<CAUTION, THIS IS A RANT, feelings may be hurt!>
I feel like ranting a bit because of all the "living off the land", "back to nature", "hide from society, but I've never spent a night outside away from my woobie" talk that goes on here.
I know if you have an interest in such things you need to start somewhere. <sigh> I had to start somewhere too and that somewhere was in the woods with someone who was more experienced than me, or by trial and error, not on an internet forum. Ok, I'm digressing from my original intent a bit.
For all you folks who want to pack up a backpack and plunk yourself in the middle of nowhere and live like Daniel Boone or Jerimiah Johnson and haven't so much as spent a night outside by yourself... I say go for it! You want the experience? Go do it! Come to Alaska and set off to live in the wilds, just tell your parents or other next of kin your intentions and please explain to them that it's your choice and to not call search and rescue when you don't come home.
I know stories have romanticized the prospects of these types of adventures for generations. People get a wild hair and go for it, some don't come back, it's just nature, nothing personal. SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!
Nowdays we have it a little bit different, folks with hectic schedules that make mistakes because they are rushed to get back to make a flight. ( I call them 3 day Magellan's) to people who depend on heaps of gadgetry to have every conveinence in the outdoors, yet leave garbage wherever they go. Let's not forget to mention the satellite connected help buttons and cell coverage that covers way too much of the wilderness in my opinion and radio beacons and God knows what else you can activate to whisk your scared and damaged butt off of a ridge you should have never been on in the first place because you have no idea what you are doing! This nanny state B.S. comes with a price! Upping my taxes and increasing the fees and permits and gaggles of paperwork to fill out in order for me to enjoy the wilderness where I live!
You want the wilderness? Great! Just know what the ultimate sacrifice could be and be prepared to cash in your chips. Too many people are wandering around out there with the false sense of security of these technologies and when something goes awry, blame the wilderness and make rules and laws for everyone to follow so noone gets hurt! It's not a theme park with hand rails people!
Survival in the wilderness is your responsibility and noone else's! You want to come out and play? Know what that can mean and don't count on help with the push of a button! Want to live like the pioneers? Great! Just leave a note telling the hard working honest folks at SAR with families that you understand what "wilderness" means (or that you want to go out like Chris McDumbass) and let nature run her course.
<Ok, I feel a bit better>
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