Live in the forest, in nature! Many city dwellers dream about it. When day after day you spin like a squirrel in a wheel, watching the traffic of cars, crimes and environmental pollution - you involuntarily begin to dream of a quieter life. Through proper planning and dedication, however, the dream of living in the forest can be achieved. And soon it may become a reality.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Part: Making a Plan
Step 1. Decide where and how you want to live
How do you imagine your life in the forest? Think about it both geographically and philosophically. If you are comfortable with a cottage a short drive from the city, you can live surrounded by woods and, at the same time, enjoy some of the amenities of city life. Typically, you can bring electricity to the house and connect to the rural water supply. Small trips to work in the city will help you to support yourself financially. Or is it difficult for you to imagine your life without a full-fledged job?
- This way of life binds to the system; at the same time, it also makes it possible to change the environment a little. Others cannot find happiness living in a country house. They strive to get away from the bustle of the city and live somewhere deep in the forest.
- All of North America is at your disposal. You can build your dream home in scenic locations such as British Columbia, the Pacific Northwest and the vast expanses of Montana. Just make sure there is water nearby! Your choice depends on your goal and the climate you like.
Step 2. If you want to live deep in the forest, think about energy
Many of us take modern conveniences for granted. We turn on the tap and water runs out of it. Do you need light? Click on the switch. Do you need warmth? We turn on the heater. We don't think about how easy it is for us to get it. Although it can be expensive to pay monthly for all services, drilling a well, installing solar panels and wind farms will be significantly more expensive. Heating with wood is also a good option, but it is a very time-consuming job that takes a lot of time and effort. Most likely, you will remember with longing those days when you just paid for heating. So think about energy beforehand! This will help you decide where and how you will live.
Are you planning to live in a hut in the mountains or want to pitch a tent and live by the light of an oil lamp? What climate do you prefer: temperate or with severe winters? How about heavy showers and other hazardous rainfall? How much work are you going to do?
Step 3. Familiarize yourself with the laws
Most of the areas where you would like to live are already someone's property (private or public). If you are law-abiding, then you must buy out the land. In many states, you can purchase a seasonal camping permit so you can get a taste of the lifestyle. Of course, you can live illegally in a house, but this can bring you big problems. Find out local laws and the consequences of your actions before doing anything that you later regret.
Step 4. Think about the community
If you want to live deep in the forest, you will need to communicate with someone. Not only in order to keep the mind sane, but also for the sake of communication itself. To get away from the bustle of the city as far as possible, you will need a lot of start-up capital, which is difficult to get on your own. Acquiring land, purchasing building materials, solar panels and drilling a well are all costly. But even if you plan on living in a sleeping bag and eating hazelnuts, the community will help you stay sane - even if it's just one or two people.
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Want to find communities that already live this way? Three Rivers Recreational Area near Benda, Oregon; Breitenbush near Salem, Oregon; Densing Rabbit in Missouri; Twin Oaks, Virginia; Ershavn in North Carolina; the Great World Community near Taos, New Mexico; and the Akrosanti ecovillage in Arizona. They are all autonomous communities.
Don't go to the forest alone. Even if you miraculously managed to survive in the forest alone, you will not be able to exist for a long time in such conditions. We need some kind of contact with people in order not to go crazy. Isolation from society was the harshest punishment for criminals, which almost inevitably led to insanity. Rumor has it that in the mountains of Alaska there are hermits who travel several weeks to get to the nearest hut, and sometimes they just sit together all day without saying a word, because they forgot how to communicate. But even so, they tend to be in the company of another person. I think you are not going to become a hermit
Step 5. Don't burn bridges
It's not a good idea to allow yourself to tell your relatives or boss what you think about them, and then tell them that you are going to live in the forest. You will still need them, for example, when a bear attacks your home, or you run out of last supplies of rice. If you want to cut ties with someone, do it tactfully. You may need them later.
Inform everyone who is dear to you, and everyone to whom you are dear, about your plans. Explain as logically as possible why you are doing this. Many, perhaps, will be against your decision, the majority will not understand you, and there is nothing to worry about. They don't have to understand you. But they deserve that you let them know about your decision, thereby relieving them of anxiety
Method 2 of 3: Part: Prepare Well
Step 1. First, try to live in the forest temporarily
Capitalism has already gotten some up to the throat, and forces us to lament: "It would be better if we lived somewhere in the forest!" Of course, society may have got you, and materialism pisses you off, but, nevertheless, try the temporary option first. Seriously. You don't buy a house without first examining it, right? Don't marry a stranger, right? Don't buy a car without driving it, right? So try living in the forest temporarily. Always admit the fact that you might not like this kind of life. Or it may turn out that a month will be enough for you!
Remember we mentioned seasonal camping? This is a great option. Instead of preparing your mobile home, just grab a tent, a sleeping bag, a jar of peanut butter, and a fishing net. How long can it last? How long can your happiness last? If you enjoy this life, go home, stock up for a year, and come back again. No harm, no rules
Step 2. Take advantage of summer
Remember how Napoleon attacked Russia in winter, and all the Russians said to him: "Good luck, buddy?" Don't be Napoleon. If the winter is favorable, stock up. Stock up on food (this can be canned food or nuts that you stocked up for the winter), firewood, blankets, winter gear, and get ready for the harsh months. When winter comes, you will be sitting in your tent, drinking tea from pine needles and reading Emerson.
Use the summer to improve your skills. You need to master many skills: set traps, sharpen knives, hunt and gathere, canning meat, distinguish between plants, provide first aid, light a fire, fish (for flies, with a net and a fishing rod). And this is just the beginning
Step 3. Collect the necessary supplies
If you are going on a long hike, be aware that at times nature will not be so kind to you. Heavy rainfall (or drought), snow, wind, fire and ice can overtake you. Be sure you are ready for anything! Here is a short list of things you should take with you:
- Thick clothing, boots, long underwear, gloves, hats, scarves.
- Several tents and blankets (including a thermal blanket (Mylar heat-reflecting film - will help fight hypothermia in bad weather)).
- Matches, steel sticks for producing sparks (metal matches) tinder and flint for making fire in cold or humid conditions.
- Flashlight, spare batteries, radio, whistle.
- First aid kit, medicines, antiseptics, water purification tablets.
- Tools, ropes, knives, cord, waterproof containers.
Step 4. Be realistic
It is not joke. Life in the forest is fraught with dangers, and many have not managed to survive in such conditions. If you plan to live in the forest for a long period of time, what benefits of civilization would you like to leave behind? There won't be a Thousand Little Things store where you can run for a cup. Therefore, the following things you may really need:
- Stove for hiking.
- Drying, canned food, and more (you need carbohydrates).
- Cups, cutlery, plates, pots, pans.
- Radio, walkie-talkies.
- Books and other leisure items.
Step 5. Read about forestry
Lost in the forest, most people die within a few days. Although these days, oddly enough, can be auspicious. But if you know what to use for survival when it comes to local flora and fauna (birch is good for making bedding “and” shelter!), Then life will be much more interesting and much easier. And you won't end up chewing on those poisonous berries for dinner.
- If you think the social world is cruel, then know that the forest can be just as terrible, if not worse. There are plants that can make you run into hives that are poisonous raw, and there are plants with delicious berries, but their leaves cause diarrhea, and that’s not to mention trees, soil, and animals. So get started learning!
- "Bushcraft - Field Skills and Extreme Survival" by Morse Kochanski will be of great help. Also read Homer Hasted's How to Survive in the Woods, which is available online in full!
Step 6. Think about weapons
If you get the appropriate permission, you can safely carry a gun with you. It can help you out in a difficult situation, but remember that it is because of it that you may find yourself in such a situation. Have you thought about hunting?
In addition, buy bear spray and other devices that scare away dangerous animals. You don't need to always carry a gun with you for protection, but don't rely on your bare hands either. You're not going to tie broken bottles to your palms and fight wolves in the snow, are you?
Step 7. Explore the area
If you want to help yourself, then learn more about the area in which you are going to live. You want to live near water, where it is relatively safe (away from curious foresters or grizzly bears, for example), so find out what you have at your disposal. Of course, all of this can be found on the spot, but as long as you have a choice, you can decide which location is best for you.
Don't forget to bring your map and compass. You can get lost. You can forget where that cave was. Eventually, you can change your mind and walk back ten kilometers to the highway. Who knows? Just have them handy. They will be useful to you. Learn to use a compass
Method 3 of 3: Part: Living in the Woods Is More Than Just Survival
Step 1. Build a protective shelter in the forest
Here you decide everything for yourself: do you want to build a log cabin or build a chic wooden house, or maybe it will be more comfortable for you in a tent? What structure will make it possible to profitably use the sun, trees, and also resist the elements, but not be a thorn in the eye? And in what place would it be better to build it?
There are many ways to pitch your tent. Before you do that, spend some more time on wikiHow. Read articles that might be helpful to you
Step 2. Master the technique of survival
You're not just camping out for a week, boating and drinking Mike's Hard most of the time. You need to have serious skills, because now this is your life. Of course, you will need the following knowledge:
- How to start a fire
- How to purify water
- How to set a trap
- How to make a trap
- What should be included in an extreme survival kit
- How to fish
- How to hunt
- How to take a bath in a bowl, bucket, or river
- How to make and use solar cookers
Step 3. Practice good hygiene
When it comes to feces in the forest (this question is relevant for everyone), then there are two options: walk when and how you want, or build some kind of long-term system. Do you know about such a thing as a dry closet, with which you can use waste to fertilize the earth? By sitting there for a few minutes, you can make the world a better place!
- You can make both a traditional cesspool and a stationary camping toilet. Yes, with so much free time, however, you can invent a completely new system!
- Yes, you still need to wash. Fortunately, there is a river nearby, right? In addition to providing you with drinking water, it will also help you keep your scent going crazy. But if for some terrible reason you do not have such an opportunity, you can make a steam room. It's like a sauna, only outdoors. Perhaps this will become fashionable among the townspeople in a few years.
Step 4. Consider living near a city
Although this may seem like a defeat to you, it is actually very convenient to live ten kilometers from a gas station. If you are dying of longing for a real toilet or are ready to give everything for a stick of jerky sausage, this may be a good option for you. Or, if you live in the periphery, you can travel to the city several times a month for basic food. This will not harm nature. Your footprint in ecology is already almost invisible when compared to the rest of us.
You may need some form of transportation. A bicycle is the most suitable option, although a motorcycle or moped may also have a place in your new life. Just be aware that this is another thing that you should be able to repair. If you really go this route, check out the mechanics of your transport. You must be its master - not the other way around
Step 5. Think about the arrangement
If you're going to be here for a while, why not settle down? Live autonomously and provide yourself with energy. This will cost money, but consider installing solar panels in your home (or using wind power), drilling a well, and setting up a generator-based wastewater treatment system. Start composting and finally start a farm!
This is exactly what the aforementioned ecoformations are doing. You can of course do this however you want. You almost do not harm the environment; so why not reduce your ecological footprint entirely by providing yourself with everything - literally everything you need? Of course, others harm nature full time. But someone has to pay for them ?! And imagine how nice it feels when you use your own energy and eat from the garden. Directly some kind of Greenpeace
Step 6. Master a craft
You want to do something, right? Many autonomous settlers make their own soaps and lotions, fabrics, blankets, etc. from animal skins and wood, make tea and tinctures and know many other ways to use nature for the benefit of people. You can even make some money from it, if you're interested. Whether you are doing it for profit or just for fun, this is a life-affirming endeavor.
Step 7. Always do what is best for you
Life in the forest is a tremendous feat. Not everyone can even live there for several days. Such a lifestyle can make a person withdraw into himself or even go crazy. You may realize that you do not know who you are, do not understand what life is, and do not know what to do with yourself. This can be much more difficult than you might imagine. Or it can become such freedom for you that you will only regret not having done it sooner.
In any case, watch your mental state. People may doubt your sanity, and you yourself may doubt it, but if you are happy, continue to live like that. Stay safe, warm, healthy, and strive for the life you once dreamed of
Advice
- The main thing is planning. There can be so many things to do that even a thick book is not enough to write them down. Buying land, purchasing a package of documents, moving, construction work, water, energy, food, a source of income - you need to have time to think about everything. Most likely, you will not need a traditional job, but you need to raise money somehow. Property taxes will still have to be paid, and you will also have to pay for some services. Unfortunately, no one can live penniless. The better you plan everything, the better your chances of success.
- Watch the documentary entitled "Trash Warrior" to see how effectively a group of people can combine their resources and labor to build a utopian society that can exist completely autonomously. Michael Reynolds, an innovative architect, uses renewable energies and builds what he calls Earth Ships from recyclable materials. They are completely autonomous and not connected to electricity, gas, water or sewage. It's just incredible!