Living alone in wilderness but nearby civilisation

[beginnavagabond]

I've heard all about how if you decide to go to the wild you should partner up with people to ensure survival which I totally agree with. If I were to do it alone, is there a place I can live nearby a town just in case I need outside help and would that be a good idea? I was wondering about Southern California near the Pacific Crest Trail and am interested in other suggestions you have. Thanks.

 

[coyote mogollon]

Ive lived mainly alone in wilderness settings from N Cal to the sonoran dez. Frankly I feel safer in the belly of momma earth than I do anywhere else barr none. Just go fer it. Research the land, do a few day hikes to get yrself familiarized w the sitch, a GOOD bag (tho that's not even really neccessary if yre down w wild survival) You'll do fine and have a story or 2 to tell....like the time I returned to my dezcamp outside Turcson to find to diomonbacks fucking beside my bedroll...

 

[coyote mogollon]

Ive lived mainly alone in wilderness settings from N Cal to the sonoran dez. Frankly I feel safer in the belly of momma earth than I do anywhere else barr none. Just go fer it. Research the land, do a few day hikes to get yrself familiarized w the sitch, a GOOD bag (tho that's not even really neccessary if yre down w wild survival) You'll do fine and have a story or 2 to tell....like the time I returned to my dezcamp outside Turcson two find to diomonbacks fucking beside my bedroll...

 

[ResistMuchObeyLittle]

Definitely research where youre going and make sure your wilderness survival skills are legit. Know the wildlife in the area. If there's bears, cougars, etc know how to handle them. If your near a small town and always wandering in youre going to raise suspicion. Plus, Keep in mind there are backcountry rangers that patrol certain areas. I've heard of people stumbling upon pot fields and luckily no one was around. Get on the forums at bushcraftusa and ask questions. A ton of people on there with a lot of experience and expertise. I've found Idaho, Oregon, N MN, N Cascades, Wyoming to be good but once winter starts to hit it's a hard game to play unless you have everything you need and your Bushcraft skills are tops. I'm not sure about Utah canyonlands, AZ ,ETC. but Daniel Suelo lived in caves for over a decade.

 

[Skelevision]

north california there's loooads of places. anywhere there's a national forest is up for grabs - if you move around every couple of weeks you're good. also look near where communes are based in california.. usually big plots of land nearby totally unsupervised/used. i stayed in shasta for a good while, super close to town, headwaters right at the base & well water up the mtn. easy to be super stealth if you don't have a tent. make sure you have enough water before you start exploring. knowing the aggressiveness of wildlife in the area is pretty key too esp if you're sleeping bare on mama earth's belly

 

[coyote mogollon]

Re #14, (I'm new to the site and couldn't find yr handle so sorry bout that....) Yes def have much respect for the critters. But I wouldn't over load the neophyte whose exps in the wild are possibly reduced to cable tv shows highlighting the "vicious predators of the wilderness" (my favorite line to obviously new visitors to wilderness areas, as an interpretive guide, when asked, 'whats the most dangerous animal in the wilds?' was, 'the deranged human beings'.

99.99999% of the time, critters are gonna leave you alone. Unless youre camping in the ocean (hammerheads and whites, or grizz country) I'll stand by that. Esp lately, with the rise in meth, there are some completely unpredictable, off as fuk individuals, wired to maximum, wondering round in the woods. Tho I've only had one truly bad exp regarding the above, this is to be considered. There's no real 'right way' to deal with a meth head who's gone off the amphetamine psychosis deep end. Its scarey.

The further off the trail the better. Be aware of trashed out campsites, like where the Tasmanian devil might've passed thru. If evidence of this, GO SOMEWHERE WAY ELSE

 

[coyote mogollon]

Definitely research where youre going and make sure your wilderness survival skills are legit. Know the wildlife in the area. If there's bears, cougars, etc know how to handle them. If your near a small town and always wandering in youre going to raise suspicion. Plus, Keep in mind there are backcountry rangers that patrol certain areas. I've heard of people stumbling upon pot fields and luckily no one was around. Get on the forums at bushcraftusa and ask questions. A ton of people on there with a lot of experience and expertise. I've found Idaho, Oregon, N MN, N Cascades, Wyoming to be good but once winter starts to hit it's a hard game to play unless you have everything you need and your Bushcraft skills are tops. I'm not sure about Utah canyonlands, AZ ,ETC. but Daniel Suelo lived in caves for over a decade.

On a side note, to prove my namesake's sometimes idiotic shennangins (Coyote) I once camped way up in the sierra Madres of Sonora. Was met one night by 2 barefoot, poncho wearinfg (Literally) banditos who aimed a double barrell at me. I started begging for my friggin life, then dashed into the shadows, crawling back to a tiny rancho/hamlet, banged on a random door until an obviously terrified old vaquero opened the it to me. Long story short, next day with a possy of dudes armed to the teeth, we 4 wheeled it to my camp. Not a single thing was disturbed, not even the coupla hundred peros in my tent...No Lie!

 

[ResistMuchObeyLittle]

@coyote How was camping/living in the Sierra Madres?