doing a dick proenneke

[Silverhill]

No, no, no, no, no....no, no, no, no.....There's no limit!

There's no true limit Drew. You're only limited by what you're willing to do.

JFDI if that's what you really want to do for a few months. Just be happy.

 

[rik_uk3]

The lad who died in Scotland recently probably had good tips from folk before he went off and stopped breathing. There are limits to everything we do in life but one thing for sure is that unless you really plan and prepare you will fail, be under no doubt or illusion about this, failure will be the only guaranteed outcome of a poorly planned venture.

From another site

You need at least one years experience in (and a job offer really makes things easier) :

"
* http://www.expatforum.com/expats/#Service Managers (Accommodation)
* Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists
* College and Other Vocational Instructors
* Chefs
* Computer and Information Systems Managers
* Cooks
* Construction Managers
* Contractors and Supervisors, Pipe Fitting Trades
* Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
* Contractors and Supervisors, Heavy Construction Equipment Crews
* Crane Operators
* Drillers and Blasters – Surface Mining, Quarrying and Construction
* Electricians (Except Industrial and Power System)
* Financial Auditors and Accountants
* Financial Managers
* General Practitioners and Family Physicians
* Geological Engineers
* Geologists, Geochemists and Geophysicists
* Head Nurses and Supervisors
* Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
* Industrial Electricians
* Licensed Practical Nurses
* Managers in Health Care
* Medical Radiation Technologists
* Mining Engineers
* Occupational Therapists
* Petroleum Engineers
* Physiotherapists
* Plumbers
* Registered Nurses
* Restaurant and Food Service Managers
* Specialist Physicians
* Steamfitters, Pipe Fitters and Sprinkler System Installers
* Supervisors, Mining and Quarrying
* Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service
* Supervisors, Petroleum, Gas and Chemical Processing and Utilities
* University Professors
* Welders and Related Machine Operators"

Not a complete list but give you an idea.

Over the last few years I've know perhaps five or six Nurses who have done their homework, planned, prepared and are now in Canada or New Zealand (one in the States), my own nephew included ...I'll be at his wedding in 12 months down in NZ.

You can do the dream, you can end up in your log cabin but your stupid to think you can just say 'stuff this I'm off' and do it. My wife was asked to go and setup a substance abuse treatment centre in NZ about ten ago and we were stupid and didn't go, our bad move. Make your move the right way and you can achieve your dream but it won't be overnight.

 

[Q'eyh]

(Hello everybody)

Yeah, I'd echo the statements about it being very difficult to just jack it in one day and flee into the wilderness. Even if you are good enough to live off the land by yourself for years at a time there's very little chance you wont be discovered and have your wee cabin torn down. I know of several individuals and couples who have had this happen to them in British Columbia, where the provincial govt. is particularly strict about that kind of thing.

Still, there's nothing to stop you from taking a few months out and visiting the wilderness. I did it once a few years ago in Scotland and I'm planning a similar trip this year in the rockies. In fact if you're a sort of studenty age and situation I'd highly recommend such a thing, especially if you had a rural or semi-rural upbringing. It's good for the soul.

The idea of the 18 quid mora clipper might take some getting used to.

Consider becoming a machinist.

 

[Dreadhead]

im sure quite a few members on here have the same dream (counting myself). imagine if all of those individuals banded together and planned it as a small commune (without any religious or freespirit vibes). twould be a bushcrafters haven for the foolhearted

 

[Husky]

I think Guy Grieves got it right. You dream about a completely different lifestyle and think it will be great but in reality the life may not be what you thought and most probably you need to aquire som skills that you didn´t know were nessecary.
Try it in the "shallow end". Save up enough to do it for a year. Get it legal, rent a cabin, get a visa, pay for what you need (hunting and fishing rights etc.) and give it a try. If it was exactly as you dreamed then you know that is what you want and you can focus on changing your life on a well informed basis. If it wasn´t for you, go for the next dream!
This way it can be done in Canada, Scandinavia, the baltic states, Spitzbergen(!) and probably the UK.

 

[Wayland]

is it possible to do what our good friend richard proenneke did aka building your self a life out of the beyond

drew

Some people could and others just couldn't...

 

[johnboy]

Some people could and others just couldn't...

So could Drew do it??

 

[rik_uk3]

So could Wayland do it?

 

[Wayland]

So could Wayland do it?

I doubt it.

So could Drew do it??

I'll let you decide that for yourself.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Yes either could do it, anyone could do it. With the right prep and support.

 

[johnboy]

I'll let you decide that for yourself.

Ok..... So it's reasonable to say you think not but don't want to openly say so I understand... Drew posts a lot about living in the woods for an extended period of time in some form or another. Perhaps if you think that's a pipe dream say so..

I couldn't do it.. I've got a whole lot of life baggage that would need sorting before I headed off into the wilderness forever plus I'd miss the XYL and the Kids, and I'd struggle with building a log cabin. Then there is the whole issue of being able to self sustain in that environment yada yada yada.....

However the escapist and fantasist in me would be keen to give it a go he'd also like to climb Everest and own a Lotus 7.

 

[Exploriment]

On every forum remotely outdoors related, invariably like clockwork someone shows up to ask about going off to live by themselves in the woods.

I feel compelled to shout that this is a romantic notion, not very well grounded in reality. Mr. Proenneke was as I mentioned an exception. He was exceptionally skilled in a whole host of areas, had worked towards his goal for decades and saved, and had a support network in place. And I suspect he was also a realist.

In nearly every tribe, etc. for time immemorial, people worked together as a community. The notion of the lone wolf, the rugged individualist using his wits to survive against nature, is just so much fanciful buncomb. People may have gone off to hunt by themselves, but they had a support network that was doing the gathering, gardening, mending, sewing, tanning, tool making, etc., etc., etc. Anyone that did live by themselves without benefit of that support, was invariably someone who had been banished. It was essentially a death sentence.

I lived by my self for three years in an isolated hunt camp in northern Ontario. It was the hardest thing I have ever done - bar none. I had to fix structures, repair roads, prepare meals, bake bread, tend gardens, look after animals, do laundry, mend things, can, chop wood, etc., etc., etc., etc. It was absolutely exhausting. And I had people who came up to help me once every two weeks or so, and barely at all in winter.

There is a reason the mountain men of the American west didn't live for long. They were spent by middle age from the rigours of trying to do it all themselves.

I'm not even going to try and humour this guy for a second. It's a delusional pipe dream for the vast majority of people. I have absolutely no illusions at all as to the feasibility of living by myself, far from anyone with no support network. Stop daydreaming.

I thought there was a guy in Norway doing it. I had seen his blog a few times. Looked him up. Whoops.

 

[rik_uk3]

Good post Exploriment.

What people seem to forget is the amount of support people like Mr Proenneke had. I have an intense admiration for the guy but he used nails, plastic membrane for his roof, with his short summer he relied heavily on canned/bottled/dried food etc; he did not do it all on his own or rely on what the wilderness could provide him. The mountain men took in pack animals loaded with food too.

Want to live off the land? Sell your house and buy a small holding, grow your own food, raise your own livestock and barter with your local community for all the other things you would need...thats a doable proposition. Personally I can't think of a more life sapping way of living but thats just my opinion.

 

[sandbender]

"...is it possible to do what our good friend richard proenneke did aka building your self a life out of the beyond..."

With enough preparation and support, yes.

Although as others have pointed out, trying to do it in Alaska or Canada would offer some additional problems.

Europe still offers a few wilderness areas, or areas that feel like the wilderness to those who don't normally live there, how remote do you really want to be? A few hours walk from your neighbour or nearest store, a days walk or more?

You should have a look through Alfredo's linked article on this thread, viewers of this thread might find it interesting.