My vision of the
Feral Woodsman, in camp, has many parts.
The base camp, or
main camp, would be home and would need to hidden well. Most of your gear would
be here, or close by, depending on the traffic from hunters, hikers and so on.
Anyone can accidentally stumble on a place, but most do not stray far from any
trails, though I would not count on that. In my exploring around the country,
and being one to break bush, I have, at times, run into well concealed “homes”.
One time was in a
remote desert area in Nevada. This person had four 8×4 pieces of plywood nailed
to a frame work of 4x4s, but had no roof. I suspect he used a tarp of some
kind. Inside it was a wreck, but was obviously being lived in. He had no idea
what he was doing. I poked around a bit and found warrants for this person, so
he was on the run, but not very smart about it. He had all kinds of personal
info everywhere. I left it all alone.
Another one I found
was in the mountains above Simi Valley, California. I was trekking along a
marked path, when my dog ran around a huge boulder formation—the mountains in
this area are like jumbled rocks— and started barking. I walked around this
formation and behind it was an overhang that would protect one from the
elements. Sitting on a chair was this well groomed elderly man. He had a cot,
cook stove, some boxes of food and a well kept fire ring with fire irons. Every
thing was neat and tidy. He was a bit afraid—my Akita was very intimidating. I
called her to me and he and I had one of those conversations. He told me they
called him homeless but said, “I have a great home here and I prefer this to
any other place I ever lived”. He asked that I tell no one he was there. I told
him I would tell no one and I never told anyone where he was.
The Feral Woodsman
needs to be comfy and neat, having the ability to cook, be safe and sleep. And,
be away from the elements and the possibility of some jerk walking in on him,
or her, by accident. It should be in a place that is hard to get to and find,
so your exploring for the home base will include some scramble on your part. At
the same time, you have to be able to furnish it with your needs to be
comfortable. Access for you should be quick and easy and next to impossible for
anyone to see and or access. Hard to do but it can be done.
The next step is to
build satellite camps, also well hidden, but provide comfort and food you have
cached. This way, if you get caught by a sudden turn of the weather, you are
covered. I would establish a series of these safety zones, stocking them with
the essentials you need to live—food, change of clothes and weapons. Having the
ability to duck out is putting your Feral Woodsman skills to use. Just like a
fox, no one needs to know you’re there. I would establish cache sites in places
other than the camps. The better you can supply your self, the better off you
will be.
One other camp comes
to mind and that is hiding in plain sight, looking like any other camper on an
outing for a few weeks. This type of camp will allow you to scout around to see
if this is a place you might wish to “set” for a spell. Most places have a
limit you can stay, but by moving around you can circumvent that rule… I have
done this many times. You can choose to do and practice stealth camping… Good
training for your future Feral self.
I would not skimp on
some cooking gear, a few, well seasoned, cook items will go a long way for your
cooking needs. A few canvas buckets are handy for water. Other cook gear, like
coffee cans, work well I have been out for weeks with nothing more than my
trusty coffee can, seasoned just like a dutch oven. Cooking utensils are nice
also. You can cook most anything over a great set of hot coals. Stews and soups
are always good. Keep it clean, so you don’t get sick on your own cooking. I
feel the easier you make it to cook the better chance you have of success. You
don’t want it to be such a chore that it is a pain in the butt… Smooth it.
don’t rough it.
Food wise, you might
bring in some pre-packaged foods, like Mountain House, to establish yourself in
your chosen bit of paradise. You don’t want it to turn into hell. Also take
advantage bodies of water to fish for your food, including other things like
crayfish, turtles and frogs. Keep a sharp eye out for watercress and cattails,
a great addition to any meal. This is not a cook book so you need to do your
own learnin’.
As time goes by, and
you get more and more dirt time, you will soon learn a lot of shortcuts and the
hunter gatherer feral self will start to emerge… The Feral Woodsman has been
awakened.
By Dude McLean
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