doing a dick proenneke
- Thread starter drewdunnrespect
- Start date
I understand where you're coming from mate, but in this day and age, it's difficult. Unless you've some form of special dispensation or sponsorship, moving to the wilderness in North America is a long shot to say the least. Rik has a valid point in terms of reasoning, but even the most sought after skilled workers struggle to get out there. My trade and experience is highly sought after in the far north, and yet, the hours are long, the work is bitter hard, and you'll end up swapping a reasonably comfortable life in the UK for 12 months of the year, for 6months hard graft and 6 months kicking back in the likes of Canada or Alaska.
It's your call at the end of the day, but I've worked out my options, and I see the UK as a far more long-term safe bet than the likes of North America, NZ or Aus. Call me misguided
It's your call at the end of the day, but I've worked out my options, and I see the UK as a far more long-term safe bet than the likes of North America, NZ or Aus. Call me misguided
I understand where you're coming from mate, but in this day and age, it's difficult. Unless you've some form of special dispensation or sponsorship, moving to the wilderness in North America is a long shot to say the least. Rik has a valid point in terms of reasoning, but even the most sought after skilled workers struggle to get out there. My trade and experience is highly sought after in the far north, and yet, the hours are long, the work is bitter hard, and you'll end up swapping a reasonably comfortable life in the UK for 12 months of the year, for 6months hard graft and 6 months kicking back in the likes of Canada or Alaska.
It's your call at the end of the day, but I've worked out my options, and I see the UK as a far more long-term safe bet than the likes of North America, NZ or Aus. Call me misguided
Your not misguided at all Silverhill, far from it as I see what your saying as an honest assessment of parts of Canada. I do talk from time to time to a guy in Yellowknife and whose life would be perceived as very tough and hard by 'our' standards and yet he enjoys his life with his family, takes his young children camping in tents and 'igloo's' (made by them as a family) at minus 30c or more and trust me they survive well without all the de rigour uniform so often talked about on here; for them its just about getting out and about and maybe filling the freezer with meat if they are lucky enough to kill that trip.
I'd not want my children to go into that sort of life 'up north' in Canada as its just not them, but we want them to go to a country where they can still use their skills, buy a house thats nice on the money they earn (we can spend the inheritance without guilt then) and have space to move, to breath, for my grandson (see sig picture) to go on and grow also.
To wet your appetite read http://www.amazon.com/Year-Long-Day-One-Mans-Arctic/dp/0397011318
The year-long day is a gripping book and has one of the best Christmases described in a book. Living wild for a long time probably isn't on nowadays but a visit, even a hunting/fishing trip is certainly possible.
My mistake, I had no idea there were limits on time and preparations.
Yes, you can do it, just gather three or four hundred thousand pounds, convince the Canadians you have retired, buy or rent some land and build a cabin.
You could just get an air ticket, land, walk into the wilderness and build a cabin but I guess you would soon be in a line at a UK beneift office after you were caught and deported from Canada.
forestwalker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Possibly seduce a Canadian citizen of your prefered sex and marry?
Yes, the change of being unknown to the locals for more than a few weeks: slim. To the authorities for much longer than that? Much much better.
You'd soon get known, lets be honest you ain't goint just to live off the land, Dick Proenneke did'nt, the mountain men did'nt, you won't. Its a nice dream, but sad to say the whole concept is just that.
I'm working on living off the supermarket in Gran Canaria... thats doable, legal, we can afford it all I need is to get the blooming wife to retire
I'm working on living off the supermarket in Gran Canaria... thats doable, legal, we can afford it all I need is to get the blooming wife to retire
I doubt the Canadian or the Alaskan authorities would launch a national/state wide search for a lonely Brit who outstayed his Visa date limit, not knowing where you are 'n' all.........................but even if they did catch up with you, a 'wilderness experience' & a free flight home.is not to be sneered at...
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forestwalker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I doubt the Canadian or the Alaskan authorities would launch a national/state wide search for a lonely Brit who outstayed his Visa date limit, not knowing where you are 'n' all.........................but even if they did catch up with you, a 'wilderness experience' & a free flight home.is not to be sneered at...
The wilderness is not empty. Unless you are extremely good you will need to come into civlization eventually. And the locals will know about you, and if your way of doing things annoy them they might very well tell the local police/RCMP about you. So the next time you go into town. Or the irritated locals will plain tell them that this new guy, new poaching guy mind you, is living in a cabin located *here*. So that they can pick you up easilly and conventiently. Run when they come? Then they will have to assume that you have more to hide than a poached moose. Is this when you have to gun-battle, or hope that the local cops do not have an itchy trigger finger?
Sure, you can do this. But it is a *stupid* way to do it.
forestwalker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
You're shattering my illusions dude...
Sorry, I was perhaps a mite harsh there. But your "plan" is not well thought out. As a day-dream it is ok, but the reality is not as nice. I've had the same dreams, basically, so I understand where you are comming from. If you want to do it find a way to do it sanely and legally (e.g. save up money, go to nursing school (or teacher, etc) or something like that.
forestwalker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
i think the easiest and cheapest way in to canada or alaska would be to file a `mineral `claim on open ground - just file the claim on worthless land ,and that secures you the rights to build a cabin and `work` the claim !! But a think the fantacy of staying in the wilds at minus silly degrees centigrade for up to -six -seven months of the year would wear a bit thin after the first month !!!
,and that secures you the rights to build a cabin and `work` the claim !! But a think the fantacy of staying in the wilds at minus silly degrees centigrade for up to -six -seven months of the year would wear a bit thin after the first month !!!Ain't my plan, either doing it illegally or working for 20 years in a job I don't like to 'earn ' the right to do it...........
A dream ? maybe, a fantasy ? certainly, but not all fantasies should be fulfiled.
So it's not on the cards just yet......when the dog dies, I'll shall reconsider my options.
Living in a cabin sucks sometimes. My water supply froze up on Thursday and has only just thawed out now. Bloody good job that I earn money and have a car and a road system so I can drive to my parents for a shower. Good job too that there's a dentist I can pay after bodging some diy, troublesome tooth removal or the fact that the area is crawling with police at the moment due to agricultural thefts so I feel a bit more comforted about not having to defend my property. It's nice to be "alone" but civilisation is a lovely crash blanket to have.
Really? How many weeks, months, years have you lived by yourself in the wilds of Canada and Alaska, or even the UK on which to base the opinion that it would be ausome?
Its a fantasy, and not a very plausible one.
Proenekke did what he did because he worked his bottom off, saved every penny he had, never married, and was from a whole other generation - likely from a hard scrabble, Depression era farm, where he had to learn all the skills he was so obviously very adept at.
i think the easiest and cheapest way in to canada or alaska would be to file a `mineral `claim on open ground - just file the claim on worthless land
Don't know the rules on that, but you would still have to be in Canada on a legal basis.
