Question

As we know society is getting worse, it is getting hard to trust anyone. And our administration nad past administrations are on teh rampage that will edventually turn this country into a state of martial law.

My question is this, Would it be feasable for someone to try to pull off a Grizzly Adams life style?

Are all the back country montain lands US Property, Private property or just property?

Is there any property not owned by anyone?

Thanks

[bearkiller]

Not in the People's Republic of CA there is not. He**, given King Willies love of killing us off, how much is Federal owned and how much is now owned by the UN is up for debate.

A sedentary lifestyle ANYWHERE in the N. Calif mountains would not be too likely to work well. For several reasons...most noteworthy are the Federal gunslingers who populate the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) who fly their helicopters in violation of the law at tree top level and will home in on any odd visual spot they observe...like your smoke or reflected light or a vehicle.

The other factor I know about here is we have other "enforcement" type morons who simply spend their summers cruising the woods looking for trouble. Since I live in the heart of the "Emerald Triangle" I can assure you that you want to avoid all contact.

My own homestead is backed up on National Forest land that I am 99.99% sure will never be logged, but the Federal Jerks sent in surveyors to make sure of my line fences.

On the other hand, off to the north are miles upon miles of nothing but forests and Forest Service roads. Lots of room to get lost in, but look out as soon as you want to have a fire. If you keep moving and keep a low profile you could do well out there for years. It has been done in worse places than N. CA.

Better to think about other options in my opinion.

bearkiller

I am still whilling to give it a shot. I am that sick of society.

[rider]

I think there may be privatly owned lands in montana mountains old mining claim type ownership, it takes a lot of research to find the properties then you get them by paying back taxes on them,, I think there are also a lot of squater( spelling) type places in the mountains here, I know people who have been elk hunting and snowmobliling in the mountains and run across these "camps" of people living way out in nowhere and not looking real friendly so not sure if there are homesteaders or militia groups or just what they are, but look in to propertys with taxes owed, the Black Hills of S.D. may be a good places there are old mining claims there still Good luck

[agmantoo]

In eastern NC among the marshes and swamps are plenty of places to be "absorbed" into the background. With the aid of a small boat you could disappear. I know of such a person that has a shelter and a dog living in such a manner. He occasionally socializes by coming into a fish processing area and sells a few fish and gets some supplies. According to the locals he has been doing this for years.

[Ken Scharabok]

My suggestion would be to just do it. Find a spot as out of the way as you think you could stand and make your own light-living camp. About the worse which could happen is you would be caught for trespassing and told to move on. If so, then move on. What you might look for is an isolated grotto (rock overhang) where you could have your structure under it for concealment and the overhang would help discipate smoke. You will still have to have contact with civilization for items such as salt and sugar.

However, have you thought about how you are going to survive as far as food and enough of an income to purchase what you cannot provide yourself?

I can't find an old copy but there is/was a small publication called "The Message Post" out of the West Coast somewhere. Has the 'Light Living Library" on that subject. Mostly it is about people, like yourself, who want to live as lightly on the land as possible. Some live a bit like nomads using bicycles for transportation.

You might also check out "The Caretaker's Gazette". Some of their situations are really isolated, such as hunting camps.

There are still rumors he had asssitance, but how many years did that guy in NC live just outside of civilization without being caught, even with a $2M reward out for him?

Ken S. in WC TN

[Kirk]

If you really want to live an unencumbered lifestyle move to a major city and squat in an abandoned home. Forage for food in dumpsters. Sell found items to pawn shops or in flea markets. Become completely invisible to the government. Live a cash only life. Keep yourself well dressed, clean and neat to avoid police harassment, or make yourself so repugnant in appearance and odor that no cop would ever want you in his squad car. I don't know where you would keep your grizzly bear but thousands of homeless people have been living this lifestlye for years. with very little interference from anyone but do-gooders who want to put them in shelters and give them food.
Kirk

[jerneeon]

Tell us if you find such a place...it's where I want to be.

I've seen some caretaking assignments in The Caretaker Gazette say "nearest nieghbor is 10 miles away", and some of the caretaking positions can go on for many years. Why not try caretaking a remote place somewhere?

I got everythong I need, 4 cases of heater meals and will be catching a bus tomorrow for the great northwest. I will posat later from a library if I find one close to wherte I am going.

Rest and Relaxation at last.

[heidith]

What about Alaska?
I've been curious about whether you can still just go up there and pick out a piece of land and live on it. Anybody know?

[heidith]

I just answered my own question. I guess there was some law in 1976 that repealed the homesteading acts in all states. Alaska's was grandfathered until 1986 and now the BLM says, "there are no longer any federal lands for homesteading", but, of course, you can BUY it. What a crock. Like there are a gazillion acres of land out there that nobody's EVER going to live on, what difference does it make to THEM if somebody wants to go squat on some tundra???
Grrrrrrrrrrrr

[jerneeon]

And if you were out far enough, how would they KNOW???

It's a big country out there - go squat! If and when you get caught - pack your stuff and move to another area.

I wish I could do it - I am non self-reliant femal with no skills for living off the land!

Good luck, have fun and enjoy!

[mvfarms91]

Unregistered guest you should have given us a name or something so that we can keep an eye open for your next post. I am anxious to hear how it goes for you.

Good Luck??!!

[mpillow]

I'd find a big tract of paper company land with a nice stream or river and bring my fishing pole and stay away from the sound of machinery :haha:
Fiddle heads and berries and fish....

[Blu3duk]

A freind of mine lived in a cave outside Hamiltion Montana for about 5 years, was even profiled in the Missoula paper with pictures of his abode, he peeled house logs [and stilll does] to keep himself in beer money, the reason he gave it up was after his girlfriend died of cancer he didnt want to live there anymore, then the Forest Service started harrassing him him too, and burnt several of the old trapper cabins in the area..... caveman made his cave liveable by hanging up a canvass tarpulin a few feet back from the entrance so no one could really see it..... he even had a small sheep herder woodstove after a couple years to keep it warmer in the winter..... so it can stil be done, it just takes a very special person to live like that... more so than on a rented ground you might think you own [taxed by the county/state] homesteading.

As far as squatting on timber ground owned by a paper company, you may get away with it a little more than on the National Forest, but they eventually will evict you as well, mostly for liability reasoning in this day and age of lawsuit happy idiots. Potlatch here in Central Idaho has allowed prospecting on their ground in the past as long as the holes were covered up so the guys in white hats did not see them [and as long as any big strikes were shared with the cruiser i suspect], they even sell firewood permits for cuttting deadwood off their ground so they cant be too harsh.

The Forest service has its own "law enforcement" idiots which really have no authority at all, but they carry a firearm and threaten people all the time with jailing and fines for sitting to long in one spot on the National forest [2 weeks is the limit in one spot before you must move at least 2 miles away and reset camp or face a hefty fine and ransacking of your belongings]. The Circus does not like people who can live wiothout government assistance, therefore you must conform, resistance is futile, you will be assimilated!

When I used to live in Kihei, Maui there were "homeless" living right next to the McDonalds!!. Those pot smoking, hippie types, not real homeless.
People just go out there and live. Tons of freshwater available, tons of fish and so on. You could go up in the west Maui mountains and live off the land. The only place left to hid out from civilization is in plane sight, right in the middle of it all. Alot of people live out in the rainforests on the northside of the island. Nobody really seems to care. It is really laid back out there.

[heidith]

I have to wonder why the Forest Service or any of the Gooberment agencies care one wit about the incredibly rare Self Sufficient Homo Sapien. I mean, what kind of a threat is it to Them if one in two million people decide that they've had enough of the noise, the dirt, the chaos, the craziness of modern life and wants to take care of themselves. You'd think that they would ENCOURAGE those of us who are not interested in a handout. Who prefer to do things for ourselves, who still carry that spark of pioneering independence inside of us. We don't cost them a DIME. I certainly can't take my 3 little sweeties and go live in a cave somewhere but we COULD go live on a decent piece of pasture in Montana or Idaho and provide quite a bit of our own needs and barter and trade services for the rest but that has been denied the citizens of this country and I, for one, am grieving the loss of it.
BTW, just finished the latest book by TC Boyle called Drop City. I highly recommend it; a page burner and it's applicable to this very topic.

I live in Central Idaho and know of a man who is caretaker a private place out in the wilderness for the last 15 years. Its pretty remote.

I know of a couple other people who care take other primative ranches.


Would love to be a caretaker.