Looking for Help

Salutations. I am quite new to these forums and for quite some time I have been doing some thinking, dreaming, and planning. Right now, I am a freshmen in high school and I have always had the dream of living away from society. The ill-thoughts of the elite class and the way our minds and bodies are being manipulated being these mostly corrupted individuals is tiring me. Ever since I can recall, I have had the dreams of living off the lands in a Jack London-like manor. Sure over time I have sculpted my dreams to be much more reasonable and livable but I have always lacked a few things.

First off is the ability to experience what it really is like to be outdoors and having the skills to survive out in the wilderness. With the area I have grown up in, I am a good hour drive from any type of forests. Even to such as myself, I find it depressing and twisted that a good majority of urban and suburban children do not have the rights to be outside past the curb on a street. So I guess the question here is; where would I go to learn these much need skills? And what would I do?

Second off, I have always lacked the adult figure in my life who could give me inspiration when I am being pushed towards another future of being imprisoned within city walls. The pure thought of spending another seventy years this way makes me feel empty deep within. I have always looked towards books such as Call of the Wild and Into the Wild as inspiration when being pushed but they seemed so limited in what they can give. So I guess what I am asking for here is a pat on the back and someone who I can ask questions to when I have them.

Finally, I have no idea where to begin when it comes to preparing for this. I try my best to eat well (following a Paleo diet right now) and I am trying to exercise but the lack of warm weather and time has set that off a good bit. As of now I have been working on the very basic foundation of this deciding on where to live and an estimate of costs. I have decided upon living in the western states, focusing on either Colorado or Oregon. It has also been burdensome trying to find time to plan all this as school still plays the major role in my life.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and/or answering my questions. I look forward to putting out my voice on the forums. Thank you once again and have a great day.

 

Thank you for the quick responses! I look forward to being talk in the future.

 

Welcome. Read, ask lots of questions and practice basic skills like fire building, knot tying, packing your gear, etc until it becomes second nature. Put together a survival kit to keep on you, and put together a pack of ear that you will need to stay alive in the wilderness. Just my 2 cents on the subject.

 

Welcome, and good advice so far. Fire building skills would be a good first skill. When you are cold and wet, fire can be life itself. Learn to do it quickly and efficiently. Find a pocket knife that fits your hand well, and learn to Sharpen it. It is your most basic tool, and should always be with you (where legal) and parent approved.
Save your money, and don't go for gimmicks. Read the forums for what really matters, and invest your money in quality gear.
Ask questions. Read. Learn.
I would suggest, learning to hunt, fish, and learn to recognize useful or edible plants (library books will help), camping/ fishing trips would help too I think.
This should be enough to get you started. When in doubt, ask.

 

As Kellory said, read. Your library should have survival and camping books. Learn to make a debris shelter in case you get caught out with no shelter materials (No fun at all, trust me) and have only minimal or pocket gear on you. Buy good quality clothing, boots and socks. Amazingly you can find them at thrift stores in excellent condition and priced very low. Fleece and wool are always good. Always have a hat of some sort for protection from the sun and cold. Learn to dress in layers. to use a map and compass. what will you really need and what would just be nice to have? Remember, every item weighs something and those tiny something's add up to a lot, making you feel as if your pack is full of stones. At first you'll have to think of these things, but after a while they'll become second nature. You'll prevent problems before they begin. Like putting on an extra layer before you start to shiver, when it starts to rain you'll spot the best tree to sit it out under, the best location and materials to make your shelter and build a fire for the night. Survival isn't easy despite what the movies show, but knowledge and experience can make it less of a challenge and more comfortable. Luckily you've found a site with scores of experienced men and women willing to share their knowledge and experience.
Take advantage of the free education here..

 

Youtube!!! Lots of good stuff!

 

Not trying to be sarscastic but have you tried pitching a tent in the backyard and not living in your parent's house for a week ? The romanticism of walking into the woods and living off the land goes out the window when you're shivering in your sleeping bag and need to get up and go poop outside when it's 20 degrees (or twenty below zero outside). Heck even just foraging and growing enough vegtables to sustain oneself can be a daunting task.

In closing I'll add you came to the right place to learn.

Best wishes.

 

A knife was mentioned. I bought my first knife at a yard sale when I was six. An old, rusty pocket knife with one blade and black textured scales. The lady thought nothing of selling it to a small boy in rural Kansas. She wanted a quarter but all I had was a dime so she sold it to me for that. No one raised an eyebrow that I had bought or carried it daily. My brother cleaned and oiled it, gave me five minutes of safety training including not to stab with it if I had to use it in self defense, and sent me. A few weeks later, after the thrill of playing with it and showing it off to anyone who would look, he gave me my first knife fighting lesson (defensive only) and sharpened it. I was a responsible carrier of a blade and within a year I had bought a Swiss army knife and a bone handled hunting knife for exploring the back forty and for fishing. All common practice back then. But times have changed. Now a Swiss army knife can become a deadly and concealed weapon in the eyes of the law if they want to lay extra charges on one. And much of society frowns on the carrying of ANY knife. I once encountered a group of preppy and lost hikers. I had a combat/survival Bowie on my hip and a fighting knife on the shoulder strap of my pack. Both of which I had made. They were horrified rgat anyone would arm themself in such a barbaric manner.

 

While they were lost...

There is no emoticon to aptly describe how I'm feeling about that...rolleyes just doesn't cut it.

 

Todays generation is real special Dark..I still don't know how people get lost on a mountain where you can see a big city below .SMFH..

 

Pitching a tent is a good idea. How about outdoor cooking practice. You tube is great for outdoor cooking ideas (beyond a barbecue) Call your local Boy Scout Office..look online for a number, or 4H, or Big Brothers. I'm assuming an outdoorsy type mentor would help you out a lot. Our sons were in Scouts, and have always been very very capable out in the wilderness. Instead of looking at what you don't have access to, see what you do have access to...Look for groups like I listed above to learn about camping, wilderness survival, knot tying...I bet you could find a local Red Cross and take a first aid/CPR class. Go to your library, it's free. There may be a "meet up" group near where you live that can help you learn new skills.

 

THE REST I DID TYPE BUT IT DIDN'T POST: Then they noticed the .357 and two girls whined that they were afraid. One of the boys shrieked like a girl with a bat in her hair. Now to be honest I am big and intimidating looking, so I'm sure the had visions of Deliverence and The Hills Have Eyes dancing through their precious little heads. I got them on the proper trail down the mountain and they scampered away in a herd of high tech gear and designer clothing, looking over their shoulders and whispering. Probably fearing that I would change my mind, drag them off to my cave where I would molest, then eat them. The point is this, your cutting tools and how you carry them can give others a false first impression of you.

 

For beginners, something is off here because this person's ^^ writing style is not that of the average (or above average) high school freshman. They are either A) an exceptionally precocious teenager with an amazing gift for writing, B) Ernest Hemingway came back from the dead and is posting on survivalmonkey, or C) some older dude who happens to be a skilled writer is jerking us around. I majored in English and would have given my left nut to write this well even as a college senior. Your style and theme organization are perfect; your post has only a few small-time spelling/grammar/usage errors. Whoever you are, your writing talent is superlative and you should seriously consider doing something with that.

Anyway, to answer your question, since you are basically starting from zero my advice is to read and read and read. With your language skills this should not be difficult. When you have a question, search for it on your own before posting on this or any forum. There aren't very many topics that have not already been covered. YouTube and google are your friends.

Try some of the skills you read about. Learn how to do simple things that are valuable even when society isn't collapsing, such as changing a flat tire, mending clothes, or chopping wood. You should also make an effort to be in good physical shape. These are all things you can do with little money or parental involvement. It will come very slowly; many of us have been prepping for years or even decades and still don't feel like "experts".

Good luck!

 

I admit his grasp of the English language is advanced. I was an advance student, and I'm a published author but look at my sloppy writing on here...

 

I think I wrote better in high school, where I was being graded, criticized, demonized, and degraded, than I ever have since. it was a skill that was honed daily.

 

I KNOW my hand writing has degraded.

 

Thank you for the posts and ideas. Looks like I will be spending a couple hours at the library this weekend!