I like to recommend The Lost Universe by Gene Weltfish. It's about the lifestyle of the Pawnee. It has more on how they preserved meat and gardened than any book I have read.
Pretty much every Alaskan thought he was an idiot. Me included. Was living in Anchorage whennit happened. Making him a hero was a part of this great enshitification.
I was stationed at Ft Wainwright in the late 90s and we spent a lot of training time way out in the middle of the military reservation, so I have a good idea of the terrain he was in.
Didn't tell anyone where he was going, didn't bring an emergency radio, didn't ask the locals where a good spot for survival living would be, didn't check to see if the river had fords during high water season, and it was overall a comedy of errors that ended in tragedy. Even the hardcore survivalists come into town on a regular basis or live within walking distance of someone else. Going out totally on your own far away from everyone is very rare because it's dangerous even for very experienced woodsmen, and McCandles knew fuck all.
Yep. I will confess that I often went on sketchy solo wilderness excursions without anyone knowing, no map, no radio throughout my 20s in the 90s. Just me, my common sense and nature. It was cery good for me.
My poor parents though. Sometimes they would not hear from me for 6 months and knowing I could be literally anywhere in the world.
So true. AND if you can, learn to forage, learn to can/preserve, move AWAY from the city - that is B Biblical - buy a low cost plot, buy a shelter and put it there, have a water source and filter. Have PLENTY of fuel, ammo AND skills to use the ammo…..read the 4th turning, THEN, read it again….we are in for some SHTF times…..
Brevity. Wisdom. Groundedness. Really appreciate this. I grew up a Sean Penn fan and as liberal as they come in liberal Massachusetts but I'd be the first to say this article has something special in it, and that there's a reality found in Nature you just don't get in cities. Fuck cities.
McCandless also ate a plant that killed him, if I remember correctly, something that wouldn’t let his body absorb nutrients. In the end it’s all the same, tragic and pointless. Knowing how to take care of yourself and your family is important, fostering good neighbors is too, no man is an island.
I like to recommend The Lost Universe by Gene Weltfish. It's about the lifestyle of the Pawnee. It has more on how they preserved meat and gardened than any book I have read.
Awesome! Thanks for this! Found a platform where I can read this for free!
Pretty much every Alaskan thought he was an idiot. Me included. Was living in Anchorage whennit happened. Making him a hero was a part of this great enshitification.
I was stationed at Ft Wainwright in the late 90s and we spent a lot of training time way out in the middle of the military reservation, so I have a good idea of the terrain he was in.
Didn't tell anyone where he was going, didn't bring an emergency radio, didn't ask the locals where a good spot for survival living would be, didn't check to see if the river had fords during high water season, and it was overall a comedy of errors that ended in tragedy. Even the hardcore survivalists come into town on a regular basis or live within walking distance of someone else. Going out totally on your own far away from everyone is very rare because it's dangerous even for very experienced woodsmen, and McCandles knew fuck all.
Yep. I will confess that I often went on sketchy solo wilderness excursions without anyone knowing, no map, no radio throughout my 20s in the 90s. Just me, my common sense and nature. It was cery good for me.
My poor parents though. Sometimes they would not hear from me for 6 months and knowing I could be literally anywhere in the world.
So true. AND if you can, learn to forage, learn to can/preserve, move AWAY from the city - that is B Biblical - buy a low cost plot, buy a shelter and put it there, have a water source and filter. Have PLENTY of fuel, ammo AND skills to use the ammo…..read the 4th turning, THEN, read it again….we are in for some SHTF times…..
Either AI using a cheap model or a human trying to write like AI. Either way, too off-putting to finish.
What a strange tone you have.
AI slop writing. I’m getting so tired of this.
Brevity. Wisdom. Groundedness. Really appreciate this. I grew up a Sean Penn fan and as liberal as they come in liberal Massachusetts but I'd be the first to say this article has something special in it, and that there's a reality found in Nature you just don't get in cities. Fuck cities.
Now where do I practice these wonderful lessons?
I hadn't seen the Into The Wild movie in years, so I genuinely was lost for a bit when you mentioned the wandering kid who died in Alaska.
Definitely dry or salt the meat. Don't leave it out, like the moose.
Mo matches or fire to cook?
Flint & a striker. A glass which magnifies & dry material, such as kindling or leaves.
More than one way to skin a cat.
I'm usually not one to bother to cal out Ai, but this was awful.
YouRube has become unwatchable. SubStack is next.
Wait… Don’t tell me. He thought the lean moose meat was enough to give him all he needed? Don’t even need to read this to know how it went.
Oh.. An even dumber reason. He let his meat spoil. Idiot.
McCandless also ate a plant that killed him, if I remember correctly, something that wouldn’t let his body absorb nutrients. In the end it’s all the same, tragic and pointless. Knowing how to take care of yourself and your family is important, fostering good neighbors is too, no man is an island.
Great read thanks.