When I get involved with something, I like to do a lot of research and read everything I can about it. One of the books I read was “The Long Emergency” by James Howard Kunstler. In it he makes a case that “Peak Oil” is just around the corner and the combination of peak oil, global climate change, global water shortages and environmental destruction are leading us to unprecedented disaster for civilization.To buy the book from Amazon, go here: The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Cent
When I read that book, it was like everything in my life had been leading me to that moment and all the threads of my life coalesced and became a sold, united point that I could build the rest of my life on. Threads like:
1) A Craving to Live in Nature: When I was a boy I read “One Man’s Wilderness” by Dick Proenneke. It’s the story of how Proenneke was dropped off into remote Alaska and lived there for years by the sweat off his brow and hunting and foraging for everything he could. I’m certain that book had more impact on my life than any other thing. He was an exceptional man who had the skills and abilities to live that way. But I know I’m not able to do it myself, so I’ve arranged my life to live as much like him as I can within my abilities. I find Boondocking in a van the ideal way to do that. Buy his book from Amazon: One Man’s Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey
2) A Love for Adventure: I grew up in Alaska in the 60’s and 70’s when it was still a wide-open, last frontier, where almost anything went. All my heroes were men and women who took risks and stared death and hardship in the face and made them back down. They were the miners, Bush Pilots, explorers and trappers who opened up Alaska against nearly unsurmountable odds. I longed to live just like them! The ones I admired most all went “Native” meaning the land so captured their hearts and changed them that they adapted their lives to it. I’m trying to do the same as much as I can.
3) Concern for the Environment: As I grew up in the 60s and 70s we hadn’t yet learned all the horrible damage we were doing to the earth and then suddenly it became front page news virtually every day:
- Acid Rain was literally eating up the planet;
- DDT was wiping out whole bird species;
- Rivers were so polluted they literally were catching fire and couldn’t be put out. Swimming in them was almost a death sentence from poisoning;
- L.A. and many other cities had so much smog that there were routinely sunny days and months when you couldn’t see the sun through it;
- Species were going extinct at an astounding rate;
- There was a hole in the Ozone layer that was an immediate threat to all life on earth.
4) A Concern and Connection with Native Americans: Because Alaska was the very last place in America to be invaded by white Europeans, Native Issues were just being settled when I was a young man. Forty years before I was born, there were still Native Alaskans who had never seen a white man (they were very lucky!!). When I was in school we were given a reasonably fair look at Native Alaskans and I grew up with many of them as my best friends. I think that is where I gained my love for Anthropology and Hunter-Gatherer societies that remains a very dominant and shaping force in my life today.
5) Survivalism and Preparing for TEOTWAWKI (The End of The World as we Know It): I have always had a bit of a Survivalist/Prepper in me, and as I look back on my childhood, it’s easy for me to see why. I grew up during the Cold War and can remember doing Air Raid drills where we all ducked under our desks. Anchorage has Elmendorf Air Force Base and it was a very strategic base against the USSR. We all knew there were nuclear weapons stored there and on a very regular basis F4 Fighters were scrambled to intercept Russian Bombers who were probing our air defenses, looking for weaknesses. Had the cold war turned into a hot war, we would have been right in the middle of it. Because of how close we were to Russia, some of the very first Nukes would go off in the skies over Anchorage. Because of that, I’ve always had a little bit of a survivalist in me. Today that is more commonly known as “Prepping” and is still a big part of my thinking. One other thing happened that made me a Prepper: during the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake I saw first-hand the incredibly devastating power of Nature. In just a few minutes The World as I Knew It Ended, and I have never been the same since.
All of those threads have made me what I am today and you can see them in all my writing and actions. When I read “The Long Emergency” by James Kunstler, it resonated with me to the core of my being. In my next post I’m going to explain what Peak Oil means (and more importantly what it does not mean). In future posts I’m going to explain the concrete actions I am taking to prepare for it and why. Essentially we are going to be exploring how you can be a Survivalist/Prepper as a vandweller.
I’ve tried to find a middle ground and not go off to extremes. So if Peak Oil doesn’t happen, I won’t have done myself any harm. In other words, I think everything I’ve done is a good idea in itself even without the idea of Prepping or Peak Oil. For example, owning the Honda Rebel and an eBike is a good idea even if I am entirely wrong about peak Oil. Paying $2500 for an acre of land is a good idea just for legalities sake and preparing for my old age. Having 3-6 months’ worth of food in the van just seems prudent to me.
These are the things I’ve done or bought as a Prepper/Survivalist preparing for Peak Oil. We will explore each of them in future posts:
- Ebike and motorcycle: When gas hits $10 a gallon, they may be the most valuable things I own. Until then, they save me money every day.
- Land: A place to retreat to and cache supplies.
- Gas: Right now I’m carrying an extra 20 gallons of gas which is 1400 miles on the motorcycle! During TEOTWAWKI that could be a years supply. When I go to Alaska this summer, I can burn cheap gas through some of Northern Canada where it will be extremely epensive.
- Silver: As a hedge against inflation and future bartering. I think it is a whole lot smarter than having only cash in the bank!
- Guns and Ammo: For self-protection today, future bartering and hunting tomorrow.
- Food: When I find a really good sale on something, I buy an extra case of it. It saves me money in the long run. Having some extra just seems wise to me. I also have some #10 cans of freeze-dried foods.
In future post we’ll look at all of these things in detail and I’ll explain what I am doing and why.
For a history of Survivalism, check out this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivalism
Great pictures Bob. I mean really awesome pictures Bob!! Wow. Thanks for confirming there is a heaven on earth!
Actually, only one of them is mine–the one I put the arrow in. The rest I bought from a photo service.
Bob
“Extremists” is a term used by those who profit from pollution to marginalize those of us who have the sense not to defecate in our own water. I’m resigned to the fact that they will prevail because they have the best government money can buy and own the media so they can manipulate information. Or, more accurately, misinformation.
Which doesn’t mean we shouldn’t speak out and resist their efforts every chance we get.
Meanwhile, we should savor what is left of nature’s beauty and splendor.
Irv, I have to agree. I’ve decided to just drop out and try to live in as environmentally friendly way as I can. I see voting for the Democrats as voting for the economic collapse of the country and a vote for the Republicans as increased environmental destruction. I just see disaster either way.
My goal and my message is to live in the moment and do as little harm as I can along the way and be as prepared as I reasonably can for what’s coming.
Bob
We’re kindred spirits as far as that goes.
In the environmental realm — and in other senses I guess — my philosophy is that anyplace I am should be a better place for my having been there.
As for politics, we hold our noses and vote for the lesser of two evils.
Now that I’m retired and plan to do some traveling, our paths might cross. My plans include some freelance writing and vandwelling is among the subjects I’d like to write about.
That’s a good topic! Go for it!
Bob
I have something of a different-from-everyone viewpoint, based on my own take on hunter-gatherer issues. Put simply, I see humans as short-term thinkers who cannot deal with long-term issues such as global climate change. Thus, the ancients hunted mammoths and mastodons to extinction, the pioneers plowed the entirety of the prairies and the Great Plains to create monocultures, and modern men ignore climate change, water shortages, and overpopulation. (I personally think that peak oil has already occurred but is less important than the other issues here.)
What does all this mean to me personally? I don’t do much with prepping in the usual sense because I doubt we will have a specific crisis, and if we do its nature is unpredictable. I focus on skills (walking, cycling, anything very basic) rather than goods because I believe those are all-purpose assets.
Sounds good Calvin.
Bob
Bob to me that pic of the mountains and cabin is truly heaven on earth. You are living the dream my friend!!!! However you are also paying it forward and making a huge positive impact on improving this wonderful earth. I know how much time and effort you put into your website with all its facets and its a huge responsibility. You have a positive impact! I am a spiritual, religous man and I cant help but think that all those TV preachers/evangalists have mega enormous audiences and if they just spent 10% of their resources and efforts along the same naturalist save and preserve the environment how much better we and they would ultimately be!!!!!
Bill, I have to confess I didn’t take that photo. I used to never take photos with human habitiation in them so I don’t have many. I bought that one. The other is mine but you can’t see any human habitation except the tiny dot that is my camper.
I agree 100% that most denominations could have an impact if they emphasized environmental concern. But I am not going to hold my breath!!
Bob
Bob,
I bought my copy of “One Man’s Wilderness” at Gulliver’s Books in Fairbanks, AK, it’s a great read. I love reading your work Bob, we share many interests and values. I was born and raised in Texas but I sometimes feel we must have been been separated at birth because you seem to convey in your writing many of my core values on living and interacting with the world. As a Libertarian minded person I eagerly await your post on guns and ammo (especially your ideas on storage in a van) but warn you to have the Nomex suit handy since a lot of your readers are left leaning Nanny state types who will hate you for saying anything positive about firearms. I believe in freedom and guns are just another tool in the toolbox. Keep living the good life Bob and speaking the truth to what you feel. I love you for it Brother!
David, I definitely would not use those words, but I suspect that there will be some disagreement on guns. It’s a very divisive issue split right down the middle with love and hate for guns. I will NOT to try to change anybodies mind but I will express my opinion.
Bob
Bob,
While I hope to one day be out there as you are, and I agree that there are serious issues facing this planet, I guess I’m a little more optimistic than you are. I don’t have any specific reason for that; it’s just that I’ve lived through, experienced, and even been responsible for enough negativity and pessimism in my life, and as I reach late middle age, I am looking forward to what I hope and expect will be the best chapter in my life. If that makes me idealistic or even naive, that’s okay. I can live with that. I’ve already tried the other.
Walt, you could make a good case that people have been crying doom and gloom forever and it has never happened, so why should now be any different?
My response would be that we have never had this many entrenched problems that are on this massive a global scale. Even worse, no one has any real solutions. We have lots of “magical” thinking about non-existent technology that will save us and screaming back and forth that “Your way is doomed to failure!” but no generally agreed upon solutions.
Only time will tell! In the meantime I’m trying to take steps that help me in the future as well as help me now.
Bob
You bring back so many memories Bob. I grew up in the same time, our school had two sets of shades over the windows. One set was black that we would pull down during air raid drills. This was to make the school look like it was not occupied from the air. There where also U.S. Government large tins, hard candy in the bomb shelter in the basement of the school. Later when we all got to high school we realized that none of that would have done a bit of good if we had been bombed with nuclear weapons.
I recent purchased a Pure Water Straw-Advanced from Amazon. For $15 and change it removes up to 99.99% of bacteria, virus, contaminants and pollutants from water. Very light weight to carry. I guess it’s just in us growing up at that time.
Tom, there was so much pervasive negativity and really horrible problems when we were young, it’s hard to see how it could NOT have made us skeptics and Preppers to some degree.
I think a water filter is the perfect example of something a vandweller would be glad to have now and yet could be a life-saver in the future.
Bob
Over 7B people on the planet. If we all started gathering and hunting the planet would be decimated in short order. Just look at commercial fishing. Agribusiness is essential. Albeit, not pretty at times.
I know some “Preppers” and it’s funny how we share our love of designing autonomous systems, but for very different reasons.
Absolutely true CAE. The only logical solution is a massive die off of humans. We’re a malignant cancer on the planet and we all know what the solution is for that. When you declare a war against the Earth and swear to fight her to the death, there can be only one possible way for that to end.
Bob
“If we all started gathering and hunting the planet would be decimated in short order.”
I completely disagree with you, in fact- I don’t think you really thought very hard before you wrote that. Tons of food goes to waste each year as a direct result of the business of agriculture as well as directly by the consumer. Processed food conglomerates buy more perishable ingredients than they can use and they spoil, farmers fail to sell their crops and they spoil, trucks break down and food spoils, we don’t eat everything we order when we eat out, we don’t use produce we buy before it spoils etc. Not to mention all the fossil fuel we burn to plow fields, sow crops, harvest crops, transport crops and transport finished food products! If we all were responsible for feeding our families with food we locally gathered, hunted or grew- we would have more respect for where it comes from and the difficulty in obtaining (as an added bonus- we’d be eating a lot healthier stuff). Therefore there would be a lot less waste. There would also be a lot less fossil fuel consumed. This could only benefit the planet. And I’m sure others would agree.
sykogrl, no doubt there is a huge amount of food wasted in the developed world. But not enough to make up for the loss of factory farming. However, there is a proven model of what is possible, and that is Cuba. After the fall of the USSR the Russians stopped feeding Cuba and they were on the verge of mass starvation. They turned every square inch of land in every city and everywhere on the island into an organic garden and became totally self-sufficient in food production. There is no doubt the same thing could be done on a global scale.
Bob
wheres the thumbs up button on that comment
Agreed CAE. It’s not the only reason, but among the reasons I’ve never had children. Over population was front and center back in the late 60s and early 70s, it’s barely a blip on the radar now days.
I know some of you can’t imagine that choice, but consider what two or three more people would have used in energy, how many cars they would have over their lifetime, wood for houses, raw materials for manufacturing all the stuff they’d want, paper products, resources and water, even what would go into the landfills.
Now consider we have more then 7 billion people on the planet.
Here’s a link: http://www.census.gov/popclock/
Bob,
This is good stuff! Thankfully, I’ve had the opportunity to do some wilderness survival studies and even base one of my online courses from my learning. As a vandweller, I’m stocked with about a 1/2 a year’s supply of canned and dyhydrated foods. But, I need to figure out how to carry more water. So, just some rearranging of the van. But, I’m thinking for more short-term stuff like being able to sit in one place for two weeks at a time without having to run out for water, trash dumping etc.
By the way, I’ve left Ehrenberg and I’m on my way through CA boondocking my way up north. So, my CA adventures have begun. I’ll see you all again probably next winter!
Gloria, I happen to know that you are already naturally doing things to help you prepare without any intention to. It’s mostly just common sense stuff.
Water is a hard one! It’s both the most essential item and the hardest to store. I think the solution is in “location, location, location!” If you think about it, here in Ehrenberg we were 2 miles from a year-around source of water–the Colorado River. All you need is a filter or water tablets to have an unlimited supply. And you are moving toward more water up in the Sierras. A simple filter and you are set!
Bob
Your posts are so applicable to the questions, fears, concerns I have as I prepare to full-time and this post is no exception. I grew up in the same era, bomb shelters, air raid drills etc. I will be leaving my safe, sheltered, prepped home in the mountains to go on the road so looking forward to this series. Thank You
TraveLyn, in my experience the majority of vandwellers and RVers are our age or older, so that urge to Prepare is common among us. In many ways vandwelling can be a good choice for prepping as long as you recognize it’s limitations.
I’m glad to be of any help I can!
Bob
My prepper stuff mostly has to do with being able to live affordably if I lose Dave since I won’t have as much income without his Social Security. Of course if our government dies altogether I won’t have my SS either. So paid for housing that lets me go where the weather is best becomes very important. But I am making a mental list of people who can handle guns I would like to live near if worst comes to worst since I am not on that list. Right now there are five people on my list so I have some options.
Linda, to my mind thinking ahead is just the wisest thing a person can do. I know that sounds weird from me who urges everyone to live in the moment, but at the same time you have to keep the future in mind. It sounds to me like you are a great course!
Bob
My 2 cents worth. If tge end as we know it comes the population of America wont eat the wildlife and edible plants into extinction. The general population will die, not of starvation but of pestilence, poison, sickness and just plain unable to cope and no idea how to be hunter gatherers. The hillbilly in the depression lived off the land nut they had been doing it since before they colonized here. The gas for your motorcycle with no infrastructure will be gone in days. Another reason folks wont hunt everything into oblivion. Get a horse or mule, they run cheap and for a very long time.
Bill from NC. The huge majority of Americans are in a few huge cities and for sure things won’t go well for them. But of course I avoid those cities like the plague they are. In fact I try to camp where there are no humans in sight around me except my friends.
I have 1400 miles worth of gas (20 gallons) for the Honda Rebel with me, so I think that will last for more than a few days. My plan would be to only ride it when it was absolutely necessary. Instead I will ride the electric bike, which with my solar panels is free and uses no fossil fuels. I’ll keep a few extra Lithium batteries, tires, tubes and chains as spares. I think it will last me for quite awhile.
One point I’m going to make is I’m not trying to live forever this way, just do what is reasonably possible. If a mass die-off comes to rid the planet of the vermin that is humanity, I’m ready to go with it. My spiritual beliefs tell me we are all ONE and I won’t disappear, or go to hell, I’ll just become another form of manifestation of the ONE.
I don’t want anyone else to agree with me, I’m just saying what I believe so you can understand why I am doing the things I am doing. We each have to live the way we believe. No judgements!
Bob
“Sorrow more distant than a star.” A line from a young Donovan in “Goo Goo Barabajagel”.
I take that to mean, as those who practice meditation would, keep sorrow at bay, far away.
Prepare yes, but strive to not be paranoid.
That said, a “tribe” would be a good thing. Few things are as important as safety in numbers. If nothing else you can go to town and someone will be watching your stuff!
Regarding the other items you are discussing, a prominent blogger here in Hawaii ( http://www.ilind.net/ ) let his readers know he was off on a trip and while he was away his home was broken into and valuable items were stolen. These days he doesn’t discuss his trips until he gets home. (If you catch my drift.)
jonthebru, I agree! It’s easy for the fear of what may happen to so dominate your life it takes over and what you end up with is much worse than what you feared.
So I don’t want to ever let my thoughts and plans for the future to interfere with my present happiness. So my goal is to find a balance where my steps for the future make my present better. If it doesn’t, then I probably need to reconsider it.
Yeah I have been concerned about telling everyone my camp spot and stopped for awhile. I think now I will only post them past tense–after I’ve moved. The fact that I am almost always with at least a few other people gives me a lot of comfort as far as robbery goes.
Bob
Darn Bob I keep forgetting about solar set ups like yours! You are right it would charge a ebike and with lithium batteries on the ebike you coukd ride for a very long time! However I still say that with my experience with horses I will stick with the mountain man cowboy transportation. I can handle a 50 mile trip in a day and not hurt the horse or me.
Bill owning horses is going to be extremely difficult for a full-time vandweller. It may be ideal for a homesteader or homeowner but I just don’t see it being practical for us. Could you own a horse if your monthly income was less than $1000 a month? What if it was less than $500 a month? That describes the majority of us.
But I know nothing about owning horses, so maybe I am totally wrong!
Bob
Bob it doesnt really cost anymore to keep a horse than a dog if you have a small piece of land. There is the issue for a van dweller. I was refering more to the horse becoming the van. Drifting on horseback with a packhorse is very popular, I have me a lot of people over the years that do this. Then there is the gypsy wagan style rv pulled by a team of horses. Bob my sole income is a disability check from social security and I own 3 horses, a mule, minature cow, 2 goats, 6 hens and a rooster, 2 dogs and 3 barn cats. Living cheap also applies to a sticks and bricks home. The trick is to own, yes OWN the land, home etc. You cant have a mortgage, auto loan, credit card balance and so forth. Plus you must live lean and mean with utility bills and gas etc just like you van dwellers. Its always about money and life management. This blog and your website tells people how to manage no matter where the live…. Thanks for all your resources. Oh by the way I drive all I want in my pickup and never by fuel. Check out my post today on my blog about biofuel!
Bill, I’m glad it is working so well for you, sounds like a great life for you!
Bob
Whoa Bob I have given you the wrong impression. I am not happy with the way its “working” for me. I am stuck here not able to really go anywhere, see the west etc!!!! I am makin it but I want to live it like you do!!!! Thats why I am so glad I found your website with all the info and guidance! I want to go RVing!!!! Thanks, Bill
Some friends and I are setting up some property that will be used for farming and animal husbandry. The idea is to go back to more of a subsistence lifestyle. One for health, but also for more independence from the grid, gmo and processed food and such. Electricity will be in the form of solar and wind, with maybe very light generator use, but doubtful.
We have ways of preparations, and going hunter gatherer as well. I have seen many people within the city having chickens for eggs and some, with the larger properties, have goats, sheep and the like. A lot of people have started their own gardens. The taste of fresh foods is so much higher than that of the store bought stuff.
Douglas, homesteading is something that has an appeal to me, but I have such itchy feet that I have to be on the move. But owning land to spend part of the year on is a good way to find a balance.
Is your land in AZ? Did you find a county that is favorable with few or no restrictions? I’m curious because that is pretty important for homesteading/vandwelling.
Bob
The land we are using, which is privately owned, is basically virgin land, except for a few vehicles being parked on it over the years. Being on the apache reservation, building codes are basically common sense stuff, no real codes to speak of. I haven’t done all the research. A friend and his family, whom are apache, own the land and the parcel next to it is owned by one of his cousins.
The south end of navajo county.
I see, thanks!
Bob
Bob_
I share your view of the political system…no regular folks have much of a say regardless of what the TV makes you/me/anyone think. Since I stopped watching except for an occasional sporting event I can’t even handle it…way to much manipulation….drug companies tell people what drug to tell their doctor they want to take, every other commercial is for pizza delivery and everyone drives a Lexus…what the F? and kids are watching this crap.
*Now here’s where it gets tricky…Water, Food, Van, Gas, Propane, the basics for us mobile people. Civilization provides all this along with the roads and the Dr.’s that fixed your arm and my brothers emergency gallbladder surgery last year. The reason people watch Bear Gryll’s and those other survival shows is because it’s so foreign to most of us city foke.
We can hate the parts of civilization that are broken…the political process, the super wealthy churches w/ their vows of poverty while kids are starving, the inexpensive goods we buy from Walmart/Target, etc. and the those Far-East factories belching out pollution which is blowing into California thicker and thicker.
….now what was I sayin’…oh yeah I agree Bob, not much hope for most of us. The dinosaurs aren’t really gone…they just became oil and so it goes.
I basically agree, I see no viable solutions, and no one seems to be offering any. My plan is to live today the best way I know how, make some simple preparations, and embrace the inevitable when it gets here!
Bob
Bob_
Most people are just tryin’ to keep living…day to day survival…not much time or energy left for big picture stuff…but maybe that’s by design by the big money guys.
*I just read…don’t remember where…but it said something like “The best way to control people is to make them suffer”.
Unfortunately we will probably not know what’s really going on until it’s to late so any plan “B” that you have in place is a good idea.
Reminds me of the Matrix movie, the computers said Version 1 of the software earth was a pleasure but a total failure and so Version 2 (our world) was a constant struggle with a little pleasure throw in. Just like rats in a maze!
I’m so glad I gave up the rat race!!
Bob
Morpheus: I’m trying to free your mind, Neo. But I can only show you the door. You’re the one that has to walk through it.
Bob_
Once I pay off my van…then I to will walk through the door and leave the rat race. Peace.
openspaceman, the other side of the door is not always easy, but I have NEVER ONCE regretted going through it. Without doubt, it was the best thing I have ever done! I think it will be the same thing for you!
Bob
From what I have seen, most people are fed up with the way things currently are, no matter what your opinion is on the myriad of things people have been disagreeing on.
Hi, Bob,
Always a lot to gather from your posts!
Help me out here. I don’t watch television and until recently did not listen to radio. I scan the online news but briefly as that’s all I can stand.
I’m clueless re “prepping.” What specifically are y’all expecting to happen? I’m not being sarcastic. I’m asking honestly and sincerely. If the world as we know it is about to end, I’m curious how that will occur.
You don’t have to give me a long answer, just a few main points would enlighten me.
Thanks,
Sue
Sue, I always love to hear from you!! I can give you a very short two word answer: Peak Oil. Unfortunately, explaining Peak Oil will take many more words!! Tomorrow (Monday) I will have a post explaining what peak oil is and what I am expecting it to mean, and how I am preparing for it.
I know we associate Survivalism and Prepping with the lunatic fringe, I’m hoping to present another face to it.
Bob
First, a quick response to an early comment about liberals hating guns. A lot of liberals, myself included, own and enjoy guns. I put a lot of time and effort into acquiring and expanding the skills required to be a safe and competent shot capable of dealing with emergencies, as do many of my friends. I do have concerns about easy access to firearms by crazies and idiots, and I don’t have any idea how to solve that problem.
Second, as for stocking up, an inexpensive way to stock up on staples for emergencies is through Mormon Home Storage Centers. They are all over the country and are open to the community. You can go to one and use their equipment to pack bulk foods into long term storage containers or order from them.
The S**t is going to hit the fan in all of our lives, whether it be some global catastrophe or simply loss of income, terrible weather, or illness. Being prepared to deal with what we can is just common sense.
Jana, I agree that generalizations seldom are adequate. More and more of us are abandoning party lines and thinking for ourselves so we can have a mish-mash of “liberal and conservative” ideas. I think that is the only hope for the country!
Balance is the key nearly everything in life and this is one of those areas where it is critical.
Bob
Hi Bob,
The place where u park your van and enjoy fall foliage is really pretty. May we know the approximate location? Somewhere in Colorado?
Matthew, I took that picture at the foot of Mt Sneffels which is just west of Ridgeway, CO. It’s one of my favorite places in the world!!
Bob
dear david-with-the-fixation-on-guns,
I’m almost positive you must also be including corporate welfare, social security, and medicare in your oh-so-predictable nanny state remark…..right? and I’m just about as positive you’ll be signing off on ever receiving any of those…..right? By the way, like Jana, I learned to shoot, early on-which is more than I can say for a lot of trigger-happy idiots who rampage through the wilds-I don’t have a problem with guns-just humans who hide behind the power of a weapon.
Anna, that is off-topic so I would like it to NOT be part of the discussion.
Bob
I didn’t realize this was a politics/argument forum.
Douglas, it isn’t so I won’t let it be one.
Bob
Bob, after watching dozens of your videos and learning as much as I can I feel like this reveals the essence of why you are doing what you do. So glad I found what you wrote here. I’m hoping to attend the Jan 2017 RTR and also hoping some of the tribe would be wise in the ways of gathering wild edibles, using wild medicinals, primitive fishing and hunting, other old ways. Have not read the book that inspired you all your life. The one that did it for me was The Tracker by Tom Brown Jr. who was intensely mentored for 10 years by a remarkable old Apache scout. Do you or any of your tribe know about the Tracker School and Tom Brown Jr?
Kathleen I am familiar with Thom Browne and have read that book and others. He is an outstanding writer. I’m fascinated by the whole primitive living field. In fact there is an excellent School here in Arizona in the winter. In February outside of Phoenix there is a school called winter account. I’ve been meaning to go to it but have not been able to make it yet. Maybe this will be the year and you can go to.
That’s great, Bob. I’ll look them up now. I’m excited to combine van dwelling with learning hunter gatherer skills. Many stories to share…
Kathleen, yes I’m very interested in primitive living skills. Something maybe we can talk about at the RTR. See you later.
Hi Bob,
I’m still working on getting a van and outfitting it into a campervan. I need your recommendations on books that could possibly help me out with “things to think about” and “how to for DIYers”. I have your book (and I have read it several times, learning new things each time – absolutely LOVE it). Can you give me a list of books like yours and Nomadland by Jessica Bruder? I would really appreciate it. Thank you so much