Preparing for the Wildlife
Hi folks,
I'm Gismaro. I live in the Netherlands and I am an extreme nature lover. Its really a passion I have and it awakes my cravings of living in the wilds.
Sadly enough, here in The Netherlands we don't have big landscapes where you can just live and go.
To kinda inform you on my idea: my plan is to leave society and just start living the way I am supposed to live. See the world, travel by foot (maybe lift if near a road) and really survive off the land. Includes making shelter, finding food, finding water and keeping my mental power up and running.
Preparing for a big decision like this is not really hard for me, because I have been/and still am taking Survival classes every month. I go outdoors a lot, to Belgium, Norway and France and just live for a week or so in the wilds.
Now, I've been thinking about The United States. I really want to start in the US, because there is so much to see. From the Louisana Swamp to the cold Alaska. Personally I've really wanted to see the US landscapes and live in it.
The only concern I have is moving to the US. I know there are a lot of possibilities to live in the US. But I don't need a house, a car and probably no health insurance, etc. I might sound crazy, but I hope you can see it through my perspective.
When I move to the US, I know I'm gonna have a lot of stuff to pay.
But is it possible to move to the US and live in the wilds? Are there gonna be millions of bills waiting for me? (Not that I'm planning to go back) But I really don't wanna catch a felony and be wanted.
So, can anyone answer my question if its even possible to switch countries and pursue this dream? Or do I need to live under society forever with no other option?
Not sure if I'm at the right spot for this question. But I've been trying to find an answer for days now.
So I hope some one can help me out a bit.
Thanks,
Gismaro
Good idea, more to consider
Times have changes and laws have multiplied but "were there is a will there is a way" Gismaro. About 130 years ago my grandfather immigrated from Germany to the USA. He worked for the Railroads to see the country, down to Texas, Dakotas out west, spent very little time in the East. He homesteaded in N-Dakota, sold it as dust bowl began. Homesteaded 2nd time in Alberta. He was born in 1865, my father 1915, me 1964 we have a tradition of much adventure before marriage.
But my advice for you is to consider a job as a wilderness adventure guide out in Western USA or Canada (easier immigration laws), check out as much different wilderness (as you suggested) getting paid to do it. I.e. in Canadian or Alaskan National Parks during the summer and in Texas, Louisiana, Florida etc during the winter car pool cheaply between. Something like that might workout. Also a ranch worker in TX, OK, NM, Arizona, California, NV etc. Pay is very low but the adventure is great. One day a week off offers great hikes, perhaps a week off after long 15 hour work days and you can hike deep into the nearby wilderness. Just ideas to consider.
I also had a friend from Germany who started a ranch with cattle, pigs and chocolate beans etc in the Amazon Rain forest. He was a self styled Marlboro man. Died of lung cancer unfortunately. He and I slaughtered pigs together speaking Portuguese in a thick German accent thru the tube in his throat. Good memories. These adventures will remain with you forever.
BTW I have a relative whose family does horse packing trips into Yellowstone National Park. They probably do not need to hire any new workers but that would be fun job. But hard work.
Edit: Bus and Train transportation service in the USA is generally very poor compared to Europe and most of the rest of the world were it is typically reliable and affordable. I recommend car pooling or ride sharing with people you meet and work with. One caveat to that is that rural areas of Brazil and Nigeria were I could once travel by bus safely are now often held up by armed bandits, so I would not recommend surface travel in a growing number of 3rd world places but N.A. is mostly very safe, but Buses are not economical or very safe in the USA. I almost got arrested for loitering at a station in Phoenix, AZ that was closed when the bus dropped me there. This would NEVER happen in Europe or S.A.
few months to earn $, few months of adventure, repeat
My cousins's youngest son (in his 20's) is continuing our family tradition the best. He is a highly skilled welder. He works for several months of the year, many hours a day in the Edmonton, Alberta area (petroleum industry) then spends the rest of the year traveling very inexpensively around the world surfing. Wherever he goes he stays with other surfers, buys a used board from a surfer leaving and "lives the life". Can also make some money teaching tourists how to surf or taking them on little day adventures. Search coolworks.com and other online places for job opportunities. Jobs in Alaska, North Dakota Petroleum fields, Midland, TX, Alberta, CA are great but "cost of living" is high so learn to live very simply. Spend on adventure not stuff which only slows you down.
Native American reservation with special access to wilderness, job of a lifetime
As a kid my next door neighbors were 2nd/3rd generation Dutch Canadians. (3 blonde girls about my age). They spent most of their non-school year living in a remote area with the "Canela" people who had "adopted" them. No electricity or running water/plumbing etc, mostly wild game and fish to eat, lots of rice with some beans if you were lucky. Two of the girls and their parents now live about an hour west of Edmonton, AB. I occasionally get up there to visit. The father is an excellent canoe paddler, very intellectual/academic but also a good outdoorsman.
Photo of the indigenous Canela with their favorite sport, a relay race: http://anthropology.si.edu/canela/photos/lograce.jpg
So my suggestion is to find a job working on an Native American reservation and possibly get access to fantastic land not accessible to most Americans. I have lived in remote parts of the Amazon were most Brazilians are to allowed to go, access is strictly forbidden.
