Forest Hermit has forest to share

I have been living on top of a mopuntain in north central arkansas for the last twelve years. We are def a psychedelic people and I have been practicing medicine but wish to spend some time out in the world now and invite brothers and sisters to raw wilderness living on a rotation basis or full time because we are sanctuary for some 20 dogs and a dozen or more cats who can"t be left alone. If forest living (we do have power and water as well as phone if it is on...) and wandering around lovin things sounds like the break you might like or need we can use this thread to talk about realities and logistics. I am considered a full essene ranger and don't even need the "match, knife and string" but they sure do come in handy! God has blessed us with this forest and these little creatures but it is up to me to take care of them and also our forest fooods and medicines. our rule is to harm no living thing and to right use and harvest natures blesssed bounty. That's pretty much it. So, ever wanted to be a high holy forest monk? We are GREAT growers of lovely things!

 

Sounds nice... Welcome to hip!

 

Welcome

 

Cool, I'm somewhat of a hermit, myself.

 

This sounds like something I can get behind. How many people are living there now? What kinds of things do you have going on around there? I have a pretty good idea of some of the activities that go on and I am interested in gaining a deep insight into my life. I need to take time off from "plastic America" and figure out what I want to do with myself.

 

hit me up.. I would love to come learn.. 267 248 5640

 

This sounds like something I can get behind. How many people are living there now? What kinds of things do you have going on around there? I have a pretty good idea of some of the activities that go on and I am interested in gaining a deep insight into my life. I need to take time off from "plastic America" and figure out what I want to do with myself.

Just me full time right now. Bill went to town to have sme stints put in his heart and is only around a little now until he's better.
We are hezechiastic (silent) so there is no required schedule. We all take care of critters daily needs and other than that garden and follow our callings. I do a lot of wellness and patient care, make medicines, pursue studies and fascinations.
There is a 'formation" you can loosely follow but faith is yours and peace - we want to be sure you are oriented to the environment and your health and safey etc and we are good at the "crash" because everyone who checks out has one. The switch from secular life to sacred and the secu;ar world driving your day vs ....you driving it. (anybody reaed "Walden's Pond"?)

DTB - I will! what r good times for you? I am going back up soon but will check this again in a couple days when I get the chance!

 

I am a vegetarian so I am interested in gardening. I am also an artisan bread baker at the moment and I would like to keep on baking bread after I quit that place. I am interested in learning as much as possible about the natural world and living off of the grid. I don't need much in life and I would like to unclutter my life and mind. I like a good day's work when it's outside in the fresh air. Let me know if you have any big plans going on.

 

Hi,

how do you feed all those dogs and cats and how do you keep them from killing random animals that live there?

 

Sounds interesting, I researched heychasm even. Unable to send you a private message and I didn't see any other contact info. So other than posting here how does someone get in contact with you about visiting ?

Questions about how big is the place ? Any buildings or is it byot (bring your own tent)?
gardening, etc. byof (bring your own food) what does it cost to visit.

anything nearby such as post office, library, fishing spots, etc. My definition of nearby is walking distance or bike riding.


~peace
~~walk with heart

 

Apologies for the delay - we have not put internet back up on the top yet and I am in town catch-as-catch-can right now.
I have been meaning to build a bread oven for years! We are a bread loving people! (heh) in all seriousness it is a simple thing and holds GOBS.

1) We feed them by selling top shelf medicines at poverty prices to low income people and doing the wellness ministry which is everything short of surgery and advanced dental. Members donate the rest. Our law allows us to consider anyone who helps the animals or the church in general as an "associate member" allowing them access to about everything any full time resident brother or voting member etc would have. Wild and domestic animal feeds, medicines and care averages $500.00/mo and yes we are poor and every dollar counts!
2) They are largely immune to the other animals because it is the regular ecosystem; rarely do anything but deer, the bear, the big cats etc even come around the part where the dogs and cats live and they stick pretty close to wherever I am living. Deer can graze in the yard and the dogs don"t care except for the once in awhile "spooked" someone and gets the tribe going. The vast majority of the dog people are 12-20 lb beagle mixes, chihuahuas and heinz - they can"t hurt bigger animals and aren"t allowed to hurt others (Yes, I get up and go out in the woods to make sure coon or possum is up in the tree and I can tell by hearing if someone is in trouble but so rare I have to - twice in 12 years? I had to make 'em let someone go and get up a tree)

The forest is not like "the jungle" or town, or what folks might imagine - you're just there, and they are just there and you look at the bear and the bear looks at you and just goes on? I would think any of us out here would be in a LOT more imminent danger in town really - THAT'S scary! (lol!)

Hey Skooky! I don't know why my stuff don't work i can't join the psychedelic group either - but maybe i am just new and not enough posts? That is why I was waiting before I asked. Sorry about that! I have free phone time after 9 pm and on weekends, the preserve phone is out of time and can receive texts but can only send out multimedia texts until we can buy a card for it and the backup phone is running out of time too. Nght and weekends 816-808-1787 for voice and I have no patient load right now so not real busy evenings.

<<Questions about how big is the place ? Any buildings or is it byot (bring your own tent)?
gardening, etc. byof (bring your own food) what does it cost to visit.

anything nearby such as post office, library, fishing spots, etc. My definition of nearby is walking distance or bike riding.

I believe 18.78? is the actual and that is close. Everything here has been and ready time for renewing - tent is fine, we are going to put up some lil primitive A-frame TINY cabins and wouldn't it be cool if you built your own neato hut? I was going teepee fo the summer but think I will probably go ahead and get undergound at least mostly, because the first thing you think of in the gerat outdors is "whadda we got for indoors around here?"
There is plent of room for gardening on top or in the hollows, a 500x15 ridge top garden that has been tilled out once and used for various foods, spices, coneflower and bundleweed. It has been fallow at least two seasons and needs to be tilled and disked so it can rich up for late season and fall. We would need a load of dirty sand here for some things like poppies or something that requres loamier dirt.
I have no income and so get food stamps or I would be at the task of food all day by myself. You really can make and grow and store rooms of food, but by one's self it is a daunting task and my priority is the medicine plants always because we have no other person for that right now.
basically it is the country and eat is what we do. There are days when it is too bad out to go to work, days when it is too nice out to go to work and days when there isn't anything better to do, so you think what the hell and go to work.

I am always saying "It may be tough out here but look where we get to live. We are among some of the last and most blessed people on earth for trees and water"
We are 7 miles up from nearest town. 9 miles up from yellville.
Two grocery stores plus dollar general and fred's dept type discount type, hardware, lumber, laundry, sonic, subway, library (hokey)
I think a couple miles down to the lake as the crow flies but you can take the roads. We are at bull shoals lake and near white river, buffalo river, more I think. Eureka Springs is about 1.5 hours west, branson is about 1.5 hours north - we are a camping or entertainment vacation paradise and yellville is just part of the lake/river/camp part. lot of old bikers and hippies on this mountain.

I often enough walk to town and back - WOW! But it is something I have done for 12 years and it is only a lil more difficult now because of how car-spoiled I have become, but I still do it

 

hey man hit me up! this sounds very exciting. I am a city girl with no skills, and need to gain some.. but my companion is a hillbilly from Kentucky.:afro:
we have 2 dogs and one cat. Cujo, Lovelock and Matticus.

We will have our own source of income. We would also like to build a semi permanent structure, my companion wants to build a yurt but I would like an earth lodge, we haven't agreed yet.

You can email me at stephiejeansmile@gmail.com

 

I am going earth covered for the temperature protection. You can build a nic cabin, hobbit hole or whatever on a pretty small budget. Since I am digging into the side of the mountain I am figuring about 5,000 for the basics. That's one of the reasons I need to start commuting badly - money for the preserve and a dwelling.
We have about every advantage for the survival thing. I would like to be primarily solar by end of this year. Long ago we had one main powered traler that was a kind of school/chapel/common house all in one but it succumbed long ago. but that was a way to live very simply and still have access to a more modern facility and things. I would like to go back to that so folks could be solar free and still be able to use "big power" when they needed it.
Don and Anita may come out for awhile due to financial hardship and hiim being injured but they will only be there a few months in a camper. They cool. Two little indoor dogs.
I will hit your email olater today - i am still running the ride train and it is grocery day....
The general area can be checked out by Yellville, Summit, Flippn Arkansas and nearby Eureka Springs and Branson - but branson is far enough away that we don't have much impact at all from the torust mecca thing. I am trying to cabbage up a extra 500 so I can stock 'em up and head for Kansas City later this week. Been about 12 years since I checked on folks up there!

 

Wow is it hot! I think we should make the whole thing underground hobbit holes!

 

I hope that everyone does the natural thing in these rural locations--if it gets hot, go around naked. And depending on water supplies, set up showers that you can walk under every few minutes, then stay wet and enjoy the cool.

 

Beautiful- wish I was still in the states to visit you! :sunny:

 

So when are we able to come up and spend some time on your precious land? :groupwave:

 

If I wasn't planning on moving to seattle, then panama at the end of the year, I would come out and help you lot.... I can think of a few ways to lower the cost of underground living by using some of the resources already on your land.....

http://www.simondale.net/house/build.htm

keep in mind, this person went by route of a vacation home... the same thing can be done with less windows, less 'comfort' aesthetics.... just dig out a small area, room enough for one person... make a dome using logs and wood from your forest, buy a large but cheap tarp, and cover your structure with dirt and rocks.... plant grass over it because the grass will keep it from dissolving during rains.... Be sure to have a hole in the top, and space in the door for air flow...

 

step one, build a hole about 6' or 7' deep, and 5' wide, any wider and you will need support beams.

step one, b, create a trench for your entry way.

step two, create a roof using wood from your own land, using rope to secure it all together. I think a tepee structure would work well.

step three, either using lots of foliage, or a tarp, cover the roof structure to keep dirt from falling into your future home.

step four, cover the roof with lots of dirt, but leave an opening [like a chimney] so there can be an air exchange.

step five, plant grass on your roof mound to keep from losing it to rain.

step six, create a boundary so people don't accidentally walk over your home.

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tips:::

Make sure to give support to the walls, or make the roof structure overshoot the hole by a foot or two.

The top of the hole should be wider than the bottom, that way the weight of the roof can be distributed a bit more easily.