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[–]tsoldrin 15 points16 points ago

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Most places that you could squat unnoticed these days will have harsh winters. Harsh as in deadly, especially if "No supplies, just my axe" is your plan. I'm in Southern Oregon, which is much milder than the out of the way places most people are suggesting and there would be a high likelihood of someone dying from the cold during the winter here without a decent dwelling and a wood stove at the very least.

You might want to instead look for cheap land with no house on it in an out of the way place. Hopefully surrounded by state or federal (BLM) land. This is basically where I live, though I have an electric and phone hookup - some other properties nearby don't and are barred from getting them. Also, maybe a mining claim near water that you could live on(try google and ebay). The cheapest acreage will probably be in a place where you can't get any utility hookups, but you don't want that anyway so that would work in your favor. Start with a tent or a yurt and work up to a cabin. Firewood should be a high priority, right after a water source and food.

Alternately, since it's still summer, you could plot out a route through the state forest of your choice and travel through it packing your own tent on your back and stay whatever the legal limit is then move on to a new campsite every week or two. After a while of this, you'll probably have a better idea of what's involved going whole hog into the wilderness for a semi-permanent period of time.

I think it's late this year to be doing such a thing btw - you should have already started stocking food and wood and wildcrafting by now for winter.

Oh yeah... location... Oregon - away from the cities, which is where most people live. The other parts are relatively empty.

[–]mrmcgee 4 points5 points ago

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"No supplies, just my axe"

Couldn't help but read this in Gimli's voice.

[–]tonster181 2 points3 points ago

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I'm in Southern Oregon as well. I know someone who (sort of) did this. He and a bunch of hippie friends bought some land and built houses out of the trees on the property. They do have power, but you wouldn't have to get power.

tsoldrin is right, there aren't that many people once you get south of Eugene. Really, the major populace is in a small corridor on I-5 from Eugene to Portland.

[–]tsoldrin 1 point2 points ago

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The place I bought was part of something like this ... a hippie commune of sorts. All the original people are old now but super healthy. Not one of their kids remained though, they all moved to civilization, so at 42 I'm the youngest person in the area - next I think is 76.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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I didn't mean that I would walk naked through the forest with only my axe in tow... I meant that I wasn't going to carry timber and other supplies from a distant location to my chosen location. I would build a stove... Yeah, it is too late this year to go, but I'm planning now for next year.

[–]tsoldrin 1 point2 points ago

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Okay, that sounds more reasonable. Before I got my place I thought about doing something like this myself... I sort of had half a plan to go somewhere with good clay soil and build with cob or adobe bricks sun baked or maybe baked with a solar stove. Also, partially underground for insulation and keeping a low profile.

You should balance any work you plan on doing to build with the possibility of being kicked out, which kind of sucks. The squat-to-own method might not work out so well in this situation because it won't work at all on government owned forest and privately owned forest ... you have to consider the type of person who owns remote wilderness land and how they might deal with the problem of squatters...

[–]gsxr 0 points1 point ago

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I think you'd have far far better luck with a multi-year plan to build up a site. The place would obviously need to be very secluded, but that wouldn't be hard in Alaska.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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That's how the Dick guy in the comment below did it. I think.

[–]cunnl01 26 points27 points ago

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Almost 90% of Alaska's land has never had an American step foot on it according to their travel reps. The land is ripe with resources and there is pretty much no law enforcement for miles at a time. "Squatting" in a cabin you made from the trees on site would go unnoticed while you live a reclusive lifestyle. Plenty of fuel available through timber and fishing/hunting is easy.

The real cost is the misc supplies needed to finish the cabin (nails, windows, roof) but a resourceful man can make it work.

[–]asdfman123 12 points13 points ago

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I think doing that, though, without doing extensive research could end up very poorly. Also, I think it'd be good to have law enforcement know where you are if you're living alone in Alaska...

[–]alexanderwales 2 points3 points ago

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If the OP is interested in this, I would recommend that he read Drop City by TC Boyle - about half of that book involves a bunch of hippies who decide to go live in Alaska (with predictable results).

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points ago

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Please, a spoiler?

[–]cunnl01 4 points5 points ago

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"I think doing that, though, without doing extensive research could end up very poorly."

It could.

[–]Class1 8 points9 points ago

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And once the police know, ask the city to run a cable internet line there. Maybe start a business and then hire some people from areas nearby.. At that point they could bring their families. Of course then you'd need to build a school.

[–]albino_wino 6 points7 points ago

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And then get some roads out to it. Then you'll need some signs to put on the road so people know when they're close. So you'll need a name for the place to put on the sign too.

[–]ObviousYes 3 points4 points ago

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then came the churches then came the schools then came the lawyers then came the rules then came the trains and the trucks with their loads

[–]moroder 2 points3 points ago

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Before all that I'm sure there could be bands of gypsies arriving with wondrous inventions showcasing the marvels of human genius, maybe even blocks of ice.

[–]LittleBlarg -1 points0 points ago

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Or magnets (seriously, how do they work)?!

[–]Class1 1 point2 points ago

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Might have to grow some food and raise some animals to keep from starving to death. You might even want to trade with other families for their food.. possible for chores or services or crafted goods!

[–]moddestmouse 1 point2 points ago

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but you couldn't just use goods to trade, the tragedy of the commons comes into play, so you'd need to have some kind of item that has an assigned value that could be traded between people that represents value.

[–]tdcthulu 3 points4 points ago

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may i suggest bottle caps?

[–]Class1 0 points1 point ago

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made of some sort of rare material.

[–]cunnl01 1 point2 points ago

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funny. The smart kind of funny too.

[–]Whalers_on_the_Moon 0 points1 point ago

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I'm bored with this city, hmmm, do I pick an alien attack or tornadoes?

[–]Class1 0 points1 point ago

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YOU HAVEN'T FILLED UP THE ENTIRE MAP YET!

[–]scott_beowulf 3 points4 points ago

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See Into the Wild.

[–]T-mark3V100 5 points6 points ago

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Does Alaska still pay you to live there?

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

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after two years of provable residency, they will issue you a check each year somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 dollars, give or take.

living on $160 a month could be quite interesting and doable

[–]peanutsfan1995 2 points3 points ago

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Assuming that libertyordeath23 acquired enough money to build his cabin and purchase a basic set of supplies, a rifle, and a stove, living on $160 a month is 100% doable.

[–]cunnl01 1 point2 points ago

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yeah, they cut a check to residents from an oil fund that is run by the state.

[–][deleted] 6 points7 points ago

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Probably can't escape the fact that the place where no one wants to live has the most freedom. I'd prefer something a little less cold with a little longer summer...

[–]donotlookatme 17 points18 points ago

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[–][deleted] 18 points19 points ago

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Native Alaskan here, I grew up near there.

I remember reading about his inventory that he had with him when he was dropped off and walked into the woods. Reading the rest of the book was trivial after that, it's hard to respect someone who is plain and simply ignorant. That's one of the greatest things about Alaska imho, it will chew your face off the second you don't respect it.

[–]gabe_ 9 points10 points ago

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Upvoted!! The kid wandered into the bush without any of the proper training or kit... and now he's inspired a legion of other dumb-asses to imitate him!

[–]b0red105 1 point2 points ago

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Definitely what I thought of when somebody mentioned this... please for the love of god don't just go romping into Alaska.

[–]Zarathrustra 1 point2 points ago

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I would highly suggest doing what my parents and I did when I was a child, and try finding a lodge to care-take in the Bush of Alaska. We lived an extremely remote lifestyle (nearest population was five miles across a lake) and only had to deal with people in the summer time. This would give you an opportunity to try the experience with out the need to buy a place of your own or squat on goverment land. I read above that you're not interested in cold winters, but quite honestly the Alaskan winters give you some of the best seclusion a person can find. People flock to warm environments so its less likely to attain squatting seclusion in those areas.

[–]ariellecyan 1 point2 points ago

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there's at least 600k of us that would disagree with you. it's the most beautiful state in the u.s, that's why we live here. it's been 65 and sunny most days this summer while the rest of the u.s. is melting in 100 degree weather..

[–]cunnl01 0 points1 point ago

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me too :(

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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Let's not go through that again. I don't think a sequel to Into The Wild would sell very well.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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It would be called "Into the WTF is This Guy Thinking? Didn't He Read the Last Book?"

[–]aenehzodaee 5 points6 points ago

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Thoreau lived on the outskirts of town, not complete wilderness. He sought to find a perfect balance between civilization and nature.

[–]LurkingGrue 6 points7 points ago

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So does nearly everyone these days.

[–]alclone 1 point2 points ago

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Except IRS came banging on his door and asked for property tax and late fees...

[–]bieberpet 6 points7 points ago

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[–]asdfman123 2 points3 points ago

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[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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um... so how did that work out for you? I noticed this was 2009...

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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did you get a lot of applicants?

[–]asdfman123 1 point2 points ago

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Haha, I wish I wrote that.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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Thanks. Looks like I can't escape having to go to Alaska. It really sucks.

[–]Beefdump_Cornfinger 5 points6 points ago

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If you are set on building a cabin and living off the land then your destination is Alaska. If you are looking for some seclusion and warm weather then learn to sail, get a sailboat, and then live in the sail boat and have the freedom to go wherever you want.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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I kind of like that idea.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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But how to get food if you are allergic to fish?

[–]biteableniles 7 points8 points ago

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Stop being a pussy and eat it anyway?

/sailor

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points ago

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Maybe you shouldn't try to be a survivialist, just yet.

[–]junkmale 8 points9 points ago

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"I don't like the cold, I'm allergic to common foods, I want to live like Thoreau but can't even get myself to finish his book..." Maybe OP needs to rethink this endeavor.

[–]warpstalker 0 points1 point ago

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Eat seaweed or shoot down seagulls?

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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Maybe I could trade the fish for food that I can eat?

[–]feigndad 2 points3 points ago

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Alaska was my first thought but I was looking at land prices on ebay and was really surprised to see out of the way places off highway 97 between bend and klamath falls (in oregon). Keep in mind if you look at ebay to read the things carefully, what you're bidding on in some cases is the option to buy the land (not the land itself). Yes I know you said you're broke, but you might find something worthwhile.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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Alaska will eat you and you will die. Remember the "Damn nature, you scary!" That's Alaska.

Dick Proenneke is a true bad ass. If you're that bad ass, then go for it!

[–]nathanaz 6 points7 points ago

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you can do this in about 98% of Alaska.

its not "legal" per se, but there won't be anyone there to bug you.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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Any options in the contiguous U.S.? It gets a little cold for a little too long up there.

[–]nathanaz 6 points7 points ago

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Unfortunately for you, I would guess that most (if not all) places where this type of living is an option would be at the extremes of the weather scale.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

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Montana extremes, I can handle. An area that is dark for 6 months out of the year is a little more hardcore than I would necessarily want.

[–]nathanaz 2 points3 points ago

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My wife spent some time in Montana, and I can't imagine wanting to spend the winter there without access to groceries/power/non-wood heat. That is some rough country.

[–]SmokeErrday 0 points1 point ago

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There was a guy in Billings a few years ago who froze solid just 100 feet from his front door. It was 45 below zero. You sure about that?

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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It's better than Alaska, and I have been in Montana's winters before. I'm pretty sure I can handle the cold at least. Did the guy go out in a snowstorm? Note to self: Do not go out in a snowstorm in Montana.

[–]abledanger 0 points1 point ago

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Was he drunk? All the people around here who freeze to death are drunk at the time. Just last year a guy in East Helena passed out 2 blocks from the bar and froze to death at the edge of the creek. They didn't find him for over a month.

[–]ariellecyan 0 points1 point ago

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I've lived in both montana and ak, it does not get any colder up here than it does down there. we also have much better summers.

[–]axon_axoff 10 points11 points ago* 

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Nice try, Ted Kaczynski

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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There is a dictionary on google. I mean, all you have to do is type Ted K... and the correct spelling would show up.

[–]yugami 17 points18 points ago

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I think I see why no one wants you around and have banished you to a remote cabin.

[–]axon_axoff 4 points5 points ago

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I actually did that the first time around and that's what it gave me. Oh well, fixed.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

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lol...even google makes mistakes.

[–]I_luvtheCIA 5 points6 points ago

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How would you get building supplies to a site so isolated? You're talking about wilderness areas where there are no roads. This sounds like a very bad idea.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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No supplies, just my axe

[–]I_luvtheCIA 20 points21 points ago

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Then you really are delusional. But go ahead and try. Your best bet are the wilderness areas in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. But the winters are HARSH...so plan on cutting a lot of firewood...where are you going to have your fires in your cabin? You won't have any bricks or mortar...I'm just saying...think it through. And learn the basics about wilderness survival, it sounds like you have no clue what to do.

[–]gdog05 1 point2 points ago

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I know a place in Northern Idaho that is absolutely secluded. It's barricaded by a large creek on one side and a rock bluff on the other. There's a jeep trail going into it, but it takes about 40minutes to go a mile in. The best part, is that it has a banana belt wind, and keeps the weather really mild compared to the surrounding areas. If you ran a small turbine in the creek, and put some solar panels on 20ft high stilts, you'd have decent power year 'round. There's also plenty of land to grow your own veggies, and with that banana belt weather, a green house would go far. The deer are trapped in there with the landscape, and they have about 800 acres to themselves. Not that I've thought about doing this mind you, just saying it could be done.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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Nature's bricks and mortar=rocks and clay. I agree about the states, but I want to focus on a locale that doesn't get alot of attention that still holds it's natural beauty. I have lived in Montana and I know the winters. I know a little about wilderness survival. I've hike plenty of the backwoods out there. I just want to see if anyone knows a place where I would be safe living outside of society.

[–]I_luvtheCIA 2 points3 points ago

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Upper Canada. In the US there's really no place like that anymore.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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Upper Canada? Where the fuck have you been living, under the Big Nickel?

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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That's really kind of sad, isn't it?

[–]UpTheDownEscalator 5 points6 points ago

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It's 2010, not 1810. What's sad is that you seem to think it should be OK for you to go build a cabin and live in a naturally beautiful place that has publicly or privately been protected from development.

Save up some money and move to Alaska or Canada if you want to live out your Alexander Supertramp fantasy.

[–]I_luvtheCIA 1 point2 points ago

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I'm trying to understand the Alexander Supertramp analogy...but I agree. To live without buying the land is risky at best, and illegal at worst.

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points ago

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He's referencing a hippie that went out to Alaska and starved to death. So they made a movie about him. Dying.

[–]Class1 3 points4 points ago* 

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He wasn't an idiot. The fact that he survived as long as he did was amazing. The problem is that Humans are not made to live alone in the wilderness. We simply have not evolved under those conditions. We are social animals, we live in packs than are capable of protecting and taking care of one another when we get sick. We don't have thick skin, or wooly coats, a keen sense of smell. Just a very large brain designed for planning and social behavior to ensure survival in group dynamics.\

Alexander Supertramp would have survived if he had one other person with him to feed him once he got sick from eating the wrong plant.

[–]darktask 1 point2 points ago

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that's kind brief, and harsh

[–]UpTheDownEscalator 1 point2 points ago

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Into The Wild, By John Krakauer synopsis:

""God, he was a smart kid..." So why did Christopher McCandless trade a bright future--a college education, material comfort, uncommon ability and charm--for death by starvation in an abandoned bus in the woods of Alaska? This is the question that Jon Krakauer's book tries to answer. While it doesn't—cannot—answer the question with certainty, Into the Wild does shed considerable light along the way. Not only about McCandless's "Alaskan odyssey," but also the forces that drive people to drop out of society and test themselves in other ways. Krakauer quotes Wallace Stegner's writing on a young man who similarly disappeared in the Utah desert in the 1930s: "At 18, in a dream, he saw himself ... wandering through the romantic waste places of the world. No man with any of the juices of boyhood in him has forgotten those dreams." Into the Wild shows that McCandless, while extreme, was hardly unique; the author makes the hermit into one of us, something McCandless himself could never pull off. By book's end, McCandless isn't merely a newspaper clipping, but a sympathetic, oddly magnetic personality. Whether he was "a courageous idealist, or a reckless idiot," you won't soon forget Christopher McCandless."

In this book, the protagonist, Christopher McCandless renames himself 'Alexander Supertramp.'

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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This is a whole different debate. You accept the rules of man to be finite and absolute. I do not. Morality and freedom dictate my lifestyle, not a written law. Many of them are fallible and go beyond the powers that they should have. You can argue that I would be doing harm to future generations by scarring the land with my use. If I live my life well and conscientiously I can pass my life leaving a very minimal impact upon the surrounding environment. These laws are to keep out the guys who want to put strip malls and hotels all over the place, not for people that wish to coexist with nature. Quit depending on people to make all of your decisions for you.

[–]UpTheDownEscalator 2 points3 points ago

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Actually, you've introduced several different debate topics here, but I'll set them all a side for now and just point out that you are trying to find beautiful unsettled/free land in THE MOST INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. Good luck with that.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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So my enemy here IS industrialization then...Maybe Ted did have a point. If it weren't for his lunacy and random bombings I could give him more credit.

[–]Sentazar 1 point2 points ago

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fINALLY SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS HOW I FEEL GODDAMN

[–]Bcpl 1 point2 points ago

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umm... you got caps lock on

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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Quit depending on people to make all of your decisions for you.

AHAHAH. Right, because living around people means everyone else makes everyone elses decisions for them.

[–]surfnsound 2 points3 points ago

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I thought dwarves preferred caves?

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

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Only caves with gold and gems. Why, do you know a place?

[–]surfnsound 2 points3 points ago

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I hear Moria is nice this time of year.

[–]spacecadets 0 points1 point ago

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And my bow

[–]Nomadtheodd 5 points6 points ago

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How bold are you?

Adverse possession is one answer. You move in, build a house, and if they don't kick you out in x amount of time, you can legally claim the land! Yes, it's kind of a dick move, but the idea is that if they don't notice you in so many years, they weren't using it anyhow, so it goes to someone who will. One way you might get caught is in both montana and idaho (the suggested locations), you have to pay the taxes, which might draw some attention.

[–]rgraham888 0 points1 point ago

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Adverse possession's 10 years in most places, 20 in some. It also depends on who you're taking the land from.

[–]Nomadtheodd 0 points1 point ago

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Yeah, wouldn't try to take government land this way.

[–]rgraham888 0 points1 point ago

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Not really, they don't need 10 years, and they still have to pay you fair market value. Land seizure cases always come down to a pissing match as to what the fair market value is. Adverse possession only requires open and notorious (and usually regular or continuous) use of the land of another.

[–]tridentloop 0 points1 point ago

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This won't work in Alaska anymore. They changed the law up here recently you have to own property next to the land you are trying to adversely possess. And in any event it must be private land. Can't take governement land.

[–]rgraham888 0 points1 point ago

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interesting. Were they having a problem with random squatters in the middle of nowhere?

[–]tridentloop 0 points1 point ago

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No republicans.. being republicians..

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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YOU RULE!!! Thank you, lawyer-man!

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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Wait a second...pay taxes? PAY TAXES? Can I pay them in furs?

[–]Nomadtheodd 2 points3 points ago

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Nope. Gotta sell furs, THEN pay taxes.

[–]Exce 2 points3 points ago* 

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But you have to pay tax on the furs first.

[–]darktask 0 points1 point ago

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capitalism will getcha every time

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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Only through the FORCED coercion of the IRS.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

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Oh boy.

[–]EkoostikAdam 2 points3 points ago

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In the Upper peninsula of Michigan you could get a plot of land by a lake SUPER cheap and live there. Winters are harsh though.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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My uncle lives in the U.P. I do like me some mountains though. Are there any up there?

[–]EkoostikAdam 0 points1 point ago

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It's pretty hilly from what I remember. The main thing I remember is a lake everywhere you look.

[–]watermeloncup 0 points1 point ago

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Unless I completely missed them, there are no real mountains anywhere in Michigan. However, it is very hilly.

[–]asnark 9 points10 points ago

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I can't believe that no one has mentioned Into the Wild.

Long story short, guys goes to live alone in Alaska, guy dies.

[–]Hovertruck 5 points6 points ago

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This book is sitting right next to me. I was going to start reading it tonight.

...Guess I need new plans.

[–]DrunkMoses 2 points3 points ago

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Sure, you can probably use Ted Kaczynski's old cabin as I don't believe he needs it much anymore.

[–]NonstopWindex 2 points3 points ago

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I've been looking for such a place too, care if I build one next door?

[–]Pooh_Bear 2 points3 points ago

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You don't need to go to Alaska. There are plenty of areas in the west where you can live and where no one will ever bother you. I actually have a friend who did this here in Utah. He built a small cabin at some random spot up in the mountains and stayed up there during the summertime. I think it's fairly common for people to live in the wilderness during the summer months, but surviving the winter is much more difficult.

[–]jp007 2 points3 points ago

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New Freeland

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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If you know where this is, let me know.

[–]jp007 1 point2 points ago

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It's in Montana

[–]robot-rollcall 1 point2 points ago

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So you're from America?

[–]jp007 1 point2 points ago

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No, I told you, I'm from New Freeland.

[–]robot-rollcall 1 point2 points ago

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And where is New Freeland?

[–]msingerman 1 point2 points ago

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May I recommend Somalia? Very little government interference in your daily life there.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago* 

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http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/landsale/

There are still forms of homesteading in Alaska. Go have a fucking blast. But I kid, you will die out there unless you actually have hardcore outdoor experience.

Edit: Reading your replies, I don't think you have any idea what it would take to survive alone anywhere. You are talking about this nonchalantly, not nearly worried enough which tells me you don't know how to do it. Surviving in southern Alaska is barely any different from the northern continental states like Idaho and the Dakotas. The winter is a little longer, but the summers are way more plentiful for food. Sure the animals are bigger, but a 200 lb bear is pretty much just as dangerous as a 600 lb bear. So my advice to you is stop trying to live out your college Thoreau fantasy and find a job you like.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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Cross into canada and build there

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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I've been giving this some serious thought.

[–]war_on_christmas 1 point2 points ago

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You could try living somewhere in Northeast Alabama/ Northwest Georgia. There are lots of very sparsely populated areas for you to get your lonesome on and at the worst you would only be maybe 45 mins away from some civilization. The weather isn't bad. I am from the area and there are a few people who live in the mountains with no electricity. Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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How are the rangers out there? I heard there were fly-overs there all the time because of the pot growers.

[–]war_on_christmas 1 point2 points ago

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Flyovers are pretty common so you might have some problems there. As long as long as you are not growing pot or cooking meth they will probably leave you alone.

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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Do you know where to get real good cheap land?

I've tried looking for it online, and all of the "cheap" prices are way out of my price range.

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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hmmm...mortgage would assume I have a house...

[–]rgraham888 1 point2 points ago

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You can mortgage anything, but the interest rate's usually higher for unimproved property.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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c_C I googled "cheap land" and the first hit took me here: http://www.billyland.com/Land-for-Sale , with auctions starting at $10.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

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Update, these are auctions for a "down payment". The actual total of the land is much more than 10 dollars. TGTBT

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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... for a down payment. Looks like they have pretty reasonable financing available though.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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no way. THANK you. There's no reserve in these, huh?

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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Dude they post parcels on there for as little as 4k sometimes. You're not going to find anything much cheaper. I haven't used them, but its silly of you to dismiss it so easily.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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Check out billy land, I'm not sure how legit they are, but the prices and terms seem nice.

[–]jus2kwik 1 point2 points ago

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I'm guessing there would be places in Montana or Idaho where this would be possible. Some parts are remote enought that you could probably go quite awhile without seeing another human.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

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I've hiked a lot of Montana before. The only problem is that there seems to be a lot of rangers. Maybe it's because I've only been on the well developed paths? The Bob Marshall might be too popular a place to set up camp. They fly planes over every once in a while to see if anyone has "developed" an area or are secretly growing marijuana. I want to avoid problems like that.

[–]jus2kwik 5 points6 points ago

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If you want to avoid people, avoid paths.

[–]abledanger 0 points1 point ago

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The Bob is probably the most active wilderness area in the state after the Glacier and Yellowstone areas.

[–]cbellanger 1 point2 points ago

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Find an eccentric, libertarian land owner who will let you build in some remote corner of his property?

[–]LongHyzer 1 point2 points ago

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Yes, but most of these places are infested with bigfoots.

[–]soulgrafitti 0 points1 point ago

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or would they be big feet?

[–]bluescholars 1 point2 points ago

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Northern michigan

[–]JimmyDThing 1 point2 points ago

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I think you're delusional. I give you 2 months. Where do you plan on getting food? Especially in the winter months. Unless you plan on figuring out how to make an awesome bow and arrows, then I don't really know how you plan on hunting. You're not going to survive on vegetation alone, you'll die.

[–]nontoxyc 0 points1 point ago

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Tahoe National Forest in Placer County, California, my friends and I just drove 30 miles out Mosquito Ridge Road and saw only 3 houses the whole way... Northern California, the elevation is about 3000-4000 feet but you would get 10-20' of snow during winter.

[–]PsyanideInk 0 points1 point ago

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South-East Georgia, if you have balls. On the fringe of the Okefenokee Swamp there are huge swatches of land that have less than 1 person per square mile. Not to mention it is some of the most beautiful, atmospheric land on the east coast. Same goes for the South Carolina Low Country, though it isn't quite as sparsely populated.

You will have to deal with a wide variety of snakes, insects, and possibly gators.

[–]greyhawke 0 points1 point ago

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Try the Puna side of the big island of Hawaii.

[–]knightskull 1 point2 points ago

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This eliminates the problems of winter. Catchment for drinking water. 500 watts worth of PV cells, deep cycle batteries and a cheap little inverter for power. 3G tethering for internet. Hydroponics for food if the soil isn't deep/rich enough. Build a sweet little cabin of 'ohi'a logs, lava rocks and sheet metal. You don't actually have to squat as you can buy an acre of jungle with access for a couple grand. All in all I'd say you could make a self sufficient new start there for under 10,000 dollars.

[–]greyhawke 0 points1 point ago

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Oddly enough that is just about exactly how it worked for my family and friends growing up. Love and Light Commune in puna, minimal output and an awesome place to grow up.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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there is no escape

[–]mzr 0 points1 point ago

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A long time ago I was reading about people who build portable houses. This isn't mobile home type housing, they're normal construction houses built on bus or truck chassis. The author would travel around to various sites and set up his homestead. He had setup deals with the landowners for free rent in exchange for watching and/or keeping up the land. Might want to try to do something like that.

[–]xx-_-xx 0 points1 point ago

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Northwestern Maine, literally nobody lives there

[–]Euripides33 0 points1 point ago

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Take your pick, although I bet most of the sparsley populated areas have pretty bad climates. Wyoming and Montana are damn cold, and Nevada is a desert.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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Idaho is less inhabited than I thought...

[–]heywoodidaho 0 points1 point ago

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True. While firefighting a couple summers ago we came across a couple of settlements (For lack of a better term) in the Owahees . On face value nothing illegal seemed to be happening. But who knows?

[–]RosieMuffysticks 0 points1 point ago

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Southeast Alaska.

There is a tiny ghost town called Hyder. I lived there for nearly 2 years when I was a kid. The nearest town is Stewart, BC.

PM me for more information.

[–]wierdaaron 0 points1 point ago* 

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Keep in mind it's very hard to build wifi routers out of rocks and leaves. Not saying you can't do it, just saying it's a whole thing.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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It would have to be connected via satellite. If you could find a way to hack a satellite for free internet, I might be able to hand make a contraption that would work. But, yeah, the point is that you AREN'T connected to anything. The internet is JUST a bunch of connected computers.

[–]wierdaaron 1 point2 points ago

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...Which you are currently using to find out information vital to your proposed life situation.

[–]slipkid 0 points1 point ago

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No rangers, eh?

libertyordeath23's packing list:

  • Chloroform

  • Butcher's knife

  • Black garbage bags, extra large

  • Large Igloo cooler

  • Handcuffs, gags, and blindfolds

  • Lots of towels

  • Mop and bucket

  • Chlorine bleach

  • Shovel

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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I'm not quite this guy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Hansen If that's what you're suggesting. The point is to get away from people, not trap them next to me until I feel like killing them.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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Rangers have a tendency to see you building a cabin illegally and stopping you. And arresting you.

[–]punkazz189 0 points1 point ago

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If your looking for someplace warm, get yourself an airboat and build yourself something in the Everglades region of florida or the Louisiana bayou. Your going to have to build your cabin on stilts but those areas are pretty out of the way and even if someone finds you they will more than likely stay away from you. Watch out for swamp people!

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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It's not quite like that out there. I live kinda near the area and have traveled through on many occasions.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago* 

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NY state has vast mountain ranges with no one for miles.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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Do they do a lot of flyovers there?

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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I have a house in the catskills and I rarely hear any fly overs. It's an actual town but when you're at the top of the mountain you can see valleys for miles on end with no civilization in site. It's a great state

[–]mekura 0 points1 point ago

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I haven't any suggestions for a location, but I strongly recommend you read Dan O'Neill's A Land Gone Lonesome.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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Thank you.

[–]Monyshot 0 points1 point ago

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Montana (Person per Square Mile: 6.22)

National Average: 79.6

[–]Dodged 0 points1 point ago

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Find out where Bill Watterson lives.

[–]AnnArchist 0 points1 point ago* 

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right here

If you move on to Swiss jackpines Rd you may be fine.

Warning. You will want to bring your woman with you. This far north there is significant inbreeding.

I can promise that I will visit you once per year, sometimes once during the summer too, but annually during deer season, as my friend owns a cabin near there.

I recommend her chili.

The reviews are accurate, but her sister sometimes works there during the deer season and she will sometimes close down the bar and feed us drinks until 4am and then go home n fuck the last man standing.

Beware, she has callouses on her hands and she told my friend shes banged well over 150 guys......the population of the town is about 10 people but hundreds of deer hunters come up during the winter for about 2 weeks.

There is 1 cop in that county and if he comes by, the neighbors will probably ride their 4 wheeler down to tell you, if you are outside... during the summer tho, we rarely see anyone up there on a weekday.

[–]soparamens 0 points1 point ago

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Why at the USA? you can have a nice, secure and far away palm cabin at Southern Mexico, i know a lot of gringos that live there, because it's paradise like, and very cheap if you cook your own food and wash your own clothes etc.. No electricity, cars and city noise, just some blue sky, blue sea and plenty of fresh fish for quarters. http://kea.nu/2uq

[–]Punslayer 0 points1 point ago

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I'd suggest Western Montana or Northern Cali.

[–]Pizzadude 0 points1 point ago

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Wyoming.

Well, all of the land is owned by the government or ranchers, and they are very protective, but other than that it fits.

I used to work at a camp up in the Big Horns. Google map "Burgess Junction, WY" and/or "Sibley Lake, WY." In the area just north of those two spots, there is (was?) an old guy who has lived up there for years. I think the rule is something like... you can't live in any one spot on Forest Service land for more than 14 days... or something like that. So he had 3-4 favorite spots, and would rotate between them every few weeks. I don't know if you would be allowed to build anything substantial.

You can definitely go a long, long time without running into anyone else up there if you go far enough away from the road. When I was up there, there were three lodges and my camp, which all shared a party phone line (different ring tones for each). I used to have to put on the snow shoes and gear pack to follow the line and repair it when it went out.

Bear Lodge has a small hotel, restaurant, and convenience store. The other lodge on the highway has a restaurant too, and Antelope Butte is my favorite place in the world to snowboard (they have two chair lifts now!). So there are a few places to get supplies. Winter is a bitch up there. There are also plenty of moose, bears, and mountain lions, so be smart.

If you ever go up there, check out the Medicine Wheel, Black Mountain Fire Lookout, Porcupine and Bucking Mule Falls, Paradise Valley, and the Tongue River Caves. If you hit the southern pass, between Buffalo and Ten Sleep, check out Cloud Peak and Bomber Mountain. There is a real WWII bomber still up there, if you can find it (I did!).

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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Oh cool I want to do that too. We can be neighbors.

[–]ariellecyan 0 points1 point ago

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Actually there is a lot of land available still in Alaska (mostly in the interior,) where if you go live on it, and maintain it and build on it, you are technically allowed to gain ownership of it. Not sure on the exact details, but that's definitely something to investigate. However, even 10 minutes outside of my town (anchorage,) there is so much forest you could easily build a cabin and live undiscovered for a long time. I know people that have done this.

[–]tridentloop 0 points1 point ago

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google anderson, Alaska. They are giving away land there. and it is pretty much the middle of nowhere, but on the road system.

[–]bobbothegrayson[!] 0 points1 point ago

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Head to west virginia. I know a guy out there who built a cabin after building himself a sawmill in a river on the top of a mountain. You have to take a 4 wheeler 3 miles to reach the place, with it already being out in the boonies to get to the 4 wheeling point. Its near Beckley.

[–]Solia 0 points1 point ago

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If you are serious about this, you need to make sure you do your research properly. Read actual survival manuals, and not hippy live-off the land literature. Survival in the conditions you are talking about is a 24/7 job and there is no relenting. For example, you need at least a couple cords of wood to survive a northern winter, (about half a tonne), which will take a couple months alone just to cut. You need food to last you through the winter, when you can't hunt or fish. Make sure you can kill and skin animals cleanly without contaminating the meat. Do you know which plants are toxic in the area? How to cleanse your system if you accidentally poison yourself? How to make sure you sruvive heat stroke? Small problems in the city and life and death in the backwoods. Do you have all your First Aid courses completed? etc.etc.etc.

My questions aren't just to be a downer, but from arise from personal experiences. And in case you're interested, Canada is a great country for disappearing in. Several hundred thousand immigrants do it every year. Just make sure you dress for the weather, and by weather, I mean -40C and a windchill dropping it down to -60C. A few years ago some idiot from the states decided to try this and was caught less than 40 miles from the border, almost dead of the cold because he only bought some cheap southern winter jacket. In the Summer, there are hordes of blackflies and mosquitoes, so once again, dress accordingly.

And if you do do this, kudos. That takes a lot of courage. It will take even more intelligence to survive.

[–]Whalers_on_the_Moon 0 points1 point ago

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I don't think anyone has suggested this yet, but New Mexico has a fair amount of undisturbed land as well. Areas in Catron, Otero, and Union counties are pretty desolate but not entirely free of tree lines.

I think this picture might sum up a little of what you're looking for.

[–]fivre 0 points1 point ago

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Given all the outright abandoned towns in North Dakota, there's probably space up there. Bit cold though.

[–]wheeldog 0 points1 point ago

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Having once lived in Alaska for four years I can assure you there are TONS of people who need caretakers for their properties, both in and out of the bush. My father has a homestead way out in the bush and employs someone to watch it every year. I'm just using him as an example, as he needs no caretakers in the next five years, but he would be ecstatic if you built a cabin and lived there year 'round.

[–]r-ice 0 points1 point ago

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canada?

[–]therealjerrystaute 0 points1 point ago

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Man, that's one tall order, not likely to be filled without some extreme measures. Basically, you'd have to try living a lot like Robert Redford in the film Jeremiah Johnson. Most of us born into the comforts of the 20th or 21st centuries aren't really up to that, except in case of Russian or Chinese military invasion (like the film Red Dawn), or being on a USA 'Most Wanted' poster-- and even in those cases, we probably wouldn't last long.

When I was young, I wanted to do the same exact thing, but like you had no money, but did have some outdoors skills/experience. I researched places in Idaho and Washington state, saved up some money to try buying a place, kept honing my survivalist skills so I could reduce my dependence upon civilization, etc., etc., etc. However, over time I also found that no matter how badly I wanted to be alone, that wasn't healthy for me (e.g., look what happened to Ted Kaczynski, aka the unabomber). And being alone will actually heighten loneliness, rather than help it. Being alone for long periods is so torturous that that's what they use for the ultimate punishment in places of ultimate punishment (maximum security prisons). I did try such stints-- repeatedly-- and found them not at all practical or desirable, for more than a few weeks at a time.

[–]medved_preved 0 points1 point ago

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Yes, Ted Kazinsky

[–]Cerebusial 0 points1 point ago

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The federal government owns most of the land in Alaska, like 60%. From Alaska DNR (scroll down to the land ownership link, sorry, it's a PDF). Not to mention that the state of Alaska also owns a sizable amount of property still, it appears from that paper cited to be like 20%. Also, adverse possession doesn't work against a government agency, which means it's nearly impossible to squat in Alaska.

[–]Caedus_Vao -1 points0 points ago

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If you're set on doing this, maybe I can sell you a certain bridge. In Brooklyn. The residul income should keep you in axes and jerky AT LEAST until the winter comes.

Shiiit, you'll even have enough left over for your familly to hire a search party and put on a nice funeral!!!!

-seriously, I strongly advise spending some time camping alone in a remote area that's still patrolled and inhabited. That way, you'll understand why societies support things like "medicine" and "hot water" with such enthusiasm.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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I'm not looking to invest in any city property right now. And a bridge? Why the maintenance alone will eat all of my profits. Do I get to charge fees for crossing? And if said crossing connected to public roads, would I have to pay some kind of fee to the city and state for connection usage? Taxes on said property? Is there a high tax rate in this "Brooklyn"?

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

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I have spent much time alone in the wilderness in Montana. If I were to add my separate instances of it, it would be approx 5 months. I know what I would be getting in to.