Yesterday I loaded up in the truck and headed up to the transfer station to dump off some trash, dog hanging his head out the back window. About a mile up the dirt road I ran into a neighbor who was taking a walk, I stopped and we chatted for about 10 minutes with no worries about any other vehicles coming or going. I love living out here in the mountains and while there are risks and inconveneinces it is far superior to the subdivision life I lived before. While I understand everyone is in a different place in their life here are, in my opinion, 4 reasons you need to leave the traditional life behind and move out into the wide open spaces.
1- People. I’m not a big fan, I try to avoid them as much as possible. For sure if I have to go “into town” and interact with folks I’ll play nice and I do have a tight group of community that I’m working with but generally I like to avoid crowds / traffic / people as much as possible. Living out here provides the opportunity for me to disconnect as much as I want and control my interactions. There are no cars driving by, no sounds of other folks, no stores or other commercial outlets within my AO.
2- Freedom of Maneuver. I remember living in my subdivision, we had a stupid HOA which controlled what we could or could not do. Permits for everything, licenses, local sheriff, township police, city police and state troopers always lurking in case you set off a firecracker at the wrong time or have a mischevious dog and your neighbor wants to report you. Not so out here, I could (and have) literally walk out onto my deck and take a piss off of it in only my underwear with no worries. Build a pole barn, set in some fence, take a shot at a target 500 yards across the gully to the other hillside. Whatever, nobody cares….and oh by the way the law consists of the Sheriff and they might be 45 min away depending.
3- Self Reliance. Living out here has been quite the learning experience and I enjoy the challenge. From well water to a septic system, not being close to resupply for most things and surrounded by wild animals (bear, coyote, deer, elk, turkey et al) it has been a change. We have had to work a bit harder at things but I value it and much prefer it to punching a button on my iphone and having it done for me. I must clarify, in no way are we homesteaders but we are much further along than we used to be.
4- Personal Gratification. I sit on my deck in the morning and watch the sun rise over the mountains and take it all in, so thankful for everything we have and hoping that we never ever take any of it for granted.
Final Thoughts
Living out here is not a panacea, we could still be suspectable to major or minor SHTF events (biggest being fire, water shortages). Yet when it comes down to it I feel like we are much better off than we used to be, I was not a fan of being surrounded by neighbors in cheaply built homes and well manicured lawns. At least out here we have the abilty to succeed and/or fail mostly on our own terms, and can do so in relative peace and quiet. Right now the snow is falling hard and the wood stove is roaring, I wouldn’t go back to a 5000 square foot house in XYZ subdivision in whatever town for anything. They can have it, all of it.
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PJ, if you were my husband & pissing off MY deck you would have one worry! Lol
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Ha! We really don’t have a yard, more like mountain shrubbery and dirt so it’s not a big deal. 🙂 Sometimes the inner 4 year old in me needs to come out.
I like that idea, except being too far away from necessities…..good grocery store, drug store, hardware store, etc. My dream is to move to the foothills in some wide open spaces, but it may not be practical for us. We are getting older, and sometimes I wonder if that would work…then I think I could move to a neighboring county in the country and that might be more do-able…still hate it, but good grocery stores are a big deal. I don’t want to drive 30-45 minutes to get groceries. Something we’ll need to work out in our minds before my husband retires. I applaud you for living your dream. Some of us are really jealous and wish we had the guts to do it.
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LDG-
It’s never too late! You just have to adjust your lifestyle a bit and hopefully gradually but once you get settled in you’ll love it. We too talked about this for a few years before taking the leap and now that we are here, we could never go back.
My words exactly! Except my husband does the pissing off the porch! We live in the rural Ozarks of Missouri. We came here from Mississippi after hurricane Katrina to help take care of my elderly mom. She since passed in 2007 and we decided to stay. I love getting up early in the morning to take care of the goats and chickens. You just can’t beat those farm fresh eggs. I don’t mind the gravel roads and my nearest neighbor is about 1/2 mile away. It is now springtime and everything is in bloom in the orchard. I love listening to all the bird mating calls as they get ready to have their little families. Heck, the rabbits are used to us now. They don’t even run away at the sight of you. The deer are moving about in great abundance and watching them is a real treat. I I take everyday as a happy to be alive day. I love it here and cannot see us ever moving. And yes, I wouldn’t change this lifestyle for the busy city hub bub and noise. It is very quiet here. When the wind blows I hear the soft notes of my wind chimes. Today I plan to plant herbs and flowers. I love this life. I wish others could experience what we do. If you have the means to move, try it. You will definitely love it. Take my word too. It’s really wonderful.
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Thanks for the insight Lori, sounds like you are living the dream! Every day is a gift, that’s for sure.
Dear people, agree with Pat a nondenominational King James Bible person, in prayer, the Lord will supply me with one who is a prepper. He values the prepper life, good health, gardener, etc.
The Lord will supply your needs, but he also gives us free will to use our common sense when it comes to survival. As a country girl/city girl, I learned a lot to help me survive, canning, freezing, making jams and jellies, Foods from scratch. Also know how to shoot, hunt, prepare game, find wild fruits, leaves, barks and roots. All learned from my pioneer Great Aunt. Living away from the city now in the country. No traffic, hardy any neighbors. Not quite where I want to be when if an when tshf but better than before. Only two stores. Not missing anything we used to have in the city. I’m 68, so lady worried about retiring, don’t, you will adjust.
Age? Old at sixty and being afraid to take chances on life is just one of the worries we have more or less manufactured as we’ve become more prosperous in the industrial age. It’s only as real a your mental and physical health demand. The mental is a choice.
At a few months from my seventieth birthday I’m new to prepping. Sold the house, bought a cabin and forty-seven acres in the Montana mountains. So, on the comment about age — oh yeah, never say never!
On people: Individuals are smart, reasonable, insightful, good or bad character, etcetera. People as a group are stupid and pretty much all that that entails. Like most of us, I cherish my close meaningful relations. I’ve always been a great neighbor and almost always had great neighbors in return — funny how that happens. Up in the mountains I’ll have a few good neighbors who I can truly rely on – way more than I have in the suburbs.
On freedom to maneuver: Even in the small town in Texas where I am now, things have become more and more restricted. It’s just the American way. If you really want to know how restricted our culture has become, spend some time in a lower developed country like Vietnam and you’ll see actual freedom of thought. I know, in a communist country? Yeah, who would have thought it. The government is controlling, but the culture is not. I’m so looking forward to not having to tell someone (beg permission for a permit) when I build a new out-building, put up a solar system, or build a water catchment system.
Personal reliance: Lots and lots to learn and excited about the journey.
Gratification: YES!
Pissing off the porch: Urine is sterile and makes good fertilizer straight from the container (human or other animal bladder). Letting your inner four-year old out! Again YES!
Thanks for the post, it was fun to reply to.