I want my grand kids
to learn how to be a Feral Woodsman. In their life time, agriculture as we have
known it, could very well not exist. If we dont self destruct, an adaption of
major importance will be needed. I don’t claim to have all the answers,
or even all the questions. Climate change is a fact and could affect all of us.
We are so narrowly focused, we have lost the ability to function without the
industrial complex. If one can move themselves to the wild lands learning the
lessons of the hunter gatherers of the world, the complex might not matter
much. I’m not talking about dropping out, rather moving in. What ever hell
civilization brings down on us, many will just dance in place, while others
will dance away if they know a way to go. In the right now, many are just fed
up with the rat race of lies.
The American dream
has been ripped from so many. The few who are hanging on are stuck to the old
values that are disappearing faster than we can keep up. The headache and the
heartache of watching the crumbling of America has become a way of life, that
envelopes us in its strangle hold. So long as we don’t choke and die, we keep
chugging along. The big picture is no longer clear and no escape seems in view.
I really wish we could always count on things to go our way, that would be fine
by me. History says that all great nations do not last, they collapse and
crumble away. Sometimes they leave no trace.
The peoples who
still live on the land can teach us many lessons. Some are very much nomads,
caring for herds as they move different kinds of critters. I have written in
the past about the use of pack goats. They are easy on the land, leave hardly
any trace and trained they will follow you. As a double duty, you could have
milk and the other things and on occasion meat. Goats will not be an answer for
many, but just the aspect as a pack animal is interesting to my mind. It allows
for a more nomad kind of life. that fills the bill for the pioneer Feral
Woodsman.
A practice of
feeling out the Feral Woodsman, or the practical woodsman experimental
lifestyle, if that fits better for you, would be to “train” on weekends. This
way you are not committed to just up and leaving it all, but are preparing like
you would for any other life event for the upcoming future. It is just a trek
or a hike with more than one purpose in mind. At the least you are becoming
aware on a different level than ever before. By going over the same terrain
several times a year you will get to know the best place for different camps
and what they offer you through the seasons. By using the art of the cache, you
could even find you are going lighter and lighter, that is a worthy goal. In
addition, you will be learning the plant life and when is best to harvest. I
would also be doing some stealth gardening as well. Most have very little
connection with the earth and I ‘m not talking in a tree hugger way. By being
out in it, at a slower pace as has been mentioned, you will get the feel of
what life is. You become one with the pulse of life. For the modern man, it is
easing into a foreign mode, not going cold turkey. Culture shock is to to be
avoided, almost like when you were a kid and just playing in the dirt.
We are fortunate at
his point that we can buy bargains at thrift stores. What with the cheap
clothes around, you can cache some real duds for future use. If they wear out
and everything is gone, you can make a transition at that time. Heavy duty work
clothes, wool and so on can be had at a great savings. By stocking up you will
be ahead of the game. And when you make a trek to town you are presentable.
Even in the wildwood, you want to feel good about yourself, and clothes help
with your own self image.
Speaking of town you may want to dodge out to
a movie or a burger. That’s fine you are still part of society. If you are
alone, it might prove too tough to do all at once, if ever. Like anything else,
you are just living your own life. Granted it is a little odd, but so are lots
of peoples lives. Being alone has all kinds of problems, most obvious injury
and illness, so teaming up with at least one other person could really be a
huge plus. Three or four might be the ticket. In that manner, chores are
divided and you have company and adventures to share. Work load is easier,
problems can be solved, and the extra input can be a blessing. And, you avoid
the psychological impact of lonliness, unless you are already geared for the
being alone time. Some are some are not.
What it means,
really, is you have to “own the skills” and be willing to put in the tenure.
You will not begin to cover everything in a short time. For the weekend Feral
Woodsman, who is sick and tired of the combat of competition in the work place
and all it does not satisfy, it can be tempered by the exercise of your
freedom, to learn all we have talked about in past articles in this experiment
of a real life. As you gain knowledge, you will also gain confidence in
yourself. Mastering the Feral Woodsman’s skills is an art form that just could
be one hell of a lifestyle statement and could be salvation for you and yours.
As I hope it could be for me and mine.
I sure cannot
predict the future. I don’t even have a crystal ball. The future is a thing we
know nothing about and there are many ways one prepares for what they think
might, could happen. Most follow the survival plan of stocking up on food and
water and all the other goodies, but we need a viable alternative and I feel
this is as good a plan as any theory I have come across. The Feral Woodsman
might be in your future…. The new modern man.
By Dude McLean
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