questions about surviving in the Puget Sound wilderness (food availibility, weather, community)

[black]

So I know there's some of you that have some experience in that particular area and my first post on this was pretty vague, and was about general tips on the area and where to be. this post is different in that it's inspired by my general green-ness and fear of transitioning. so I have some pretty specific questions that justify a different thread from the last one and I'm hoping it isnt TOO specific or broad of an area to inquiry

1. Food availability: I've heard quite a lot about food banks, Food Not Bombs, etc, in the area being very useful and prominent. Are those things easily accessible in the context of going back and forth between being in the woods and not? Are they're places relatively nearby urban areas that are still viable for wilderness squatting and would make access to those things easier?
2. Weather: Does it rain a lot on Oly? So much that staying in the woods would be more difficult?
3. Community: Are their continuing squats in Oly? Active Anarchist Communes? Any community at all that me and my wife could be in cahoots with in some fashion? We might not quite be ready for close quarters living with other folks but are definitely interested in being involved in some capacity and building up friendships. Searches on the internet didn't yield much.

I really hope this post doesn't seem redundant! I'm just hoping for some specifics and real accounts from folks who've used these resources and done similar stuff.

 

[Multifaceted]

I lived in Bremerton, WA - a ferry ride away from Seattle - for a couple years. In my experience it does not rain as much as people give it credit for. It used to rain there constantly in the late 1900's, which is where that reputation comes from.

It does rain more than other places, like say.. MO, TN, TX, etc. If you plan on camping out in the wilderness I suggest acquiring wooden crates (you can find these behind Wal-Marts in my experience) to put your tent on. This will suspend you so that the floor of your (I'm assuming you'll be using a) tent won't be subject to, when the rain does pick up, mud overflow. The wooden crates may need replaced over time, or you could simply use the plastic ones also found at major retailers' dumpsters/ truck drop-off areas.

It doesn't storm much there. You'll get lots of light rain that is on and off followed by some hard rain occasionally and the more rare thunderstorm.

I definitely suggest living there during the summer and moving somewhere to the South when winter hits. It doesn't snow much West of the mountains, but the temperature does drop, and that mixed with the increase in rain that comes every winter... It'll chill you to the bones. Wet cold is much harder than dry cold in my experience.

Hope this helps!

 

[iamwhatiam]

What is your idea of wilderness? I'm assuming you have a 4WD vehicle to get to and from food banks and out into the woods?

I haven't spent a whole lot of time in Olympia or the peninsula...but from what I gather, I'm guessing it can be tough to squat out there long term. First off, there are lots of territorial mushroom pickers on the peninsula who might try and run you off or make things difficult for you, if they catch you by one of their favorite picking spots. There are plenty of hunters who might come across your camp and notify law enforcement....not to mention the forest service rangers that patrol the woods. Just about everyone that spends a lot of time on the backroads here carries guns with them and just hope you don't piss off the wrong person. The closer you are to towns and cities in the peninsula, the more you have to deal with tweaker rednecks...they are a big problem here in this state.

Also, I've seen some logging roads on the peninsula that require you to buy a permit to be able to camp on the company's land.
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You'll get used to the rain. Lol. Closer you are to the coast the less snow there is. We got at least 2-3 feet of snow this winter inland Skagit county.

Not trying to discourage you.....just being real. Your best bet is to live out of your vehicle and move camp every couple weeks. Get a CB radio for your rig, also have a chainsaw and tow strap/chain (to clear and remove fallen trees you encounter on roads), and I'd probably carry firearm. Dog is also good to have.

Sorry I'm not more help

 

[Bedheadred]

It used to be easy to get food stamps in WA.. but they recently passed the "able bodied adult" clause which makes it a lot harder even if youre homeless. Although if you can prove that youre consistently homeless you can still get them. Its worth a trip to the local office, which gives you $190 a month for food

 

[black]

What is your idea of wilderness? I'm assuming you have a 4WD vehicle to get to and from food banks and out into the woods?

I haven't spent a whole lot of time in Olympia or the peninsula...but from what I gather, I'm guessing it can be tough to squat out there long term. First off, there are lots of territorial mushroom pickers on the peninsula who might try and run you off or make things difficult for you, if they catch you by one of their favorite picking spots. There are plenty of hunters who might come across your camp and notify law enforcement....not to mention the forest service rangers that patrol the woods. Just about everyone that spends a lot of time on the backroads here carries guns with them and just hope you don't piss off the wrong person. The closer you are to towns and cities in the peninsula, the more you have to deal with tweaker rednecks...they are a big problem here in this state.

Also, I've seen some logging roads on the peninsula that require you to buy a permit to be able to camp on the company's land.
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You'll get used to the rain. Lol. Closer you are to the coast the less snow there is. We got at least 2-3 feet of snow this winter inland Skagit county.

Not trying to discourage you.....just being real. Your best bet is to live out of your vehicle and move camp every couple weeks. Get a CB radio for your rig, also have a chainsaw and tow strap/chain (to clear and remove fallen trees you encounter on roads), and I'd probably carry firearm. Dog is also good to have.

Sorry I'm not more help

oh no its okay man trust me we've been fretting over and preparing for all that stuff. the main thing we are worried about is the travel between the city where there are invaluable resources like free food and going back to the woods, where not only people but wild animals will be a frequent worry. we definitely know we gotta move frequently to a new spot as well. we are strongly considering some alternative/ intermediate situations before fully taking on being homeless in unfamiliar(at least for me) woodlands. we just signed up for Helpx.net and are looking for a host. do some farm work and make some local contacts, get the lay of the land on our off time, maybe strike up some actual paid farm work. keeping a lot of possibilities in mind.

 

[japanarchist]

Not sure if this is helpful but a buddy told me about checking out a restaurant called La Voyeur in oly. He said that he knew some radicals who hungout there but i've never been there myself to verify that. I recommend signing up for wwoof as another option for farm work. I never wwoofed in WA but I found farms pretty quickly in OR on there.

 

[black]

Not sure if this is helpful but a buddy told me about checking out a restaurant called La Voyeur in oly. He said that he knew some radicals who hungout there but i've never been there myself to verify that. I recommend signing up for wwoof as another option for farm work. I never wwoofed in WA but I found farms pretty quickly in OR on there.

yeah that was the plan originally. to do helpx there. plenty of farms there. thanks for the tip. its best to know who your comrades could be in an unfamiliar place.

 

[blumerang]

So I know there's some of you that have some experience in that particular area and my first post on this was pretty vague, and was about general tips on the area and where to be. this post is different in that it's inspired by my general green-ness and fear of transitioning. so I have some pretty specific questions that justify a different thread from the last one and I'm hoping it isnt TOO specific or broad of an area to inquiry

1. Food availability: I've heard quite a lot about food banks, Food Not Bombs, etc, in the area being very useful and prominent. Are those things easily accessible in the context of going back and forth between being in the woods and not? Are they're places relatively nearby urban areas that are still viable for wilderness squatting and would make access to those things easier?
2. Weather: Does it rain a lot on Oly? So much that staying in the woods would be more difficult?
3. Community: Are their continuing squats in Oly? Active Anarchist Communes? Any community at all that me and my wife could be in cahoots with in some fashion? We might not quite be ready for close quarters living with other folks but are definitely interested in being involved in some capacity and building up friendships. Searches on the internet didn't yield much.

I really hope this post doesn't seem redundant! I'm just hoping for some specifics and real accounts from folks who've used these resources and done similar stuff.

Good luck Black. Hope you have fun man.

 

[Hillbilly Castro]

Hell yeah dude, good region to head to. I enjoyed Oly every time I went there. Great FNB crew, some wonderful houses - me and my ex stayed at Casa Hueso, which you may be able to find. Hanging out at Evergreen can be kind of cool sometimes. Hitching is easy on the 5. The food bank in Oly is probably one of the best in the US I've been to. Make sure ya head out to the peninsula!

 

[black]

Hell yeah dude, good region to head to. I enjoyed Oly every time I went there. Great FNB crew, some wonderful houses - me and my ex stayed at Casa Hueso, which you may be able to find. Hanging out at Evergreen can be kind of cool sometimes. Hitching is easy on the 5. The food bank in Oly is probably one of the best in the US I've been to. Make sure ya head out to the peninsula!

hell yeah that's where we're headed if everything goes right

 

[Coywolf]

This is an interesting thread. Ill be heading to Port Angeles in a month or so to hang out on the olympic penisula for a few weeks, winter time should be interesting ro live out of my truck in the woods

Any other towns worth hanging out in?

Id imagine tarps and dry firewood are a nessesity up the right now.

 

[iamwhatiam]

This is an interesting thread. Ill be heading to Port Angeles in a month or so to hang out on the olympic penisula for a few weeks, winter time should be interesting ro live out of my truck in the woods
Any other towns worth hanging out in?
Id imagine tarps and dry firewood are a nessesity up the right now.

I didn't really care for Port Angeles all that much when I visited...it just seemed like a depressed town to me and a lot of down and out homeless. If you busk to make money...try outside the natural foods store, at the bottom of those steps downtown that go up the hill, or in the summer on weekends down around by the aquarium are all okay spots.

I much preferred Port Townsend to PA. The Boiler Room is an awesome non-profit cafe that has open mics and I think they still run Food Not Bombs out of there.

La Push and the surrounding area has some beautiful beaches worth checking out as well.