Considering living in the woods

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I'm in Prospect Oregon, perfect place. My daughter stays with me 2 weeks a month and I get a rare visit from family once a month, otherwise I'm alone up here. It's only been 4 months but I've never felt like myself until living out here. There are lots of waterfalls, streams, and lakes that I photograph so I do encounter people .. but I keep my distance. My daughter is 3 and she loves it as well, she hates going back to town with her mother but she does gets that much needed social interaction.

My situation isn't survival though. I go shopping, have a nice (to me) old house, and internet to help pay bills.

When I moved in I was going to start a small garden, but bugs ate my plants as soon as they sprouted. So now I need a greenhouse. I was also planning on getting chickens (still am) but I spotted a coyote a few times early in the morning near the house. So they will need a good coupe and will be free range during the day. I would hate to depend on crops and animals, or foraging/hunting. You never know what's going to happen.

In a short time I went from eating crappy packaged food and spending a fortune on groceries to buying basic supplies and cooking better food for 1/3 the price. I bought a breadmaker which is the most amazing creation ever, so I can bake whatever type of bread I want for the week. I stopped drinking soda and only drink coffee, juice, and water. I still have the same amount of money for groceries, but living more simple just made things more clear. It wasn't a conscious effort, everything just came together once I got away from people.

I bet, myself living alone is what normal people feel like every day in their busy little lives.

If you really feel the need and have the means to do so, I would suggest it. Just have a backup plan if you really mean to go full survival mode.

I'd love to do that. Unfortunately, I'm not yet old enough to be allowed.

Don't sdtrive for self sufficinecy straight out. Go for what's easiest, such as food and water, possibly electricty if you don't use much. If you have a job, you should be fine. If you don't, you'll have to find others who share the same ideals and trade . Or do freelance work, the easier option by far.

Don't listen to people who would discourage you. Books are good. Low expectations are good. A lot of camping in isolated places will give you the feel of what you are craving. If you are like me, the time you spend in isolated places will heal and nourish your spirit. You will undoubtedly thrive. Any carpentry skills you have or can develop will be a plus. When you live on your own land there are always things you want or need to build.

You will find there is much you can do without, much that is not essential to life. And there is much that people do without in the cities, that is extremely essential to their health and well-being. Some know it. Most do not. When you are alone in nature you will find out how essential a peaceful heart is---not just to your happiness, but to your health and survival as well.

From the sound of your post, you have no choice but to follow your heart. I did and have to tell you, there was really no other way for me. While living among people I was constantly miserable. After getting away from them, I found peace and serenity and happiness and healing. I don't require much except to be left alone.

I may be different from some of the others who responded. In my case I need nature and the divine sounds of a peaceful setting are the best music to my ears, trees, quiet, solitude, animals both domesticated and wild, and clean fresh air and water. These are the things that actually keep me alive and happy at the deepest level. I rarely need people for socializing with. The people I do need, I need for their professional skills or because of the job they do-- store clerks, mechanics, plumbers, etc.

Like you, I had a dream. I worked very hard to make it happen, and one day it came true for me. I did fail at producing my own food but only because the gophers got 80% of what I was going to harvest. The peas were fantastic and there was one spectacular pumpkin which I nurtured in a cold frame the last 6 weeks. Even though I didn't get much food, the experience of planting and tending my garden was worth more than I can possibly express. It was heaven on earth. If I had been feeding myself rather than the gophers--it would have been an added bonus. I knew from the get-go it was a gamble. And I'd had 3 or 4 prior gardens so I knew a little what was involved.

Depending on where you are, winters can be hard and a little depressing. But when compared with the alternative, they are also sublime and restorative. Everything is so obviously connected together when you get out of the city and away from people. If you live among trees, you develop an enormous respect for them. Trees require winter in order to survive. The cool or cold weather, the snow or rain. The misty overcast foggy days. This weather is what make the trees thrive so they are strong and healthy and don't fall over on you and your house or get rot and infestation. So putting up with winter is easier when you see how everything works together. There is a positive energy you become part of. You only take the minimum of what you need. Respect and give back to the natural system that heals, energizes, restores and makes you happy. Take care of it, love it and protect it.

When wild animals come up near your home and sleep on your land and almost seem to enjoy being a little close to you-----I'll tell you, there is no other blessing this world can offer that would even remotely compare. As for hunting them, well to each his own. I would rather not. These creatures are too precious. For me? It's like my life depends on them--in terms of the bond and trust and silent communication between us. That unspoken friendship is more powerful than anything I have ever known.

My life and lifestyle depends upon the interconnectedness of this sacred land. I tread as lightly as I can and honor every moment.

Perhaps this movie can inspire you: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1200259/ - The man who lives with bears. He lives half the year in a cabin in Alaska with bears. I found it one of the most fascinating documentaries I've ever watched. You can easily find the movie on torrent sites.

I like the idea of foraging and being away from chaos, but I don't think I could ever actually do it. For one thing, I'm allergic to pollen...and raw fruit. And the idea of not having lockable doors scares me.

I've got 16 acres of neglected property and a very neglected house. I'm just outside of suburbia in a small town, so there are shops. Tank water and septic, but i get garbage collected which is one less thing ya gotta do. It's rather daunting at my age (only been here 18 months) when you have no experience, but it's kinda addictive too.

The wallabies eat everything that isn't inside a cage, but they keep lawn cropped too which saves me mowing it. I'm just stumbling my way through 'rural' life.

Hahaha, hey, this post reminds me a lot of this forum: http://www.survivalistboards.com/ are you a member? It's kind of cool, but also populated with 90% crazy paranoid right-wing conspiracy-theorists. No offense if you are one, it's a fun and interesting place. (I just joined because I wanted to learn wilderness skillz..)

Anyway, living in the woods would be pretty awesome. I really want to build a house like this: http://www.simondale.net/house/

I would love to do this. I have dreamed about doing this since I was young. Good luck to you.

This has always been a passion/dream of mine I've always wanted to retreat to the middle of Perthshire, except I think I would rather blend cutting-edge and self-sufficiency, so I'd have a wind turbine and solar panels to provide all the power I need, clean and off the grid, and have a satellite so I've still got broadband, while also growing my own seasonal veg and keeping some chickens etc...plus where I want to stay despite being quite remote is only about an hour's drive from a large town with shops/hospitals etc.....going completely 'wild' living a full hunter-gatherer life would just be too difficult for my partner and I, beside she has MS so we can't stray that far from civilization and medical care.

Best of luck if you decide to pursue it, any time I'm in a natural surrounding I feel the deepest sense of peace and contentment, so to live that would be wonderful.

...Somethimes it could appeal to me , but a part of me wants to listed to music , have media ...After being homeless so much of the time for so many years I , however , am cut off from much/most media , even in the middle of a big city .
So , presumably I've achived Nirvana and I'm morally superior to all of you !
Give me money ! !! !! !! !!