Originally Posted by
Muley Hunter
Living in the mountains is much easier in these times. People in a Alaska deal with more than I would here in Colorado.
You're assuming that all the nice modern conveniences that they are using now will still be available. In my mind that is a bad assumption. Look at those guys in AK. They have vehicles that require fuel and repair parts. They have electricity or solar power. What happens if none of that is dependable? Even solar power requires repair parts and replacement batteries. What happens if there are no places to get those or no float planes to bring them in? Take all that away and see how easy it is. Remember we are talking about a SHTF scenario where you are completely on your own.
All you need is a sturdy cabin
You admit to being 70+ years old. Are you capable of building a cabin only with hand tools? Remember if things go to pot you can't depend on electricity or fuel. So you're left to building a cabin with an axe and a hand saw. Are you physically strong enough to move logs 10-12 feet long and stack then 5 or 6 ft high? How skilled of a builder are you? Do you know how to cut proper notches to fit logs into a cabin? How about chinking it? Making a fireplace from scratch? Making a roof weather proof without modern materials? Not many people have these skills anymore. Do you? I ask because you said you were a truck driver and not a carpenter.
and a snowmobile for the hard parts of winter.
And what will you do if the snow machine breaks down or you can't get repair parts or fuel? Now you're left to getting around on either snowshoes or skis. You ever try to cover 5 or 6 miles on snowshoes? I have and it sucks! Remember, you're 70+ years old. What will you do if you're way back in and get injured and your only mode of transportation is snowshoes or skis? Be honest here.
The rest of the time my Jeep will work.
Same question as above. No fuel and no repair parts means the jeep is worthless.
Hot weather drains me.
Understood but you can acclimate to anything. Remember we're talking about survival, not being comfortable.
I love the cold.
Understood but as noted, this is about survival. Bottom line it is easier to survive in a warmer climate than a cold one. That's exactly why there were a lot more Indians in warmer areas than colder ones. Harsh climates make survival difficult. It is what it is.
A couple of elk, some deer, and lots of small game will be all I need each year. Plus, lots of mountain brookies.
And you will preserve all this how? Remember we're talking about a time of no electricity which means no freezers. Have you ever tried to strip out a carcass and dry the meat in the sun? I have as part of survival training with the military. It ain't that easy. What is your skill level at preserving a couple hundred pounds of meat like the Indians did? You can't eat it all at one time so you'll have to preserve it somehow and remember you can't just run down to the store to get salt. So, how do you plan on doing it?
I've thought of doing it many times without needing a disaster.
Doing something because you want to see if you can do it is a lot different than being thrust into a situation where you have to do it in order to survive. Throw panic, no time to plan, uncertainty, no chance to return to civilization etc... into the mix and you have a far different scenario.
Have you ever heard of a guy named Dick Proenneke? He lived off the grid in AK for quite a while and hand built a cabin etc... and even he couldn't do it without some outside support. He had supplies flown in a couple times a year. He filmed a lot of his time up there and the films are still available. See what he did to make a cabin and live there and ask yourself if you could do the same at 70+ years of age? Remember when he started he was in his early 50s and he had been a master builder for the Navy's Seabees so he was pretty skilled at building things. Are you?
Not to burst your bubble but the odds of you surviving way up high at 70+ years of age are slim at best. Most likely you wouldn't last a year. Reality can suck but that doesn't make it any less reality.