a guy named McCandless felt the same way. They found his bones and his notes, begging somebody to come save him.
 
616px-Pieter_Bruegel_the_Elder_-_The_Misanthrope_-_WGA3521.jpg

"Because the world is perfidious, I am going into mourning"

To do something like this would require that you become a community unto yourself. Meaning that you would have to learn all of the skills that a community relies on for living: healthcare, toolmaking and use, sheltermaking, firemaking, hunting and trapping, clothesmaking and repair, spiritual care, gathering, travel skills, animal husbandry, etc. As others have suggested, very few can learn all of these skills, let alone become proficient.

This is not to discourage you, only an understanding that you are most likely in search of meaning, or at least a rite of passage (one other thing that has been robbed of youth in the modern age, or left for them to develop on their own). You will need skills to do this, and we live in a largely unskilled society. I believe this is one of the main reasons people turn to bushcraft, there is a weariness in the sort of unskilled work people do, and to some degree they recognise that picking plastic junk off of store shelves is unnatural. The skills of the forest also return some sense of peace and meaning to life.

'It is not easy,' as others have said over and over. And that is an understatement. 'Basic clothing' and mention of gear rather than clothes tells me you're not ready. But don't get me wrong, I'm not ready either. Nonetheless, I can give you some advice on what you will need to do to become a novice or proficient in some of these skills.

You will need high-quality clothing and sleeping gear, and/or the skills to make/repair them. It will take a good day and a half to make your first pair of winter moccassins, probably four hours or so if you're really skilled. Otherwise, you can spend $500-700 on a top pair of boots like Viberg or Nick's. You will also need to know how to care for good leather and make repairs.

Good wool clothing will cost quite a bit of money or time searching for used items. Waxed canvas will cost you several hundred dollars.

A top quality winter sleeping bag, like Western Mountaineering, will cost you $700-1000. If you want to make something similar from natural materials you will need at least a season to gather the materials.

It may take you some bad trips into the woods to realise that clothing and sleepwear is the most important gear and knowledge-base.

To learn how to work wood and gather large quantities of wood efficiently you will need at least two years of work with an axe and knife. Knowing what to look for and how to care for these items is a task in itself.

Building shelters from natural materials takes days, weeks, or months, depending on how long you plan on staying and how comfortable you want to be.

Learning to gather food will take several years, work with experts, and a vast knowledge of many plants.

Becoming a successful trapper is about the same amount of time.

Learning how to ski and care for the items takes several years.

To grow your own crops, save seeds, know how to store the excess, etc. will take several years of trial and error, studying, and hard work.

Animal husbandry is about the same.

Learning the natural items for healthcare and homestead/shelter repairs will take several years.

And finding meaning, knowledge, wisdom, will take you a lifetime.

As you can see, if you're not put off by all the information, is that this will take you years and you will need a lot of help to learn these skills. What I will tell you though, and what few others ever mention (as it is essentially a lost culture), is that the surest way to success is pastoralism. If you really want to do something like this, then find some like-minded individuals and wander with some animals. Goats, cows, sheep. Likely you will need your own land unless you are prepared to leave things up to fate. But it is the only possibility for success as you will eventually need time to work on your spirit, culture, community, and future - and masses of people could not hunt and gather without destroying what is left of the wild.
 
I'm 25, been thinking like this since the age of 16. It's no fun. I did it at the age of 22 for 6 months and buddy, let me tell you it was hell. I broke down and needed medicine and actual substance. I'd look more so into a small town or even planning frequent trips. It happens to the best of us bud
 
OP I totally get you. I'm 33 and for the last 10 years of my life I've been a cop in New York City. Trust me when I tell you I NEED to escape sometimes. I've seen a lot shit in my years and have to eat a huge helping of it every time I go to work, especially nowadays. I would love to live off the grid. It is my dream to have a log cabin somewhere, someday on the top of a mountain and know that there is not another human being for at least 10 miles in any direction (except maybe the ones I live with). Human beings are just not right anymore. Seems like nobody has any class or respect for their elders, or love for their country anymore. Everyone is in it for themselves and it's sickening to watch. I know it seems like 50 years ago was a better time to live in the world but you know what? It's always been messed up, we just never had social media, cellphones, TV, and all the other stuff around to bombard us with the insanity on a 24 hour basis. If you lived in a good neighborhood the world seemed like a good place. If you lived in a bad neighborhood the world seemed like a bad place. I have 20 more years left of my "sentence", and you better believe that as long as I'm still living in 20 years I will have that log cabin in the mountains one day.

Kid, If I were you, and I had nothing holding me back I would just go. Do it, if you can't make it well at least you tried. If you don't try you may end up with regrets. Fix what doesn't feel right, you don't have to accept anything you don't want to.
 
I say go for it. But also consider an alternative: Buy a cheap RV or van and live out of that for a year. Travel to all the cool places you want to see. If that's not enough after a year, then sell the RV and go back to live in your favorite place you found during that year. Wish someone gave me advice like that when I was your age. Also suggest you check out the forums at bushcraftusa.com, where you can learn a lot about self-sufficiency. :cool:
 
There is a TV show called "Boonies" that is fairly interesting for folks that might want to live "off the grid". The one character lives in a cave in the Ozark area of Arkansas. Says he sometimes stays underground a long time. But he still has to go to town to get supplies and for that you need money. I suppose you could apply for welfare or something similar (social security in the case of the Arkansas guy) and get your monthly check from the government. But that isn't for me. The cool thing that the guy in the cave did was make a water wheel and use an car alternator to make electricity. He strung wires to and inside the cave and hung lights.

Another guy lives in a tepee. Sounds fun right? But he has to move inside a hunters cabin which he has permission to live in during the winter months. He has health issues. Don't know if I would want to be all alone and have serious health issues.
 
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Escapism is something we all dream of at some point.

Mine will be to retire to a rural area in a third world country at age 55(I am 49 now)- what little mony I will have will provide me basics. Medical care is available to a degree and yet I can easily escape the "rat race" we join and struggle to break free form.

Let me suggest something I have not seen. Try something along the lines of Peace Corps. This may give you the sense of escape of the rat race and fulfillment you are looking for. At least it will give you a taste of living wihtout the conveniences for a stretch of time and yet have a support system of medical care if you need it.

Other tips I did see for a more independant life are very good. Learn trades such as deisel repair, welding, or maybe running farm equipment. You do not desire for income that supports luxuries so these may give you just enough $$ for a simplier life. If a man owned and could mainatin a welding rig, dump truck, trailer and small back hoe- he could work as he wanted and spend his leisure time as he liked. This would also allow some wandering around the country as you could pick up subcon work.

A third option may be the rubber tramp road. I worked out a plan for a small picup with sheel, simple consturcion tools and camping gear once. Move form national park to near town as money dried up and pick up odd jobs. Move with the season if you like. I had a friend do this for a couple of years until he satisfied his itch.

Bill
 
Going rural sounds much more better than going completely mountain man, build a cabin off the grid or do the tiny house thing, outside of town yet still close enough to get medical care and socialize with people. Great advice here, and preparation and planning are essential. I thought the advice about giving back to some by sharing your skills and experiences will fill you with satisfaction and purpose, also the Peace Corps idea was an interesting idea, as well as being an expat in another country. Let us know if these ideas appeal to you or give you food for thought, I would like to know your next steps. Take care.
 
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bowieknifenick said:
I'm only 20 years old and I've Been thinking more and more about disappearing into the forest someday. Packing up my survival kit to the brim with my knives, hatchets, water, a rifle, some basic clothing items, food, and heading out into the wilderness and living off the land to get away from modern living.

Every day I hear about mass murders and people getting shot in the streets and terrorism. Even just walking out of my house I'm bombarded by people who have forgotten what it's like to actually live. People always having to be somewhere, cutting you off in traffic since their just so important, a world full of narcissistic attitudes and entitlement, I could go on. I would love to just pack up and leave for the hills.

Find a nice secluded spot near a river or a lake, build myself a cabin, hunt and trap for food, what little money I might need I could collect from recycling aluminum cans from the nearest town, only head into town if I needed to stock up on reloading supplies, and leave.

I wish I didn't live in such a modernized society. Here I sit writing on my computer but I could give this up, just like I have all of my other electronic devices. Phone only comes out if I really need it. I've noticed I've been so much happier and relaxed since I've cut most of the technology out of my life. The only thing I do is check facebook maybe once or twice a month, research interesting things on the internet and watch Netflix. That's about it, but I'd give this up any day for a bubbling creek and to hear the whistling of the wind through the tall, majestic pines. Hiking is about the only time I can really get some solitude, and I just enjoy sitting on a stump, looking up at the red pines stretching into the sky, closing my eyes and not hearing a single thing except for the wind and the occasional call of a crow.

I may be only 20 years old, and an odd ball out of my generation, but this is what I dream of.

Didn't know where else to vent/rant. Tell me some of your thoughts on the subject.
Sincerely,
Nick
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Just finding this site, but I see that you haven't been on here since 2017 so I'm assuming maybe you're off the grid. I'm heading toward the same conclusions that you have about society. I'm much happier when it's just me and my dog.
 
I'm 71 now. I took off at 20 with the dream you have to Aalska and did it. Not all states are Candles types, just the stories that sell the best. I was I the same area same time period know the people who brought the bus in all that surrounding area. I only had 25 caverns when I arrived. I read waht I could but 90% was of little use and had to forget 75% as written to sell not accurate. I also altered my dream as time passed so you have to being someplace and be adaptable to jobs, areas to live chances to learn. My chose to build a houseboat so I cold travel around and find the right area. I trapped for the boat and spent winters on it. I'd boat to town to have place to live while working a little for grubstake, then boat out to a new area to trap for a winter. Lived on the boat 25 years. Some jobs to think of help. Forest fire fighter gets you out remote, introduces you to locals, not hard to get a job if young fit and brave. Commercial fishing works if coastal life works. Trapping is a hard way to make money for your time there days. Not impossible if you love it and are good at it. Sled dog racing here works gets you out remote and a very wilderness life, you can get into for almost nothing to get started. A wilderness guide assistant is good. Guides sometimes look for helpers packers boat operators etc. House sitting out remote like many miners would pay someone to spend a winter at their mine to be security you could trap hunt there usually. End up a mine partner. All these things i have seen happen that offer what you might desire. One idea is too show up in Aalska on a tour. Cheap, look around for places you;d like to come back to maybe meet some locals who you befriend or who offer you a job. it's well worth the tour price. Good luck
 
This is a very old thread, but I actually left this world, and lived in 1 1/2 year in the wood. Send me a message if you are still there - I can maybe give you some advises and help!
 
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