Living in the woods, surrounded by nature, is a fantasy of many city dwellers. The daily grind, having to deal with traffic, crime, pollution … it is easy to romantically imagine a more peaceful life. Through careful planning and not without sacrifice, living in the woods can be an achievable dream. And soon an attainable reality.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Devise a Plan
Step 1. Decide where and how you want to live
How far do you want to go into the woods? Think of the answer in both geographic and philosophical terms. If you do not consider the proximity to the urban fabric a problem, you can live surrounded by nature while retaining some of the city comforts. Usually you can have electricity at home and connect to rural water pipes. A short drive and you can be at work, earning money which is not at all easy to escape. Or maybe you were thinking of something a little more intense?
- This lifestyle continues to keep you tied to the System; however, it offers most people enough respite to be happy. Others cannot find happiness simply by passing through the suburbs. They want to move further out of the chaos, and live deeper in the woods.
- As for North America, great places to get in touch with nature are British Columbia, the Northwest on the Pacific Ocean, and the great expanses such as Montana. In Italy, just follow the mountain slopes, the hinterland, or in general the tide of towns and villages far from the big cities. But make sure you are close to the water! Your decision depends entirely on what you have in mind and what type of climate you are looking for.
Step 2. If you want to live deeper in the woods, plan ahead
So many of us take modern conveniences for granted. We turn the tap and the water comes out. Do you want light? Hit a switch. Do you want warmth? Turn on the radiators. We forget how easy it has become. While paying for them monthly can be a challenge, having a well and installing solar panels and wind turbines require a substantial upfront investment that many simply cannot afford. Wood heating is one of the options, but chopping wood is a very tiring job, even in terms of time, and would likely lead anyone to look back with nostalgia for the days when they paid for heating. So plan what you need! It will help you decide where and how you want to live.
Do you want to live in a mountain cabin or pitch your tent and live by the light of an oil lamp? Is the place you have in mind suitable all year round or does it freeze in winter? What about periods of rain and other possible dangers? How much effort are you going to dedicate to us?
Step 3. Learn the laws
Most of the areas you might want to live in already belong to someone (private or public). If you want to do things legally, you have to buy land. However, there are camping season passes that you can get in most states, which can also give you an idea of this lifestyle. Then there is squatting - but you could get yourself in pretty serious trouble. Learn the laws in your area and consider the consequences of your actions before doing anything you may regret.
Step 4. Consider the idea of being part of some kind of community
If you really want to live deep in the woods, you really need a community. Not just for your health, but just to make it doable. Sharing expenses is the only way most people manage to afford the high initial costs of living as far away from the chaos of the city as possible. Buying the land, building materials, solar panels, digging a well, are all very expensive activities. Even if you planned to live in a sleeping bag and feed on nuts, a community would help you stay healthy - even if it were only two or three people!
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Do you want to find communities that are already doing this? "Three Rivers Recreation Area" near Bend, Oregon; "Breitenbush" near Salem, Oregon; “Dancing Rabbit” in Missouri; “Twin Oaks” in Virginia; "Earthhaven" in North Carolina; “Greater World Community” near Taos, New Mexico, and “Arcosanti Ecovillage” in Arizona are all well established communities far from traditional circuits. In Italy the most famous is the Community of the Elves, on the Pistoiese Apennines.
Don't try to travel alone in the woods. Even if I managed to survive miraculously, it would not be a kind of existence that could be endured for long. We need human interaction to avoid going crazy. Isolation is the ultimate punishment, reserved for our worst prisoners, and it almost inevitably leads them to madness. There are stories of mountain hermits in Alaska who travel weeks to another's cabin and sometimes sit, saying nothing for a whole day, forgetting how to converse, but always longing to be in the company of another human being.. Unless you want to be a hermit, of course
Step 5. Don't blow your bridges
It's not a good idea, when you're on this life mission in the woods, to call your mom or your boss and tell them a thing or two about where they can get their lives, and then announce your departure to the woods. Whatever relationship you are thinking of leaving, do it with common sense. You may need it in the future.
Tell your plans to anyone you love, or who loves you. Explain the reasons as logically as possible. Most of them won't support you, many probably won't understand, and that's okay, they don't need to understand. But they deserve the privilege of knowing and not caring about you
Method 2 of 3: Be Properly Prepared
Step 1. First, try temporarily
Capitalism has a tendency to bite us in the neck and make us swear that "We would be much better off living in the woods!" Sure, society oppresses you, the materialism of every inch of this world breaks your heart, but try for a short time first. For real. You wouldn't buy a house without seeing it first, would you? You wouldn't marry a stranger. You wouldn't buy a car without trying it first, would you? So give it a try. There is always the possibility that you hate it. Or may one month be enough!
Remember those camping season passes that was mentioned? Those are perfect for trying. Just, instead of using the camper, go there in a tent, a sleeping bag, a jar of peanut butter and a fishing net. How long can you hold out? How long is your happiness? If you like it, go home, refuel all year round, and come back there. No damage, no pain
Step 2. Use summer and fall to your advantage
You know when Napoleon attacked Russia in the winter and the Russians told him: "Good luck, friend!"? Don't be like Napoleon. When the weather is good, refuel. Collect supplies (be it canned food or nuts to bury for the winter), gather the wood, take your blankets and snow gear, and get ready for the toughest months. When winter comes, you can sit in the tent sipping pine-needle tea and reading Emerson.
Also, use summer and fall to train your skills. You will need to know how to place traps, sharpen knives, hunt and gather, preserve meat, recognize plants, perform first aid practices, light a fire and fish (fly, net and normal), just to get started
Step 3. Gather supplies
Seeing her in the long run, there will be times when Mother Nature won't be so kind to you. There will likely be storms (or droughts), snow, wind, fires and ice to counter. Make sure you are ready for anything! Here is a short list of things you will need to get started:
- Heavy layers, boots, long underwear, gloves, hats, scarves.
- More tents and blankets, including a thermal blanket (extremely reflective Mylar - excellent against the elements and hypothermia).
- Matches, a steel match, bait and flints, in order to make the fire easier to light in cold and humid periods.
- Flashlight, lantern, spare batteries, radio, whistle.
- First aid kits, medicines, antiseptics, water purification tablets.
- Tools, rope, knives, ropes, waterproof containers.
Step 4. Take it seriously
It's not a joke. Living in the woods is dangerous and many have not made it out alive. If you intend to do this for an extended period, what comforts of civilization do you want to stick to? It's not a shame to have a cup to drink from, you know. Consider the following:
- Camping stove.
- Dried, canned or other foods (carbohydrates are a good idea).
- Glasses, cutlery, plates, pots, pans.
- Radio, walkie-talkies.
- Books and other entertainment.
Step 5. Read about the art of forestry
If I abandoned most of the people in the woods, they would die in a couple of days - maybe even less. But if you read and find out what you can use to your advantage when it comes to flora and fauna (birch wood is good both as a bed and for building a shelter!), Life will be much more interesting and easier. And you won't end up gnawing on one of those poisonous berries for dinner.
- If you think the capitalist world is cruel, the woods can be equally terrifying, if not more so. There are saplings that hide hives, plants that are poisonous only when they are raw, bushes with delicious berries but leaves that will give you diarrhea, not counting the trees, the soil and the animals. So dive into the books!
- Mors Kochanski's "Bushcraft (Outdoor Skill and Wilderness Survival)" is a great place to start and is fully available online!
Step 6. Consider the weapons
With the right licenses, having a gun isn't a bad idea. It could be useful for getting out of some situation - but be aware that it could also throw you "in" some situation. And have you thought about hunting?
Aside from that, consider investing in bear sprays and other tools to keep dangerous animals away. You don't need a gun to defend yourself, but you shouldn't rely on your bare hands either. You probably don't want to tie shards of glass to your knuckles and fight wolves in the snow, do you?
Step 7. Know the area
If there is a favor you can do for yourself, it is to learn as much as possible about the area around you. You will want to be close to the water, where you are safe (against nosy forest guards or bears, as the case may be), and you want to be well aware of what you have available. Of course, you can learn it gradually, but since you are free to "choose" where to go, you might as well choose the best place.
Don't forget map and compass. You will get lost. You will wonder where that cave was. You may even decide that you have had enough and that it is appropriate to retrace the 16 km that separate you from the highway. Who knows? Keep them handy for when you need them. You know how to use a compass, right?
Method 3 of 3: Living in the Woods
Step 1. Build a safe haven
This part is up to you: Do you want a log cabin or do you feel more comfortable pitching a tent? What can you build to use the sun, the trees, that is not an eyesore and that can withstand the elements? And what is the best place to settle down?
There are dozens of ways to pitch a tent. Before settling for a canopy, spend a little more time on wikiHow. There is something for everyone: WikiHow Camping
Step 2. Learn survival techniques
You're not camping for a week, spending most of your time floating on a river while sipping lemonade. You seriously need specific skills, this being your life 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You need to feed yourself, stay warm and above all keep yourself clean, but not only.
Step 3. Maintain hygiene
When it comes to defecating in the woods (we put it in because you know it occurred to you), you essentially have two options: do it where and how it happens, or develop a long-term system. Did you know that there is a compostable toilet where you can use the waste to fertilize the soil? If you decide to stay there for a long time, you might as well make the world a better place!
- While you can try the traditional "ditch" latrine, there is also the option of a regular camping toilet. Man, with all your free time, you might even develop your own system.
- And then there is the washing. There should be a river nearby, right? Aside from drinking water, it's also a good thing when your stench doesn't make you freak out. But if for some terrible reason there is no chance, you can always build a steam bath. It is very similar to an outdoor sauna. It will in all likelihood be a trend for city dwellers in a couple of years!
Step 4. Consider the idea of living close to something urban
While you may think of the relief from wild life as a defeat, it can be very beneficial to live 15km from a gas pump. If you're dying, or just need an actual bath, or would kill for a pack of jerky, it can be a godsend. Or if you live more or less close to a country, you can go there once every 2 months to stock up on a couple of basic products. It doesn't hurt anyone, your energy footprint is already marginal compared to ours!
If it is something that interests you, you may need a means of transport. A bicycle makes a lot of sense, although a motorcycle or moped can be just as useful. Just know that this is one more thing you need to know how to deal with. If you choose this route, familiarize yourself with the operation of your vehicle. You should be his master - not the other way around
Step 5. Consider the next step
If you plan to stay there for a while, why not go up a step? Get out of the box and get your own sustainable energy and personal lifestyle. It will take some money, but think about installing solar panels in your home (or using wind energy), digging a well and septic tank, using a generator, composting, and heck, opening a farm!
This is what the communities mentioned earlier are doing, but you can absolutely do it on your own. You are already about to be "green"; why not clear your energy footprint by providing everything yourself - literally "everything" - what you need? You don't have a full-time job to blame, do you? Someone will have to make up for all of us. And think about how rewarding it can be to harness your energy and produce all your own food. Wow
Step 6. Find yourself a job
You will probably want to do something in your spare time, right? Many "revolutionaries" make soaps and lotions, create fabrics, blankets, etc. from the fur of animals, they inlay wood, produce tea, syrups, and engage in other hobbies involving nature. You may even make some money if that appeals to you. Whether it's for profit or just for you, having an art is a very good thing, which allows you to realize yourself.
Step 7. Always do what's best for you
Living in the woods is a huge undertaking. Even doing it a couple of days is not to be underestimated. It can also lead a person to go too far into their mind and go crazy. You may realize you don't know who you are, what this thing called life is, or what to do with yourself. It could be infinitely more creepy than you imagine - or it could be so liberating that you wonder why you didn't think about it before.
In any case, always worry about your mental health. People will question your sanity, and even you may have doubts, but if you are happy, move on. Stay safe, warm, healthy, and fight to live the life you dream of. Whatever it is
Advice
- The most important part is the planning. The considerations are so many that they fill an encyclopedia. Planning the purchase of the land, legal documents to fill out, transportation, construction, water, energy, food and yes, even a source of income. You may not need a traditional job, but you will still need at least some money. Property taxes will always have to be paid, and some bills and services will have to be paid for in cash. Unfortunately, no one lives completely free from the god of money anymore. The better you plan, the better your chances of success will be.
- Watch the documentary entitled The Garbage Warrior, to see how a group of people can efficiently share the resources, and the work, to build a utopian society completely outside conventional systems. The man who runs the community is Michael Reynolds, a radically innovative architect who uses renewable energy, and builds with recyclable materials, creating what he calls "Ships of the Earth". They are completely self-sufficient, without being connected to gas, electricity, water or sewers. It is truly amazing!
