Homestead in the Bush

Is anyone interested in living off the land under extreme circumstances; such as deep in the Yukon or Alaska or even the Northern Ontario wilderness or where ever your comfortable. What I mean living off the land is hunting, fishing, possibly trapping, growing a garden and what you couldn't produce or obtain then barter if possible. You now what I'm getting at a small hand made cabin so on and so on.

 

I notice this thread has been read by a few people but no replies if this question is in the wrong forum please suggest where to repost it. Thanks

 

I have a homestead in interior Alaska and the biggest thing in the way of living self sufficiently is having a job. It's a tough leap to make. On one hand it's the money from the job that has made it possible to buy acreage and build a cabin/house, and on the other the time spent working prevents me from throwing all my time torwards living the dream.

Anyway, I'm there with ya on the extreme living. We are off grid, grow, raise and hunt much of our own food, and heat and cook with wood we mostly cut ourselves. We have no indoor toilet. Using an outhouse at 50F below is pretty intense.

I know a lot of folks that homestead up here and not one of them has eliminated the need for some cash in life. Many barter what they can, but all have some source of income small as it may be.

So why do you ask if folks are interested? Curiosity? Gotta homestead scene down there in north Ontario?

 

Hey freeinalaska thanks for the reply. I've been doing some reading about people that want to get back to the land and being free from the baggage of society as we know it and myself I feel that this type of lifestyle is the only true escape; although it may not be a total escape but its close as anyone wil ever get in my opinion. As far why I asked very soon within 1 year or so I wil be ready to make the big jump to selfsuffiency as I was just wondering if there was likeminded people out there. I have been compiling the gear I figure I will need to accomplish this very large task and later on I was going to pose some further questions to the group on what people think they would need incase I had overlooked something. I have a fairly good understanding of what I'll need because I have lived in and out of the bush most of my life just other ideas and advice is always appreiciated. The only thing I haven't decided was where I was going to set up my new homestead as I always have had a great calling to Alaska and the Yukon but northern Ontario is what I know best. Any and all comments much appreciated. Thanks KDB

 

Hippykdb, there is still plenty of decent land here in the interior of Alaska that is on the road system. Places within a reasonable drive to Fairbanks can be had for fair prices. The state and several land companies will sell you five to 20 acres for as little as $2K down with $200/month land payments with no credit necessary. If you are interested I could find some more info on land around here.

I've always been interested in checking out the Yukon myself. At times I get concerned with what is going on politically in the US, patriot act ect., and think a bit of Canadian wilderness acreage might be a good investment. Never been to Ontario.

There are many ways to get back to the land and quite a few places to do it in the northlands, but finding good, like minded, neighbors is kind of key. Though most bush living Alaskans are pretty easy to deal with, you can find anything from religious right wing fundies to whiskey sodden gun freaks tucked in the sticks. Our little area is populated with a more stoney, laid back, hippie, dog musher crowd and I'm glad I spent a few years in the area before I settled on land to purchase.

Good luck on making the big jump to self sufficiency. I've been at this backwoods living for a couple of decades and I am still working off the land for cash. Hopefully in a couple of years I will wean myself of the job thing.

 

Hey Free I was just wondering if the price of food or fuel/gas cost more way up north compared to the lower states/provinces? The reason I'm asking is that I need to survive while getting setup to live off the land anf I know that even when setup there will be a certain amount of "consumeables" required at the best of time.
Thanks KDB

 

The prices of things in Fairbanks and Anchorage are pretty comperable with much of the lower 48. I'm sure if you looked hard you would probably find things cost more, but not excessively more. I haven't done any comparisons, but when I have had my parents visit my father thought things weren't that far off.

Get into the bush communities where everything is flown in and then you get some real sticker shock!

Gasoline is running $3.10 to $3.20 right now and propane is a bit higher per gallon.

 

Hey free how's the hippie seen up there any communes, work sharing, co ops; you know anything like the begining years(60's) but colder. Is there any little cabins with little or no facilities to rent out monthly? You know the kind of thing I mean somewhere a person could sit and stare at the mountains and the bush and just lose themselves in the peace. Thanks KDB

 

That's only .05-.15 more than the east coast average right now. So it's not bad at all. Not having been in AK for 17 years I would have placed it closer to $5/Gal.

 

Yeah Zoomie, not so bad really. Though it does miff me a bit when I pay that much for gasoline that is locally (Fairbanks) refined from Alaskan crude, from pumps at a gas station that are connected by a gas pipeline to the refinery.

Hippykdb, I don't know of any official communes in the interior, but for cabin rentals the outlying areas around Fairbanks, particularly the Goldstream Valley, have plenty. They go from $200 to $500 a month and usually come with power, Toyo or Monitor oil heat and a kitchen, but no running water and an outhouse. You haul you own water in jugs and dump the 5 gallon bucket from under the sink out back.

I live out in Goldstream Valley and the townies ofter refer to us as Goldstream cabin hippies. http://www.uaf.edu/journal/extreme/findinggoldstream/intro/index.html

 

I live in Saskatchewan, there are only 1 million people here and its the size of texas... there is lots of land to choose from if you want to come here... as for extreme conditions... it got -40 (Fahrenheit or Celsius at -40 there the same) a few days ago (not the wind chill thats the real temp).

Northern Saskatchewan has lots of forest. I just dont know how a person can survive in the wilderness at -40.

My GFs parents got geothermal energy to heat there home, I plan to buy an acrege done day, build a straw house and get a geothermal energy unit installed. Electricity is secondary to heat. Eventually I would like electricity but I could live without it.

 

I would love to live off the land, not have to deal with society. My question is though, why does everyone always go north to do it? I would prefer a warmer climate. There are so many places out there........

 

Because land in temperate climates is more valuable and developable. Pick one:

Condo in West Palm Beach

Condo in Yukon

See?

 

I have never been to Alaska but I have homesteaded in cold places in the Rockies.
I think a lot of it depends on our situation if you have a nice cabin and good winter gear snow machine, skis ect you will probably love it. But if you’re poor living in a shack with poor gear it could probably be pretty miserable.
For me I never want to stay in a climate that cold again it just takes so much energy the smallest things are a chore when it is below 0. Some people don’t seem to mind it I would say take some extra money for gear, you need good gear in the cold.

 

Good point, I just figured that I was the only sane one here, now I think we are all crazy.

 

Personally I'd rather live in the Yukon. But I'm into the whole primitiveliving thing.

 

I was thinking more rain-forestish.

 

I hear Costa Rica is cheaper than anywhere temperate in the US. And they don't have any insurgency going on.

 

why does everyone assume its so easy for americans to go to another country and set up shop? and why does everyone assume everything is better in other countries for americans?

ive heard that the red tape and the bureaucracy as well as the corruption in costa rica has made it all but impossible for a american without LOTS of cash to homestead there..
also ive heard that in many latin american countries americans cant own land without a partner from that country..

i really dont think one can just up and relocate to central or south america just because they want to..

i wish it was that simple but from all ive read and heard it just aint..

 

I didn't say it was easy or better, just cheaper.

Edit: Checked again. $1100/acre. Nothing temperate in the US for 5 times that.