New here, and I got an idea!

[hshh]

I can't believe I've done it...

for that link, i saw that documentary on PBS and they were trying to sell it for 75 bucks! and a package for the dvd and book was 120 bucks or seomthing like that, it was rediculous. that didnt really have to do with anything related to the thread. it got kind of dull after the 3rd 25 minute advertisment break for the video itself, but the guy in the movie did make a really well crafted log cabin completly out of logs, boards, materials that he made and cut himself.

Any way, you probably wont here back but good luck

 

[platinum]

I can't believe I've done it...

yeah, im starting to think that. on a lighter note, i just bought a book "backroad mapbook" for northwestern ontario.

it labels a lot of lakes and stuff that I otherwise had no clue about. lakes = fishing! ^_^

 

[bote]

I can't believe I've done it...

hitching through BC a couple years ago, this guy took me on a detour to his cabin, which he had built on land that he got under ¨homesteading¨ type regulations (you pay next to nothing, but you have certain responsibilities).

If you are looking to build a cabin I recommend looking into homesteading opportunities, they will probably be in very rural, difficult to access spots, but that might work for you?

 

[wizehop]

I can't believe I've done it...

there's another spot not far from thunder bay that is not a park, not a reserve, not an indian reserve, nothing. it's about 2km from a county highway, and there is a couple small lakes. water wouldn't be an issue. it is surrounded by forest for the most part. I think it would make a great spot.

type it in google maps:

48.584818,-89.056749

If your in that area take a ride on CP's main line between Shrieber and Thunder bay..pretty awesome scenery

 

[platinum]

I've found it! The perfect place! Countdown to the move begins now!

After tirelessly scouring through google maps and mapquest (one shows better topogrophy and landscape, the other shows roads better), I have finally found the perfect spot, here in ontario that is not a park, not an indian reservation, the closest road isn't very close, and even that road is barely on the map. i have the satellite imagery map and a topogrpahy map. it looks pretty steady, a few hills, and one large hilly region, likely where i'll set up camp (on the lee side so as to avoid northern winds).

it's a chunk of forest that's surrounded by 3 lakes, and rivers throughout. it is sure to have lots of wild life. a quick flip through my edible plant field guide shows how nutritious dandelions are... vitamins a, c, e, b-complex, iron, calcium and potassium ^_^

here's a pic of the area through google maps.

i'm sooooooo excited. i'm going to go there and camp for a couple weeks or so to get a feel for the area, practice some hunting, see what the fishing is like, get some stuff together for a shelter, etc. btw, wouldn't it suck if i got everything there and i forgot a hammer or nails? lol.

then, either later this year (or more likely next year), i'll make the move. after my first trip back, i'll post all the pictures and stuff that i take of the area, the wild life i observe, and other measurements and readings of the area like temperature, weather phenomena, geological distrubution (what rock types are where), etc... more importantly, i'll be bringing my edible plant fieldguide with me and search through every plant that i can find and positively identify in my book. i'll then perform the universal edibility test with each one to make sure that i can eat it (this is something that Mr. Supertramp didn't do...)

in some ways, i believe that i was born a generation or two too late. while i have come to like the conveniences of modern technology, it all seems so hollow, so forced. i'd rather live life fully and at my will and leisure.

the countdown begins, my friends

 

[platinum]

I've found it! The perfect place! Countdown to the move begins now!

It just occurred to me about supplies, something else Mr. Supertramp didn't do: One of the supplies I will be bringing is multivitamins/multimineral. There is a good possibility that [especially my first year] in the wild, I might go a little while with little food. The water soluble vitamins and electrolytes are gone first and fast, so a good multivitamin/multimineral is a good idea. I will bring enough to last me two years (roughly before they expire), and everything will be stored in glass contianers. No plastic! By then I will have either grown beyond the need for them or I will just head to the town thats half a day away on bike and buy some more.

Because this area is close enough to a town where I might go and purchase supplies (half a day on bike), I'll be bringing money with me. I know, it sounds kind of hipocritical to what i'm doing, but if i need to buy multivitamins for one last time, i can. and if i need fire kindling, i won't use the money

in addition to those, i'll be bringing easy to cultivate veggies. the biggest will be potatoes. lots of potatoes.

My books so far consist of:

SAS survival guide (shelters, food, tracking, etc)...
Edible & medicinal plants of canada (big important book. this area is in the great lakes-st. lawrence forest, and this book describes tonnes of edible plants in this area)

i'd like to find a book about tips on hunting, some basic gardening (potatoes!!!)

thats all i can think of.

what do ya'll think?

 

[atomicpunk]

I've found it! The perfect place! Countdown to the move begins now!

try to eat lots of fatty fish. i dont want to hear of you dieing of rabbit starvation. good luck and hope you enjoy yourself:worship:

 

[platinum]

I can't believe I've done it...

oh yeah, i've read all about that. it was actually the first thing i read after i was reading about how to catch a rabbit for food! they sure look yummy, but i'll be involving all sorts of stuff in my diet. i will not leave veggies out!

btw all, i meant to post about my future location in a new thread, not a post in this one. the queen won't respond to my letter T_T, and it's off topic. can i move it to a new thread?

 

[finn]

I can't believe I've done it...

...i meant to post about my future location in a new thread, not a post in this one. the queen won't respond to my letter T_T, and it's off topic. can i move it to a new thread?

No dice, until you actually move out there, this will be a single thread that encapsulates your process of planning a journey, embarassing moments and enlightening epiphanies and all. If there was a new thread every time someone came up with a slightly different idea, we'd be drowning in new threads and a different thread cataloging system would be needed.

Anyway, I'm going to tell you to not skimp on the food, keep a good stash for emergencies- something fattening and that you don't need to cook. Remember that not only do you have to prepare for the situations that you expect, you have to prep for those that you don't.

 

[veggieguy12]

I can't believe I've done it...

Donald Rumsfeld by way of the notorious "Finn".

Have you thought about recruiting at least two other like-minded foo's to get in on this with you? Y'know, for support and sanity, like?
Individual people have never really been alone in this world, to go away from the group and live solo (and there was no "live off the land" concept, as that was just The Way It Is), there's always been at least a small clan. Suppose you sprain an ankle (could get worse), you just gonna sit and starve?
Having some collaborators could be the start of something big to come down the line...

 

[platinum]

I can't believe I've done it...

i've thought about it once or twice.

the only person i think who's crazy enough to go with me is a cousin of mine (actually, two of them come to mind)


begin rant (if you don't wanna read, just scroll down):

the only thing is that i'm either not coming back ever or not for a long while. and i don't know if either of them would be coming along for the same reasons that i'm leaving in the first place. the idea that i have to live my life tirelessly working and striving for paper that means i can buy stuff, saving some up, living comfortably for a few years, and then what? i die! can't take the money with me. sure, i give it to family, etc, but what do they do with it? generation after generation is getting lazier. banks get robbed, people spend money on frivolous things, etc. i know is a kind of dismal view of our money system, but it's all true...

and even before that all happens, when ww3 comes around, and everything is blown up, and the comforts of modern life are gone, or only available to the wealthy, i will continue living my life because i know how to survive.

and *even* before that, when the money systems we have come to rely on fail, and people are burning money because it's cheaper than buying wood, i will not have even realized it because i am still surviving.

end rant

sorry for the rant, but it's all just my opinion on things. sure, i may miss a few comforts for a while, but not having to worry about whether i can afford something, or how much longer i'll be in servitude and debt seems like a good trade off! :applaud:

there's a tiny little peninsula in one of those lakes in my picture (to the south), and it would be perfect for the cabin! bay view, and on the other side of the lake there are no trails, just forest, so i don't think i'll be spotted.

i guess to answer your question: what if i sprain my ankle (or worse)? the solution: preventative maintenance... don't sprain your ankle!

 

[finn]

I can't believe I've done it...

...what if i sprain my ankle (or worse)? the solution: preventative maintenance... don't sprain your ankle!

That isn't preventative maintenance- stretching and exercises would be considered that. Planning to not have any accidents means you're not good at planning. For instance, for a bike you can do all the preventative maintenance you want, but when you get a flat, you need a new tube or a patch kit with a pump. If what you're saying is that if you sprain an ankle, then you're SOL, then I'll agree that you may never return from there.

 

[boucaneer]

I can't believe I've done it...

keep positive, you could have a few chaps on stand by to jump in if they are needed, as a start up team, not for the long haul, maybe working in shfts for a cheap vacation. you could rotate 6 people, two at a time for 2 to 6 months. can you get email connection over there. prob not. maybe the local town might have a transmiter.

vhf radio would be good for emergancy or perhaps they still use c.b's on am or long wave or side bands for long range comunication. ie. to call the doctor or order any supplies.

keeping links with trusted members of this site might be a good idea or another support group. this is a mission and should be treated like one.

those usb dongles that give you internet conection can be satalite dished to boost up their power for wi-fi, longest record is 150 miles. get a hand generator or somthing to power the batterys.

good luck mate, i realy like the sound of it.

 

[platinum]

I can't believe I've done it...

"Planning to not have any accidents means you're not good at planning."

i know. i was just joking about not spraining an ankle or whatever. i understand that i'll be giving up many comforts like a ready available doctor. that's why i'm not jumping into this without preparing for it properly.

being careful is the other side of preparation. for example, i'm not the person who would risk walking across a frozen river unless i was *certain* it would be safe (testing it with a heavy boulder or something). and things like mushrooms (which i don't like anyways), are the last thing on the menu for me, if that. i'll avoid them completely if i can. mushrooms are dangerous.

doing lots of research on the matters of shelter, local weather, my books on survival and edible plants and such, hunting, etc... are all important to me.

make no mistake, this is not something i'm taking lightly. i'm putting forth the effort necessary to embark on this journey.

 

[platinum]

Even more planning

After watching "Alone in the Wilderness" a couple times and reading various things about log cabins, i've picked up a few useful tips on building a cabin: i know how it's gonna look.

I'm only one person, i don't require a lot of space, and I wouldn't want a huge cabin. Just a little something to stay in at night or when it's cold. and that's just it: my design had to be easy enough so that one person could build it. I'm no Dick Proenneke, so I'll have to make due with what experience and knowledge I got.

Basically, I took a leanto shelter, and put four walls under it. I'm not much of a drawer, so i built a little model out of Qtips (lolz) to demonstrate my idea. The real thing won't be flimsy like this, and the dimentions of it are not to scale:

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/7272/modelgz.jpg

I'm thinking something that's about 12 feet long and 10 feet wide. should give me around 99 square feet interior floor space. I could make it larger, just depends on the logs i get. I'm not a very tall guy (5'2"), so the cabin will be only 7 or 8 feet tall at it's tallest. I figure if the short end of the cabin is 6 feet tall, then the tall end could be whatever. I've also taken into account the angle of incline on the back of the roof. it'll be around 9 degrees, so snow and rain won't be an issue.

The logs on the roof will be covered in foam rubber for insulation and to smooth the surface. then I will lay 1 or 2 tarps over it, and secure them along the sides of the roof. I will then cover the top with moss or dirt and grow grass on the top. it's gonna be a very cozy little cabin!

about the fireplace/fire pit... in dick proenneke's film, he had people bring cement so he could fashion a stone chimney. i may not have this luxury. any ideas? i'm considering something like a pit, kind of under ground, with a hole that goes outside. the draft of air would suck smoke out, but i could still get close to the fire. and, this "hole" would be covered up when the fireplace isn't in use. waddaya think? ideas, suggestions?

------------

on another note, i started massing together a list of stuff i'll need to get started (does not include stuff like clothes, books, anything personal, kitchen stuff, etc.) I'm getting a tent because i'll need something to stay in while the cabin is being built. some items include:

"
C = Canadian Tire
H = Home Hardware
E = Internet/Ebay
W = Walmart
() = Maybe
followed by a part number (if applicable)
---------------------------------------
Hunting/Fishing/Trapping stuff:

C - Rapala Fish 'n' Fillet Knife - 78-3311-8
C - Buck® #119 Knife - 75-6036-2
C - Benjamin 0.22 Air Rifle - 75-5033-4
C - Shimano Spin Combo, 7 ft. - 78-4588-4
C - Fishing line (high and medium test)
C - basic tackle box and hooks
C - Northern Escape, Chest Waders - 77-1508-6
E - 0.22 cal pellets (pointed)
----------------------------------------
Camping/Shelter Stuff:

C - 2x Woods Foam Sleeping Pad, 24 x 70-in - 76-2401-4
C - Woods Sleeping Bag - 76-0756-2
(C - Roots Double Sleeping Bag, 7lbs - 76-0736-0)
C - Coleman Sundome 3-Person Tent, 7 x 7' - 76-5066-4
----------------------------------------
Tools/Equipment/Construction Materials:

(C - 5-lb Wood Splitting Wedge - 57-5170-0)
C - Mastercraft 20-oz Camping Axe - 57-5120-0
C - Jobmate 24-in. 2¼-lb Axe - 57-5108-2
C - Mastercraft 36-in. 4-lb Axe - 57-5117-0
C - Nicholson Mill Bastard File - 58-2862-0
C - Mastercraft 6-piece Chisel/Punch Set - 58-1608-4
C - Mastercraft Saw Kit, 4-pce. - 57-7417-4
C - Mastercraft Bowsaw - 57-7490-6
C - Vise-Grip 10-in. Straight-Jaw Pliers - 58-8686-4
C - 3-Piece Plier Set - 58-4676-2
C - Mastercraft 3-piece Chalkline Set - 57-2103-0
C or H - Hammer
C or H - Mallet
H - 10" STEEL DRAW KNIFE - 1043-016
H - 3x TARP, POLY OLIVE GREEN 20X30' - 5472-598
H - Nails (tonnes, various lengths)
H - Door hinge (big, thick, simple)
H - shovel
H - 4ft ladder
H - window (insulated, something that can be opened)
H - rope (lots)
H - twine (lots)
H - Hoe
H - Wood Glue
H - Glue/Cement
"

and i'm not done yet! i'm sure that there are tonnes of little [and big] things that need to be added.

 

[hotspark78]

I can't believe I've done it...

Hi Platinum,
I recently went to a primitive skills camp where they taught me how to start fire without ... yes that's right, lighter nor matches. I had to carve a fireboard, spindle, and handhold with a knife to use with a bowdrill. I thought it was gonna magically work after making it but nope, it took time, tears, and a wet undershirt to actually create enough friction for me to drop a tiny piece of coal into that tinder bundle whereby I cupped it, blew on it, and coddled it like a little baby until voila!, the tinder exploded with a glorious magnificent FIYA. I think I cried a little when it happened.
Anyways, I hear ya and I think you have an awesome plan. I would really like to do what you're thinking of doing someday. True freedom is so irresistible. I don't know what your level of wilderness savvyness is but mine is pretty low. I've always been a city bumpkin, born and raised, and right now working smack dab in the middle of it, so I thought it best to get my feet wet first. I mean if you dropped me off in the middle of woods today, I wouldn't know where to start (except maybe set the woods on fire).
You probably already know this cuz it looks like you do a lot of research but there's loads of youtube videos out like this one with David Wendell - expert on bushcraft skills : http://www.youtube.com/user/BushcraftOnFire and this one with Dave Canterbury: http://www.youtube.com/user/wildernessoutfitters and there's one called Eat the Weeds: http://www.youtube.com/user/EatTheWeeds. My favorite at the moment is www.thesurvivalpodcast.com although that has a slightly more "bugging out" theme. I'm also taking some weekend classes here and there on wild edibles, shelter building, tracking, permaculture wherever I can find it. There's a good number of primitive skills week-long camps that happen throughout the U.S. too http://trackerofplants.com/2009/12/21/the-2010-primitive-skills-circuit/ that hopefully immerses you in those skills that will be invaluable in the woods. I'm going to the California one in May. Sheesh sorry I don't know about Canada but I'm pretty sure they exist there too. Of course, there's those semester or yearlong programs like www.trackersnw.com but when I saw the price tag, my jaw dropped. I just don't have 10k laying around to go to these things even though I think it would be great.
When I feel like I own some skills and am pretty comfortable in the woods with some camping trips under my belt, I'm gonna do some hardcore stuff like take a month vacation and just live in the woods by myself to see if I could hack it. Just little by little until I know I could cut the safety net. Right now, I can't even sleep in a sleeping bag, in a tent by myself. It's really pathetic but hopefully I'll get there...

 

[platinum]

omg..... I got a reply!

o...m....g..........!

I knew it was a long shot, more of a joke than anything...

but i got a reply from my letter!

remember the letter I sent to the Queen? well, i got a reply in the mail today!

it says that this isn't a matter where the Queen would intervene.

"As a constitutional Sovereign, Her Majestyacts through her personal representative, the Governor-General, on the advice of her Canadian Ministers and it is to them that your appeal should be directed. I have, therefore, been instructed to forward your letter to the Governor-General of Canada so that she may be aware of your approach to the Queen and may consider the points you raise."

So, it's not the yes i was hoping for, but two things cool have happened:
1) i got a response
2) the letter is going to the right person

^_^

 

[Deleted member 20]

I can't believe I've done it...

I think that is cool that she wrote you back. I think I will write a simmilar letter on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland. That Dick Preonoke was one hell of a woodsman,carpenter, expert diesel mechanic & commercial fisherman was highly intelligent & skilled. I am definately not saying that you are not any of these but you will know your capabilities. I would just go start building & stay & or return whenever you want. "It is better to beg forgiveness, then to ask permission":

Good luck

 

[platinum]

I can't believe I've done it...

hehe. nice quote, but i've never been big on begging for anything

i plan on going, and i don't know how long i will be gone. this world that i imagine where everyone is "connected"... i just don't want to be a part of it. i want to be woven back into nature where we humans really belong.

i work in pharmacy, and i see people who are infeebled and take like 20 different prescriptions. they are like that because they lived their entire life eating food they were told to eat (media), working stressful jobs, making little money, and living in polluted cities. i don't want to die in a hospital where i am drugged up and have no idea whats going on. i want my resting place to be in nature, or in the cabin i build. sigh, another rant. lol.

i got a fortune cookie the other day, here's what it said "a refreshing change is in your future"

 

[Pickles]

I can't believe I've done it...

This sounds like an interesting endeavor, one that I'd like to hear more about as it progresses. Just curious, do you have any experience with wilderness survival or is this going to be your first full-scale dive into the great unknown?