A Hypothetical Primitive Wilderness Journey

[WalkingTree]

Nothing to see here.
Twas brillig
and the slithey toves
did gyre and gimble
in the wabe.

[DSJohnson]

Walkingtree,
What part of the Nations do you live in? I live in Garvin County

[Rick]

What's with all the make believe stuff? Well done is better than well said. You can use that if you want.

[hunter63]

Ok,....Following along.....what's next?

And writing it down can tend to flush or "flesh" out an idea or that inside burning we have, but haven't had the opportunity or guts to do....yet.

I do have to say, would have never thought about "thighs and buttocks" being shapely...........What?

[Rick]

Well, mine are. Not a particularly good shape but still.

[hunter63]

Round is a shape........

[WalkingTree]

(thighs/buttocks) Oh you guys are too funny.

(...make believe stuff...Well done is better than well said) I don't know what this means.

[crashdive123]

(thighs/buttocks) Oh you guys are too funny.

(...make believe stuff...Well done is better than well said) I don't know what this means.

Here's what I believe he means, but won't pretend to speak for Rick. If somebody has a goal, then living out that goal by doing (taking the necessary steps to achieve it) is much more satisfying than just talking about it. Here's an example of what I mean...... it has been a goal of mine to run a marathon. I've never come close to doing it, but have often talked about it. Well, time for the talking is over. Yesterday I signed up for and paid for a training course. Today I took my first training run. The race is in February.

I could have kept talking about it for years, but at some point my ability to achieve that goal would have slipped away and I would have been left talking about it. It is true that goals need to be attainable, so that is something to consider. The time frame to achieve them is also important. A big undertaking of living the lifestyle you desire might require a long time working to get there - a working life to generate the money to purchase the land, time to slowly get things the way you want as you are able. H63 talks about and shows us pictures of his "Place" - an Amish built cabin that is beautiful. Achieving that goal or dream did not happen over night. It too long years of work to be able to live, even if only part of the year, like that.

If it's something you truly want - I say go for it. I won't happen overnight, but you can make it happen.

[kyratshooter]

PART 1

With this thread, I'm going to write a slow step-by-step long-term narrative about what and how I'd do if I thought that I ever could (see my profile). This is me make-believing a hypothetical, so that I can get it out of my system. A slowly-written story of sorts. A poor substitute.

I'll be adding a post occasionally, over time detailing the steps and actions that I'd take and what I'd want to do - letting some time pass between each post, allowing for any commentary pertaining to each one. I figure that while I'm at it, this can also serve some educational purpose for others, as well as myself - any commentary from other members along the way (if anyone cares to) could be to challenge me a bit, show something that I'm doing wrong, and just generally discuss things pertaining to each stage as I go along. Might even serve as a demonstration to those who romanticize it and think that it's easy.

I'm not trying to create a challenge though, like some reality t.v. show (and I'm not naive and just in love with the idea of this), so if anyone points out something or throws something at me which would kill me, then I'll just concede that I'd die either a horrible or peaceful death, and continue my adventure nonetheless. There's no way for anyone to know if I'm worth a darn at this-or-that anyway since this is just written-word. The proof is in the doing, and this isn't actually doing.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

So, firstly...where, oh where. Almost everything else that follows would depend on where I'd be in the first place, but we'll have to accept the relative vagueness in this department. Since I live in North America, I'm naturally more familiar with, though not necessarily partial to, this area. If even that. I could conjure up many other places that I think are beautiful and fit my other preferred criteria...but I think I'll stick with North America for this, for reasons which may become apparent later.

I do otherwise know generally what kind of area that I'd seek out if I had a magic wand and could entertain personal preference to a high degree -

- I don't want snow and ice for 6 months out of every year. Living ultra-primitively, as an urban-pampered non-inuit and non-yupik, that seems impossible. So I'm staying out of those latitudes/climates. I suppose that I could do the equator...I'm pretty good with heat, compared to the next person that is...but no. I don't want to do that. To heck with that. I enjoy at least some change of season too much. No deserts either. I don't mind some year-round raininess...just makes the issue of drinking water easier...but no swamps either. Gotta have some freaking dry land.

- I like trees and undergrowth. So, semi-forest for me. I want some "life" around me. Besides, some degree of forest says "ecology" to me. And ecology means prey animals and edible flora. Trees and undergrowth also says "building material" to me. And water somewhere.

- How mountainous I'd go, I dunno. In dreaming, the mountainous areas are absolutely beautiful. But in reality...that would be pretty rough for a whole slew of reasons. My thighs and buttocks would certainly be in shape, and shapely, but I might not live long enough to show them off to a woman. I lived deep in the sticks in the fine commonwealth of Ken-tuck-eee once for 8 months during the winter...and boy oh boy, those thighs and buttocks looked good. But...no real mountains. Though I do want to be able to find lots of stones where I'm at. Stones/rocks, dirt, and trees and shrubbery will get utilized by me (in very thrifty and conservative fashion of course).

Ok so...that gives an idea of where I'm at. My pack and it's contents, etc, may come next.

So,,,

You're plan is to write a novel, and do it on our time.

With no connection to any reality or actual activity. A complete armchair fantasy where the weather is perfect, everything you try works and nothing ever breaks. And if it does break you have a fast and fancy fix and you exit the experience as a raven haired god with a killer body.

But I already have the complete set of Louis L'Amour books!

Didn't we just do one of these about the tent in the desert thing???

Good luck with that.

[Rick]

Well done is better than well said.

I cleared the tree stumps is much better than saying I'm going to clear the tree stumps. You can say anything you want as prettily as you please but what do you gain by it? Nothing. Until you get out there and dump all your water in the back of the truck and soak everything, bed roll, pack, everything or blister your feet with the wrong shoes or dann near freeze to death on a 50F degree night or have a widow maker drop out of a tree 20 feet from your tent you learn nothing. We learn so much more by the bad luck we have. Instead of telling us what you want to do why not go do it and tell us your results? Right now it's just pie in the sky stuff.

[WalkingTree]

(If somebody has a goal, then living out that goal by doing (taking the necessary steps to achieve it) is much more satisfying than just talking about it)

I've put in the work to actually do things along these lines and pursue it...just haven't been able to make anything happen, and paid dearly for the attempts. I have certain obstacles which I think some of you might be taking for granted, but that's not really relevant anyway.

(You're plan is to write a novel, and do it on our time.

With no connection to any reality or actual activity. A complete armchair fantasy where the weather is perfect, everything you try works and nothing ever breaks. And if it does break you have a fast and fancy fix and you exit the experience as a raven haired god with a killer body.)

I apologize to everyone. I didn't think that there would be this kind of misunderstanding in here about what I'm really doing with my thread, else that what I've explained throughout the site hasn't really all been read. I'll gracefully exit and not waste anyone's time.

[hunter63]

Well, good luck with your imaginary journey.

Guess the real life folks that have been "doin" for many years, kinda blow off those that "talk about doin"....

[just another escapist]

I made an account so I could say that I enjoyed reading your story, WalkingTree. I too like to think about how things would go if I were to take the plunge, to the point where I started writing a fictional story about a woman who leaves society and goes to live in a national park and described in detail her shelter, fishing methods, supplies.... Also, I live in Oregon and your description of your ideal place matches the PNW perfectly. My plan is Olympic.

[1stimestar]

I spend my winters planning out my summer adventures (and doing winter adventures). So all winter I like to talk about it. Pick the brains of those who can advise me, etc. Look at youtube videos, read trip reports and on and on. Yes I like to talk about my adventures first because I don't want to get injured, not think of something that I really should have, or die. Do you plan on doing this at some point in time? Is this a brain picking exercise?

[WalkingTree]

That emotional response, that attraction; we often succumb to the temptation to stop and listen for who knows what as we pass through its green-tinged light. They tell us that the soul of the untamed land has enveloped us and touched our own souls.

- Wenceslao Fernandez Florez


To me those mountain mists are an indelible memory. I have forgotten other things. Feelings of affection and of animosity, acts of kindness and expressions of disdain; these things are gone, leaving not a trace. But my spirit was transformed by those mists; they reside within me now; never will they leave me.

- Pio Baroja


And in the mythical societies, said Mircea Eliade, man listened to the earth because it was not mute, it said things. It was meaningful and intelligible. To understand its language, its structures, its objects, its life, its rhythms, he resorted to symbols. Communicating then in the same symbolic code, nature revealed its mysterious realities: “If the World spoke to him through its heavenly bodies, its plants and its animals, its rivers and its rocks, its seasons and its nights, man responded through his dreams and the power of his imagination...Since the World was visible to archaic man, he felt that he too was ‘watched’ and understood by the World. His prey saw and understood him... but so did the rock and the tree and the river. Each had its story to tell, its advice to give.”

- Eduardo Martinez De Pison

[kyratshooter]

You are right, we can't teach you anything you don't want to learn.

One thing you do need to learn, on your own or from someone else, is that Squatting is illegal
criminal trespass. I am not going to go do it and report back on the experience.

So go do what you want to do.

Good luck with that.

[hunter63]

Sorry you feel that way....so I won't hurt your feeling....if telling you the truth seem to be.

Good luck with that.

[crashdive123]

You are welcome to stay or go - it's all up to you.

Since you felt it necessary to quote some of the responses that you received and one of the quotes was from me.....

(If somebody has a goal, then living out that goal by doing (taking the necessary steps to achieve it) is much more satisfying than just talking about it.)

.....it was in response to your question of not understanding what another poster meant - nothing more - nothing less.

In your profile, part of what you say is

I want to live in a true wilderness, far from any sign of modern civilization. Permanently, with no visits to any town, and without the possibility of encountering other people except for those who're doing the same thing or anyone who I might be doing it with. Far from the most remote hiking trail or wherever hunters might wander. And I want to do it primitively, using as little modern technology or supply as possible.

but in your last post it seems all about squatting in a national forest, camping or living off grid. If this truly is a dream of yours are you just considering the Continental United States? While what you say is true about land here, and you are correct in saying that we will not encourage illegal activity keep in mind that you have provided members here a very limited look into your dream.

Are there places in the world where what you do what you dream of? Sure there are. Will it be easy to achieve it? Of course not. In this thread you start out with

This is me make-believing a hypothetical, so that I can get it out of my system. A slowly-written story of sorts. A poor substitute.

In your intro thread and in your profile you pretty much say the same thing with the caveat that you know you will never be able to do it. You are the one that has decided that you won't be able to do what it is that you dream of.

You have said several times (posts and profile) that writing about it will help get it off your chest/out of your system. Seems that you are more concerned with responses to your writing than the actual writing to get things off your chest/out of your system. Write away if you choose to. I don't think anybody here has been "butt-hurt".

Blogging or journaling is an effective tool to do what you say you want to accomplish. There is a blog feature on this forum that you can use. You can make it private or public or only readable by certain individuals. In the blogs we (all that use the feature) tend to write what they want without too much feedback. Some will copy and paste those writings into a thread they start.

Again - stay or go - it's all up to you.

[1stimestar]

Do you want to do it or do you just want to write about doing it? Yes I have quite good reading comprehension skills and yet, I am still confused why YOU seem to be getting butt hurt. If you want to do "it" then the best way to learn how is by building skills, starting off small and learning as you go. You learn by doing, not by writing about doing. We can give you all the advice we have gleaned from doing, but it's not going to help you if you have never even been camping by yourself or started your own fire from damp materiel. Those are things you learn how to do, or how to do better, (more efficiently, more successfully), by doing. There is no problem with writing about "doing" things here. As I said before, I do write a lot about doing things. But then I go out and do them.

[crashdive123]

In addition to my above advice, this might be an outlet for your writing (not being sarcastic, just trying to offer suggestions). https://www.google.com/webhp?sourcei...riters%20forum