How many people are living in the wilderness?

[3forks]

It‘s pretty common to have homeless people around here living in the national forest, but that‘s usually during the warmer months.

In ski towns, it’s also common for people to camp for the summer and fall because housing is expensive and hard to find.

Question though, in the lower 48 - ever hear of, or come across someone who basically lives off grid/off the land? I’m talking about someone just finding a remote spot, and living a subsistence life with little to no reliance/contact with civilization. Basically someone who is killing game and fishing when they need to eat, or growing what they can, using wild food, etc.

I’m sure some have tried, but I wonder if it’s really all that possible.

In Colorado, you’d have to be in a pretty remote spot not to be noticed.

I wonder if there are some out there just essentially living the life of a mountain man?

 

[JBrew]

I think there was an "off grid" post a while back with some pretty interesting stuff

 

[def90]

It‘s pretty common to have homeless people around here living in the national forest, but that‘s usually during the warmer months.

In ski towns, it’s also common for people to camp for the summer and fall because housing is expensive and hard to find.

Question though, in the lower 48 - ever hear of, or come across someone who basically lives off grid/off the land? I’m talking about someone just finding a remote spot, and living a subsistence life with little to no reliance/contact with civilization. Basically someone who is killing game and fishing when they need to eat, or growing what they can, using wild food, etc.

I’m sure some have tried, but I wonder if it’s really all that possible.

In Colorado, you’d have to be in a pretty remote spot not to be noticed.

I wonder if there are some out there just essentially living the life of a mountain man?

There are squatters in the woods all over the place outside of Boulder and Colorado in general. Was turkey hunting up by Peak to Peak Highway north of Nederland and walked in to someone's camp, they are everywhere, doesn't matter if anyone can spot them, if they get chased off by LEO they just go somewhere else.

As for living off the grid in the woods I think the only place where anything like that is legal is in Alaska.

 

[BeastOfTheTrees]

There are squatters in the woods all over the place outside of Boulder and Colorado in general. Was turkey hunting up by Peak to Peak Highway north of Nederland and walked in to someone's camp, they are everywhere, doesn't matter if anyone can spot them, if they get chased off by LEO they just go somewhere else.

As for living off the grid in the woods I think the only place where anything like that is legal is in Alaska.

It’s legal to Nomad sort of. I believe it’s a camp of 14 days for wilderness areas, then you have to move a couple hundred yards at least

 

[bozeman]

That would have to be a miserable existence…..many think off the grid is cool…….it’s not as glorified as it’s made out to be……..

 

[SteveCNJ]

You'd have to buy the land and you can live off the grid there till you're hearts content.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[wesfromky]

Some of the #vanlife crowd does OK living mostly off grid. Probably not by hunting or fishing though.

 

[missjordan]

Ran into a handful of them up the Rattlesnake wilderness trailhead a few years back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Turner River Terror]

Down here in the Hot , Humid far South we get the Rainbow people but they roll in and gone in a week or so. Nobody tries to ride thru summer without ac down here.
Skeeters and high water would be real bad as well.
Even the Indians have Window Shakers...

 

[Antares]

Sort of off topic, but I find the Christopher Knight story fascinating. The guy that wrote this article ended up expanding it into a book called Stranger in the Woods: Story of the Last True Hermit.

An interesting read for anyone unfamiliar with the story.

https://www.gq.com/story/the-last-true-hermit

 

[FLATHEAD]

Down here in the Hot , Humid far South we get the Rainbow people but they roll in and gone in a week or so. Nobody tries to ride thru summer without ac down here.
Skeeters and high water would be real bad as well.
Even the Indians have Window Shakers...

Yep, I could make it in the winter with just a wood heater but aint nobody figured out a wood powered AC yet. Gotta have the AC down here on the Gulf.

 

[fngTony]

You'd have to buy the land and you can live off the grid there till you're hearts content.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

Sorry this is off topic but what’s the “classified approved” badge all about?

 

[wildwilderness]

Yes, that book is great. 27 years in the woods!


The other spot though not L48 is the Na Pali coast of Kauai. A fairly transient population of free spirits live in that wilderness at any given time, even kids. I usually donate any goat meat I get off that trail to them.

 

[mtwarden]

Years ago (I'm old!) when I was a Wilderness Ranger in the Bob Marshall I'd run into folks occasionally that had hopes of "living off the land". None did or could. I had one fellow that had 10 lbs of rice, 10 lbs of flour and a few other assorted staples. Had a .22 rifle as well. Shot a grouse and was cooking it up as I entered his camp. Too bad for him that was August and grouse didn't open until September

 

[SteveCNJ]

Sorry this is off topic but what’s the “classified approved” badge all about?

Not sure what you're referring to.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[mtwarden]

Not sure what you're referring to.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[SteveCNJ]

The only thing I can think of is that I was approved to post classified ads . I have no other explanation as I'm not responsible for it being there.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[tdhanses]

Didn’t even notice that, weird.

 

[bozeman]

Can I get one that says ‘tag soup approved’. Lol.

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

Claude Dallas