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sounds like an experience
have you ever spent time alone...in the woods
its not as easy and as fun as you might expect
i hope you do make this happen
id be very interested to read your journal
what part of the country are you thinking
why not hike the john muir trail
you can have all the solitude you like and
when you get tired of yourself you can have fun with us
Pathfinder, what kind of experience do you have doing this sort of thing? It seems like some people are giving advice like you had never gone on even a single backpacking trip, and others are telling you how to survive on your own totallly bereft of human contact for the rest of your life. If you are going to be way out on the wilderness with no contact, you should ahve a good amount of experience with smaller scale backpacking trips, and you will need experience with fishing, hunting, trapping, edible plants, etc.
Personally, I'm not that interested in a full blown survivalist experience, unless it is the stranded-on-a-tropical-island variety, preferrably the Mysterious Island of Beaturiful Women. Wilderness is great, but total solitude gets old after awhile --- it's ok for some time, but it gets old. And completely relying on catching/finding your own food also gets very old very quickly --- most people have no idea how much work it is every day.
So no survivalist trips for me; however, I do have a lot of backpacking experience, and I would like to some day do something like what freindowl was talking about --- one of the long trail treks, like the John Muir, or Pacific Crest or Appalachian trail.
7-18-08...jmt
I have a job that I absolutely hate, and I have zero desire to remain at this job for the rest of my life. I'm planning a career change. After I leave my current job, and before I start a new one, I'm a free man.Quote:
Originally Posted by 4.2O
The only family I have worth mentioning is my 15 year old. But he lives half way across the country from me and I never get to see him anyways.
There's really nothing here for me to miss. The solitude won't bother me at all. I've been groomed for it my whole life. I've always been the outsider, always been alone. Loneliness is the very least of my concerns.
what part of the country are you thinking of exploring
I still haven't made a definite decision as to location. Here is one prospect:Quote:
Originally Posted by friendowl
YouTube - Ray Mears' Extreme Survival - The Rocky Mountains 1of3
Thanks for that link, I think I like Ray Mears better than Bear Grylls and Les Stroud. This is really cool. Teaches you exactly what you have to know that's most important, and nothing more. And the music is great!
Ray Mears is awesome. Thank goodness for YouTube or those of us in the U.S. would never get to see his show. I like Les Stroud, too. Bear Grylls, however, is the pro-wrestling version of survival shows.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghengis Chron
Yeah I actually like Les Stroud too. Bear Grylls is O.K, I don't see any problem in staying in a hotel or whatever he did, the point is to prepare people to the extremes. Les and Ray are more realistic though.
haha been their done that
pathfinder,
I was harsh on ya in my post, stupid of me, I just don thin we are equipt to live in the wild, yes thats the way our ancestors lived but, life expectancy was at 30 years old then
anyway
I apologise ~
Go west young man, take care of yourself, watch for accidents,
dont overdo it, notify your loved ones where you are, and if you ever feel the need to come back to us, you will be welcomed with open arms
or stop and get me we'll run off together ~~
lol!
good luck !;)
Jeez, why the hostility, man?Quote:
Originally Posted by Pathfinder
Anyways, I'm entirely jealous of you. I'd love to do that someday! :thumbsup:
i saw that you hadn't decided yet on a previous post. have you decided yet on the general area? rockies? pacific northwest? canada? alaska? where you are going is going to dictate what you need. how long? i dunno about open time frame. you may want to have some time frame once you decide on a place. just things to think about.
Water filter kit + iodine tablets (or similar). Extra Nalgene bottles or a big Camelpak.
BRING THE SLEEPING BAG - it's not optional when it gets cold. And it gets cold often, no matter where you are, at night. Same goes for the tent - it's optional if you're staying a weekend, not so much if you're staying for a month. Soaking wet hypothermia is no fun and is bad for an extended length of time.
I might recommend a big hunting knife instead of the multitool but that's up to you. Make sure the knife on your multitool is plenty big. If you do have a multitool I'd make sure it had tweezers. Splinters are hard to remove with only a knife and dirty fingers.
Matches, good hard wood strike-anywhere matches in a WATERPROOF container. Your Bic lighters should also be in a waterproof container.
First aid kit should include antibiotic ointment, an ace bandage, and if desired things like scalpels, tweezers, etc - you can find lists online of recommended camping first aid kit items.
Extra T-shirts - you can rip them up for use as bandages if, God forbid, you injure yourself severely. You'll be glad to always have dry clothes and extra layers, and you can use them to tie things with or as a pillow, etc.
Sandpaper. You'll be surprised when it will come in handy. File your fingernails if you break one, smooth out a whittled end of stick, whatever. It weighs basically nothing and can be useful.
One lightweight pan for cooking food, if desired. Do not bring utensils - you'll be using chopsticks au naturel.
Topo map + a good compass in a waterproof padded pouch. Don't get lost.
I understand the purists among us will scoff at some of these suggestions, but if I were staying a month, I'd want to be comfortable. The point, for me, is to enjoy the woods and get in touch with my survival instincts, not to test my mettle or inconvenience myself beyond reason. Others may feel differently.
Lots of confidence is all you need in reality, but like others said I wouldn't mind be comfortable and making life in the woods a little easier with what everyone else said.
I saw the movie "Into the wild"
why dint he just go to McDonalds? instead of crawling around on the dirt for roots and plants, jeezz
I thought the epic was of one wif a self destructive personality
May Chris Mccandless rest in peace
We are coming up on one year. Did Pathfinder's trip ever happen? Is Pathfinder still out there in the wilderness? Did Pathfinder survive? Should we send a search party?
Did this John Muir Trail trip happen? I'm interested in doing that next summer. I am also considering doing the Tahoe Rim Trail first. JMT is about 220 miles, and TRT is 165. So they are both long thru-hikes, and the terrain is similar. But TRT crosses into civilization now and then along the way, so you have more options for resupplying, and you can get a shower every week or so. Or you can even just duck out of the whole deal if it is not working out.Quote:
Originally Posted by friendowl
I'd be interested in hearing about it if Friendowl or any of his associates are still around. Or if anyone else has done the JMT, TRT, PCT or AT, I'd like to hear about it.
Dude...you're fucking stupid. Shut up. Thats such a sick idea man it will be a crazy adventure that not everyone gets to have. You need a lot of tree for the trip haha you need to add a 1lb of marijuana on your list of things to pack.Quote:
Originally Posted by silkyblue
also in to know if hes gone on his trip. one place you guys should also look into is the theodore roosevelt national park in medora north dakota. the sunrise on this badlands is amazing, and not to mention all the wildlife. the Maah Daah Hey Trail is a 100 mile long trail, i got to walk half of it one summer, something i wouldnt mind doing again with some herb
living of the land is alittle extreme for me. I enjoy being in the back country as well but i like to keep it on designated trails with a pack of food and emergency supplies. i looked at your list and a tent and sleeping bag would be something that i would diffenetly carry. If you dont want a tent you can carry a emergency bivy and sleep in it but i like the comfort of my tent, plus you can hotbox lol. just keep your supplies light try to buy things they hae multiple functions. you may have to spend extra doe to get the lighter stuff but your feet and back will thank you. also plenty of energy bars and a couple simple soup supplies make the experience much better
forgot to mention i started a thread hiking stoned. check it out share some info