Living Off The Land Permanently

[crashdive123]

Inquiring minds want to know.

[BENESSE]

I'm loving this.
Sounds like a bunch of women trying to figure out a soap opera plot.

[klkak]

I'm loving this.
Sounds like a bunch of women trying to figure out a soap opera plot.

Benesse, I'm just trying to understand what he is all about. Every time he opens his mouth his story get grander and grander. If he'd have kept his story simple and straight every time he told it there would be no question about its validity.

You can ask any of my good friends and they will tell you that I can really embellish a story. The difference is I tell the story the same way every time and my stories are based in truth.

For instance, the first bear I ever hunted in Alaska. I only tell the embellished story when my best friend and trapping partner Richard is present as he was the night I shot the bear. I tell the story of this 400 pound wounded black bear charging me and I having to shoot the bear at a mere 10 feet. Then Richard elaborates by including the fact that the bear was the skinniest bear he'd ever seen and at the time it charged me it was a paraplegic because the first time I shot it I clipped its spine.

When I broke my leg in Sept of 2006 I let people know that I yelled a manly yell with a touch of wounded beast in my tone. AKS who was with me says it was more like a little girl or something like that.

Maybe ND should write down his story and leave it next to his computer so that any time someone asks him a question or he decides to make a comment with a reference to his Alaska wilderness home, he can refer to his notes.

[BENESSE]

Benesse, I'm just trying to understand what he is all about. Every time he opens his mouth his story get grander and grander. If he'd have kept his story simple and straight every time he told it there would be no question about its validity.

You can ask any of my good friends and they will tell you that I can really embellish a story. The difference is I tell the story the same way every time and my stories are based in truth.

For instance, the first bear I ever hunted in Alaska. I only tell the embellished story when my best friend and trapping partner Richard is present as he was the night I shot the bear. I tell the story of this 400 pound wounded black bear charging me and I having to shoot the bear at a mere 10 feet. Then Richard elaborates by including the fact that the bear was the skinniest bear he'd ever seen and at the time it charged me it was a paraplegic because the first time I shot it I clipped its spine.

When I broke my leg in Sept of 2006 I let people know that I yelled a manly yell with a touch of wounded beast in my tone. AKS who was with me says it was more like a little girl or something like that.

Maybe ND should write down his story and leave it next to his computer so that any time someone asks him a question or he decides to make a comment with a reference to Alaska wilderness home he can refer to his notes.

This is my first and only forum participation so I concede that I might be a bit naive.
What they tell kids about the internet is you can't believe everything you read, and people aren't what they portray themselves to be.
If one accepts that, then there's nothing to get aflutter about.

As long as ND doesn't talk about something that could be potentially dangerous, cause harm or cause people to do the wrong thing (don't believe he has)
what diff. does it make where he lives or what kind of box he's got burred in his yard?
His inconsistencies aren't really about anything vital and although they may be disappointing to a few people, they don't take away from a lot of useful info he shared with us.

Maybe he is trying to protect the place where he lives and is purposely giving conflicting info.
Maybe he is trying to impress all of you knuckleheads and BMOC.
Maybe he's just having fun. Look how much commotion all this caused?
Who knows?

It just seems funny to me that y'all should care so much.

[Sourdough]

People are going to be really miffed, when thay get to Hope, Alaska for the Jamboree, and discover that "Sourdough" is really a well read, little girl in NYC......

[crashdive123]

This is my first and only forum participation so I concede that I might be a bit naive.
What they tell kids about the internet is you can't believe everything you read, and people aren't what they portray themselves to be.
If one accepts that, then there's nothing to get aflutter about.

As long as ND doesn't talk about something that could be potentially dangerous, cause harm or cause people to do the wrong thing (don't believe he has)
what diff. does it make where he lives or what kind of box he's got burred in his yard?
His inconsistencies aren't really about anything vital and although they may be disappointing to a few people, they don't take away from a lot of useful info he shared with us.

Maybe he is trying to protect the place where he lives and is purposely giving conflicting info.
Maybe he is trying to impress all of you knuckleheads and BMOC.
Maybe he's just having fun. Look how much commotion all this caused?
Who knows?

It just seems funny to me that y'all should care so much.

Here's why I believe that it matters. In addition to the fun that we have, we do exchange a lot of information. If somebody is getting their information from books, movies, and other sources - does that make it any less valid? Of course not. However, a lot of weight is given to experience. When somebody with "boots in the field" experience contradicts what somebody posts (that they read about), most will weigh the experience much more heavily. If somebody that by most accounts is the living embodiment of wilderness experience and 1) offers advice or 2) discredits the advice of others - that will most often carry a lot of weight. If it is discovered that the life experiences were all BS in an effort to (pick what ever fits):
Stroke his ego
Replace some boredom
Drum up business for his school
Drive people to his forum that has 8 members
or some other intent
Then people should know. Here's another example. Wild edibles. I think that everybody is in agreement that for the inexperienced (like me) they could present a danger. Wareagle has devoted a lot of time to studying them. He has often offered some great advice about them, some of which may contradict some published reports. If it is revealed that his experience was all in his mind - then what? It would be no different than somebody on the forum posing as a medical professional and offering advice - only to find out later that he/she just purchased their a first aid book for the first time. As you say - if the information won't cause harm, it may not matter - but for many - credibility and integrity mean a lot - at least they do to me.

[Winnie]

What Crash said. In a strictly social forum I doubt it would matter if the stories were embellished or advice offered were wrong. However this forum as well as being a friends/social forum also offers advice and experience in what could possibly be a dangerous situation. We get a lot of youngters who have little life skills and may take these little nuggets literally and get themselves into trouble. Just my two pennies worth.

[BENESSE]

All good points crash, don't disagree with anything you said.

Thank god for you guys (boots in the field) or else I wouldn't know if, or to what extent ND was bs-ing.
My antennae didn't pick up anything problematic on matters I was particularly interested in
which was only a portion of what he was talking about.
I tend to triple check everything that is of vital interest to me no matter where it comes from (professional force of habit),
but younger members/kids are more impressionable so I understand the concern.

Hopefully ND will come back and explain himself.

[Winnie]

All good points crash, don't disagree with anything you said.

Thank god for you guys (boots in the field) or else I wouldn't know if, or to what extent ND was bs-ing.
My antennae didn't pick up anything problematic on matters I was particularly interested in

Me either Bee. I've learned a valuable lesson though.

[Rick]

Stay with me on this one, Klkak.

First, you hook your tow rope from the canoe to the plane.

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Then make very certain you don't paddle too fast.

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

or get a plane that's too bloody big.

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

And don't leave too early.

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

And if you hear the engine fire up while you're pulling it....paddle brother, paddle.

Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

[klkak]

So thats how he did it.......he had the plane pull him up the river. Who would have thunk it.........except "Rick" who is one sick thong wearing, Twinkie eating individual.

[Rick]

Well I never! I'm the Minister of Science. I'm supposed to know how this stuff works.

[hunter63]

Trying to tow a canoe is like pushing a peanut, especially a high ended one.

[welderguy]

Trying to tow a canoe is like pushing a peanut, especially a high ended one.

High end peanut or high end canoe?

[Rick]

High end = Tall or High end = Expensive. Details, man, details.

[crashdive123]

High end as in he smoked too much, or high end as in.............

[welderguy]

High end as in he smoked too much, or high end as in.............

Thats funny

[hunter63]

I guess I should have said swept up ends, rather then the square backed or low end-ed style.
The "cool" looking canoes have the ends swept up to look like Birch bark canoes portrayed, in movies, pictures of Native American designed canoes.

Price doesn't have much to do with it, but then again most "High-ended" (high priced canoes, don't have a keel, and if you know what your doing you can control it just paddling. Kinda a snob factor.

The wind really blows them around if you're not balanced, or by your self.

As I thought that's what everyone was talking about, ND paddling two canoes by himself?, or paddling one towing another..... they don't tow well when tow rope is tied to the top of the front. Boots in the field(or water) observation.
As far as towing a canoe, high, y'all are on your own, LOL.

[rwc1969]

I'm not really sure what initially inspired the attack against ND, 240 miles?, but I don't like it.

But, I can see how making up a story like that or any other could have negative effects. Say for instance you are searching out a way of life that you thought wasn't possible. you find a person who tells you, and shows you it is, and get your hopes up only to find out that person is a liar. That could be very depressing to some.

I'm not saying ND was lying, but if it were true it could have long lasting and unknown effects on people, just as all lies do.

Myself, it doesn't matter because once the kids in school told me Santa didn't really exist it was all over. trust no one, and figure everything out for yourself. You can take what they say and verify it, but other than that forget about it.

If I'da believed all the stories I heard when learning to hunt and fish, or searching out mushrooms and other wild edibles I'd be dead by now or I'd at least still be bent over on some hill in KY holding a bag waiting for a snipe to run in it.

my back is sore, it's dark, are you guys sure this'll work? Guys? Guys?

[klkak]

I'm not really sure what initially inspired the attack against ND, 240 miles?, but I don't like it.

What inspired the questioning of ND's integrity is his lack of consistency when telling his story of "In to the Wild" or becoming "Grizzly Adams" or whatever.

He can't decide whether he lives 80, 100, 110, 160 or 240 miles from the nearest road or town in Alaska.

He can't decide whether his fridge is lined with "copper", "tin" or "burlap"

He claims he and a friend drove a tractor-trailer to a town in Alaska that has no roads leading to it.

He can't decide whether he met Dick Proenneke in 1994 or 1995.

Now rwc1969 whether you like it or not the man has no integrety.....None! In a community like ours here on this forum, every one of us should be held accountable by the others.

Until shown otherwise in my eyes he is nothing more then a well read "Numpty"!

I will speak no more on this subject unless ND's shows up and wishes to explain himself.