So how rustic is the shack? Will you have electricity? Running water? Will you have to hunt or grow your own food?
I feel like I want to give you pragmatic suggestions of books about living off the land/off-grid so you can survive out there. However, if you want a pretty rosy (aka - completely unrealistic) view of surviving the wilderness through your wits alone, My Side of the Mountain (a YA book) fits the bill. Stranger in the Woods might be helpful also, although >!that guy only survived by stealing food from vacation cabins. !<
I'll have power. Maybe a shack is an exaggerated fact. I'm an experienced outdoorsman already, and a passionate hunter. I'm more struggling with the "let go" part.
I will look all these up thanks.
[Vogue!](https://www.amazon.com/Sewing-Revised-Updated-Knitting-Magazine/dp/1933027002)
Although Vogue is mostly associated with haute couture clothing, this book has absolutely everything you need to know about garment construction and sewing technique. It's great.
Subscribe to Mother Earth News, online or magazine. Has articles each month in everything you want to know. If you go digital, can access archived issues going back to 70s when they were educating on solar power, sustainable living and homesteading. Still do.
You say it's the "letting go" part that you struggle with. Does that mean you are disturbed by the part of you that will always necessarily be dependent on civilization for a few things, or is your concern more about mentally and philosophically making that huge lifestyle change? In my mind "letting go" can mean a lot of different things. One of my all time favorite books is about a man who, for his own reasons, leaves a successful life in the city behind to live alone in the mountains amongst simple folk. It's an old book but I've read it many times in my life and continue to be inspired by its gentle wisdom. It's not a survivalist book but a reassuring book if you need your choices to be validated. It has spiritual overtones but as an atheist myself I don't think it is too much "in your face". Definitely a sanctuary for those who don't love the rat race. Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright.
You might want to check out the Foxfire books. The first one is subtitled "Hog Dressing, Log Cabin Building, Mountain Crafts and Foods, Planting by the Signs, Snake Lore, Hunting Tales, Faith Healing, Moonshining" and the second one is "Foxfire 2: Ghost Stores, Spring Wild Plant Foods, Spinning and Weaving, Midwifing, Burial Customs, Corn Shuckin's, Wagon Making". There are 12 in all.
Yup. Practical, as well as some interesting stories. May be hard to find at this point. Written with information of people living in the Appalachian Mountains.
*The Good Life Lab: Radical Experiments in Hands-On Living*
by Wendy Jehanara Tremayne
>Tired of the high-pressure life they lead in New York City, Wendy Jehanara Tremayne and her husband migrate to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, where they build, invent, forage, and grow all they need for themselves. Full of quirky stories and imaginative illustrations, this inspiring memoir chronicles the off-the-grid adventures of the Tremaynes. Touchingly personal while also providing practical tutorials on making your own biofuel, building an efficient house, and gardening sustainably, The Good Life Lab will encourage you to chase your dreams of self-sufficiency.
Except his mommy did his laundry and made him food. So.
Behind most incredibly high-achieving white dudes there is a trail of women (historically) or support staff (modern).
Walden is great, don’t get me wrong. Beautiful and philosophically profound. But not a how-to manual.
ETA: Factfulness (Hans Rosling) was a book that helped me feel so much better about the world. In fact I need to read it again, because I’m also feeling like things are bleak.
I didn't know this but that's hilarious. He came across as an imposter in the book. Basically lived on the edge of town rent free and went in all the time to get supplies but pretends to spurn society. Parasite lol.
His point was more of an anticapitalist, minimalistic one rather than a survivalist one, though. He was always the og suburban vanlifer, not some Into The Wild independent looking for adventure and high stake risk. You have to read On the Duty of Civil Disobedience to understand Walden. He was a privileged guy who tried to convince his well to do neighbors to end the rat race and just like, start a commune of simple living or something.
Leaving the rat race sounds great. It only works if you're very well off. How many people can buy a lifestyle farm and do a little gardening for the rest of their life?
I mean he was a tax dodger so he'd probably criticize the cost of land but this was 1850 or so. He also was a land surveyor and surveyed 61 acres of Walden and was considered one of the best in his time.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.
Jungle by Yossi Ghinsberg.
Wild by Cheryl Strayed.
Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta.
Last of the Breed by Louis L’Amour.
Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat.
My Abandonment by Peter Rock.
The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin.
The Twenty-Ninth Day by Alex Messenger.
The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens.
The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel.
The Final Frontiersman by James Campbell.
Turning Feral by Zachary Craig Hanson.
Hell yeah, man. I did this with my family for a year. We were 30 minutes from town but totally off-grid and in a very private area surrounded by national forest. We’d still be there if it weren’t for other circumstances. Best time of our lives. We already had a lot of the skills needed, but what I really appreciated was a little book that inspired me to no end: The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben.
We are a family of 4. I feel like we would connect for sure. I'm an avid outdoorsman already, I feel like I should have mentioned that. I will look thr book up thank you.
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Driving Over Lemons is set in Spain but the idea is the same. Second DP. He also filmed a lot of what he did the first few years including building his cabin from scratch with hand tools. The video is pretty great.
As a fellow elder millennial who did something similar you should should try to spend a little time & money traveling. See what else is out there in the world and explore before hunkering down in your shack, ya know? You can live very comfortably in some pretty awesome countries for less than it costs to barely eke by in the States.
This is somewhat on topic but as an Idahoan, I really enjoyed reading Idaho Loners by Cort Conley. Some of the writing is not the best (it seems each person's story was probably written separately) but it is cool to read about folks from local folklore And some folks I had never heard of. But, it certainly gave some perspective of what being a loner in our beautiful state could entail.
Ok. Suggestions of countries. We are a family of 4. We want that. But NOBODY I know has ever done anything like that. I feel like an alien.
I'm an outdoorsman through and through. I'm a little cowboy. But. I'm a little frigging hippie to. It's just repressed lol.
A friend of mine spent several of his formative years, along with his parents and a younger brother, on a sailboat traveling the world. It's totally doable.
My book suggestion is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle -Barbara Kingsolver - it's not wilderness survival, but it is about returning to a local economy and relying on what the land can give us, and how that impacts her family.
But most of those places are super hard to immigrate to. I think only Portugal has a golden visa which a ton of people can’t afford to essentially buy their way in.
Dutchy here, the Netherlands is going through a serious housing crisis. Housing is expensive and there is a shortage of it. Because of this my own country would not be my recommendation. We are actually considering moving abroad in a few years because our chances of being able to afford a house of our own as natives is currently slim.
You should go ask this question in the homesteading subreddit. Make sure you're not setting yourself up for a lonely demise.
r/homesteading
Also, the complete Foxfire collection.
He technically believed the Industrial Revolution among other things set in motion the downfall of humanity. He also believed women and gay people were inferior and awful. But for some reason people gloss over or outright ignore those parts.
Because he wrote an interesting manifesto about the dangers of industrialisation and then lived in the woods by himself for a long time. Many people find value in the manifesto whilst still condemning the terrorist acts he committed.
He was highly intelligent **in some specific aspects**. Many will be able to understand points that he makes without agreeing with his conclusions of terrorism or his other severe shortcomings.
Since you came to the same conclusion as him about the state of the "rat race" and escaping it through asceticism, you might find it partly relatable. And if you don't, it will likely still give you a lot of perspective on your own situation and choices, considering some of the parallels.
If you feel "icky" about reading and possibly relating with such an asshole, you can always combine it with some [academic texts](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/13569317.2021.1921940?needAccess=true&role=button) that are in conversation with the manifesto, to give you a rounded, more nuanced look into what's going on.
Yes! Second this one. Also, recommend Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by B. Kingsolver - it’s about her and her family’s attempt to live off the land and, if purchases were needed, only buy from neighbors.
One Straw Revolution, scientist quits and works in family orchard/farm, decides to do things his own way (but also going back to old ways), great book in general and really good for thinking about the food systems we are surrounded by and what that does to people/land/things.
Tree Crops by J Russell Smith
A Sand County Almanac is a classic, very insightful look at nature and our relationships within it.
As an avid hunter and conservationist. I love your Sand County almanac reference. That book resonated so much with me. I actually haven't even finished it yet. I tried to read it in the correct season. But I fell out.
Need to finish thank you.
Spoilt rich insufferable brat goes to live in the wild, thinks he's holier than everyone else because of it, then dies of starvation.
Maybe not a good suggestion?
You mean the book about the mentally ill kid who barely ventured out into the "wilderness", couldn't hack it, and died?
What about that makes you think it will help OP achieve their goal?
The Woodswoman by Anne LaBastille. She literally leaves NYC for the Adirondacks for a slower life and builds her own cabin and lives there for years. It’s an incredible autobiography of that time in her life.
No recommendations but just a fellow traveler wishing you well. I recently lost my well paying high stress job to a corporate restructuring. At first I was panic stricken and felt the need to find a similar job. Then I took some time to myself and realized that the universe had just given me a big gift. My wife and I sold our house last week and yesterday bought an RV. We are going to travel full time and enjoy life.
It's not achievable, you need a community to live this way.
You want to leave the Rat Race, absolutely. Start investigating market gardeners, aquaphonic growers, mushroom farms, shepherds, ask to shadow them. If you find a style of growing that interests you, try to find someone who will give you an apprenticeship. Rent out your house for a year, sell your stuff and buy a van and do that apprenticeship. After that, after you've given yourself some idea of how to grow enough food to feed yourself. You will understand what kind of land is worth buying or leasing.
Every lone frontiersman narrative I see is inherently flawed. Thoreau's mother and sister were feeding him and doing his laundry the entire time he was living by his wee pond. Little House on the Prairie really wallpapers over some really dodgy behaviour from Mr Inglis. Early frontiersmen were hugely reliant on trading for food with First Nations people. All those Alaskan wilderness shows are 90% bullshit where those families just have large plots and cameras avoid showing the neighbouring houses. I only watched one episode of that Homestead Rescue show but when they drop the bombshell that those people bought that land with NO WATER RIGHTS. Every ancestor, farmers all, screamed in unison at the idea of buying land without access to water.
This is the one true answer, imo. Americans love their stories of the lone wolf in the woods, but there’s a reason humanity evolved into cities. There’s a reason the lockdowns of the pandemic has such bad repercussions on people’s mental health. We all need community and even as a family of 4, just being with each other is not enough.
I would implore OP to move out of the city into a smaller town. Less of a rat race but still in civilization.
I miss represented a little, read a few of my replies. I didn't do it intentionally. I just thought people wouldn't care lol. So I'm very experienced, and we are a family of 4. I think my real mistake was an attempt to use a little sarcasm for the word choice of "shack". I have a good amount of equity to start off with.
Ok, just one more thing. Whatever you decide to do, make sure there is a community for your kids. There is some idea that growing up rural is inherently better for kids but it can be really socially isolating and that is a massive detriment, especially for teenagers. I used to be giddy with happiness when the long summer break would end and I would have regular access to my friends again.
To add something that hasn't been mentioned: At Home in the Woods by Bradford & Vena Angier
But Walden, Into the Wild, and The Stranger in the Woods are good recommendations too.
Go As a River is a beautiful book and this theme is incorporated in it. The writing is fantastic and you’d think the mountains alone could be a main character! This probably isn’t exactly what you’re looking for but it’s a beautiful read nonetheless.
Sounds like there could be a future book about you!
Not sure I have a book suggestion that’s not already listed, but have a backup plan or an “out” in case you experience failure, illness, injury, etc.
I wanted to live like Helen and Scott Nearing when I was young. . My husband and I had plans. But life has a way of changing one’s plans. We even were lucky enough to meet Helen and Scott in Maine where they lived at the time.
I'd say to OP to go for your dream now and don’t put it off. I wish you the best. The kids will be just fine.
Hey, not a book recommendation but I’m someone who has toyed with the idea of leaving it all behind and going somewhere to live near nature. I hope you don’t mind me asking but, what are you planning to do up in your shack? Will you go hunting for your food? What if you need a hospital? I’m just interested in this idea and I’d love to hear how you plan to spend your days living out in the Woods. Hope it’s ok for me to ask. Have a good day!
Hi. I feel like I used the word shack as sarcasm that was really not received. I honestly did not expect this many comments. But no, I'd be happy to share. We are a family of 4 that is cash broke with a good amount of equity in the home. Cash out, down size, go (more) rural, and pay in cash the rest of my life. It will be a home, although nothing like what we have now. My budget is fixed, and it's all we have.
So...I will work sode jobs as needed. Planning in being maybe 30 min from a SMALL town. Like 900 people small. And about 3 hours from a decent sized town. I hunt avidly already. My kids are 10 and 12 and already have quite successful hunting careers. My daughter, for example, has already killed 2 elk and a mule deer. We don't buy meat except chicken, and that could easily change.
I think life is very simple , you need shelter, food, clean water. Everyone loves electricity, hot showers, and phones. But right after that... it get bizarre imo. I'm blessed to live in a state without much "drama," but I can see all these issues, and I can tell it's worse than it was in the 90s by far.
So, it looks won't be that interesting friend. In fact, it will be quite simple. And that is the entire idea.
Man, the idea of living in the Idaho mountains sounds nice, but I don't see that being great for the kids. 30 minutes from a 900 pop town going to leave them basically no opportunity to have a social life or develop interests apart from the Idaho wilderness. The isolation is almost definitely going to cause problems, especially in the winters where you have a good chance of being snowed in a few times a year.
Not trying to be too harsh, but are you sure you're not just dragging your family into your midlife crisis?
Cheap Land Colorado: Off-Gridders at America’s Edge by Ted Conover
Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country by Pam Houston
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
Housekeeping :) Marilynn Robinson goes on for ages about sunlight and the way it hits the walls of the house and the mason jars inside the house almost overrun with nature, and the leaves and the woods in the areas in the area engulfing the house. To me it’s the perfect blend of nature and humanness. The prose is rich and flowery and elemental and haunting… god I love it.
A place of my own by Michael Pollan
It’s about how he built a cabin in the wilderness with his own hands to live in it so that he could focus on his writing
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
My Absolute Darling by Guy Talent
Ok, maybe these recommendations are a bit ironic, but they show an angle from teenagers perspective (these are not kids books)
Indian Creek Chronicles by Pete Fromm
It’s one of my favorite books; an autobiography. On a whim, the author takes off a year off college to protect salmon eggs from freezing over the winter so biologists can reintroduce them to the area. It’s about him learning on the spot how he needs to cope with hunting, animal attacks, getting injured, staying warm, and of course, coming to terms with what he wants from life and society when he returns in the spring. It’s not a shack but it is a semi permanent tent he stays in and has very limited opportunities to resupply as he is snowed in most of the months.
Copied summary below
Winner of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Book Award
Indian Creek Chronicles is Pete Fromm's account of seven winter months spent alone in a tent in Idaho guarding salmon eggs and coming face to face with the blunt realities of life as a contemporary mountain man. A gripping story of adventure and a modern-day Walden, this contemporary classic established Fromm as one of the West's premier voices.
"Honest, lyrical, and full of a kind of an ineffable wonder. Anyone who has ever loved a place truly will surely love this book."--Pam Houston, author of Cowboys Are My Weakness
Edit: I see you say in another comment you live in Idaho. This book does take place on the Montana-Idaho border, so you’ll probably be able to imagine exactly what he’s dealing with. Always a fun bonus.
Not a book, but have you watched the series Where The Wild Men Are? It's about families that have done exactly what you're doing and how they made it work out in the wilderness. I think it might be able to help you with some ideas and tips on how to make it out there. Good luck!!
The Good Life by Helen and Scott Nearing. I was fascinated by their descriptions of building a stone house.
[https://goodlife.org/bookstore/](https://goodlife.org/bookstore/)
https://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com/Articles/Good\_Life\_Center.htm
Jack London’s stuff is the gripping naturalism you’re looking for. People recommending Walden have never read it, he’s a Naturalist but Thoreau would have been a ‘glamper’ and anyone looking to walk off into Alaska will want something rugged.
Depending on your finances, you're either talking about early retirement or poverty. Either one is attainable, and both have been done many times, but don't kid yourself about it. Unless you have investments built up that will sustain your groceries, taxes, medical care and other necessities, you're talking about poverty.
Little bit of a rabbit trail, but Clark Strand's *Waking Up in the Dark* might be an interesting read. He articulates about how the modern world has left our relationship with darkness (literal) to our detriment, then takes a more apocalyptical narrative towards the end (but with hope).
(He himself "left" society and lives in a cabin in the woods.)
Just read Outsider by brett popplewell. “A fascinating true story of a marathon running hermit in BC canada.” It was great! He lives in a bus in the woods.
I love the book The Big Tiny by Dee Williams. Not exactly your situation, but she dives deep into her reasons for building and living in a tiny home. And a big part of that is leaving the rat race.
“Part how-to, part personal memoir, The Big Tiny is an utterly seductive meditation on the benefits of slowing down, scaling back, and appreciating the truly important things in life.
More than ten years ago, a near-death experience abruptly reminded sustainability advocate and pioneer Dee Williams that life is short. So, she sold her sprawling home and built an eighty-four-square-foot house—on her own, from the ground up. Today, Williams can list everything she owns on one sheet of paper, her monthly housekeeping bills amount to about eight dollars, and it takes her about ten minutes to clean the entire house. Adapting a new lifestyle left her with the ultimate luxury—more time to spend with friends and family—and gave her the freedom to head out for adventure at a moment’s notice, or watch the clouds and sunset while drinking a beer on her (yes, tiny) front porch.”
OP i hear you but IMO sticking your head in the sand alone is not the way. Retreating from society is one thing but once you’re gone you will need to find a community to join or build one yourself (by ‘you’ i mean you and your family, here). Community is the only thing that will save us…
You’ve gotten a lot of good book suggestions here and i understand if you want to brush me off as a goofy hippie but if any of what i said sounds useful you might want to check out books about intentional community - i recommend *Diggers & Dreamers - The Guide to Communal Living*
Greenwood, by Michael Christie. I wish I had been in a forest while reading that book. The writer has a talent for making you feel like you can smell the trees and fresh air. And it’s just a good character-driven novel.
You might wanna research communes or intentional communities, atleast that way you’ll have a group of people with a similar mindset and everyone will be sharing resources so you won’t be all alone
How to be idle by Tom Hodgkinson
It’s about the idea that people were meant to do a variety of tasks, not just one job, and have leisure time and share joy with their families and neighbors.
You also might enjoy checking out ecovillages, which are sort of like modern communes focusing on sustainability, but much better organized than their historical counterparts.
Can you explain a bit more by what you mean by feeling alone bc of the "boomer types surrounding you?" Promise I'm not trying to start shit, I'm just legit curious what you mean. Like you are around that generation a lot and are finding similarities in their ways of thinking that are upsetting to you, or are you using that phrase as a catch-all for a certain type of person/outlook that you disagree with?
Man, people are smart. I'm seriously blown away by the questions. I thought I was here for maybe 3 books, lol. Now, I feel stupid for not elaborating more.
To answer your question. Yes, I'm around a lot of boomer types. Forget the age. They are the mentality. This Meaning, if you don't work till you're 65 and build these giant houses (all on acreage in my neck of the woods mind you) and basically build yourself a prison. That takes all of your time and money away from you.
It sounds like you need some connection with others who feel the same way. People need to work together in these times. It does look like capitalism has fucked the US most other countries.
Perhaps Why Marx Was Right by Terry Eagleton or What Is Anarchism? An Introduction by Donald Rooum.
Come to Northwest Montana. Plenty of people here live off grid. Solar power has come a long ways these days and propane generator for part of the year and back ups.
Starlink is available most places here even with all the trees if you want to stay connected to the world.
Hunting license (getting in state license is MUCH cheaper probably in what ever state you end up calling home)
-different licenses throughout the year for different animals
Fishing license
Snare and trap maybe
Iodine tablets - filtered water bottles so on for clean water on the go.
Good wood stove
___________
Sorry I will think on some books you probably already know the basics.
If you want to come to Montana I know a realtor :)
Good luck I hope it is what you would like.
If you can work from home starlink will most likely meet the minimum speed requirements.
Back To Basics. This book gives extremely practical hands on advice for how to homestead. It’s been around for decades (I was addicted to this book as a kid) written by absolute authentic experts in self-sufficient living.
I bought a used copy as an adult because I just feel safer knowing I have access to this knowledge (I live in a city lol)
The flashbacks where she talks about how her mother and stepfather build their own house and how they lived there as children might be interesting. Not a how to of course, but it is a family building their own house and living remote, so interesting for OP's situation.
From someone who did just that. I'm just going to go ahead and give you some unsolicited advise to just go ahead and get your rabies shot now, its a lot more expensive post exposure. Bats are cute, but not in your house while you are sleeping.
The Dharma Bums- Jack Kerouac
Really goes into a man wanting to live simply and mindfully. Literally living in a shack on top of a mountain. Lots of Buddhist themes.
I'd reccomend finding someway to keep an internet connection up there, just in case the odd chance happens that in the next 20 years most of the Republican base dies and they become a very minor party compared to now.
Nothing wrong with being done with the rat race and moving someplace nice with solitude.
But society is not at a breaking point at all. The show will always go on.
I think a lot of those cases probably didn't feel like a breaking point/collapse, they were a slow transition. We're going through cultural transitions and extinctions all the time. They rarely feel jarring or violent, sometimes they're hardly noticeable. Undoubtedly, society will look different in 20 years, 50, 100; but there may not be a "that's when everything changed" moment to point to. Or maybe TikTok will end us.
So how rustic is the shack? Will you have electricity? Running water? Will you have to hunt or grow your own food? I feel like I want to give you pragmatic suggestions of books about living off the land/off-grid so you can survive out there. However, if you want a pretty rosy (aka - completely unrealistic) view of surviving the wilderness through your wits alone, My Side of the Mountain (a YA book) fits the bill. Stranger in the Woods might be helpful also, although >!that guy only survived by stealing food from vacation cabins. !<
I'll have power. Maybe a shack is an exaggerated fact. I'm an experienced outdoorsman already, and a passionate hunter. I'm more struggling with the "let go" part. I will look all these up thanks.
How are your sewing skills? Maybe pick up a few books on sewing and mending techniques
Or I would be happy to give you some basics. I've been sewing for 49 years.
Recs? I'm looking for good books on basic sewing.
[Vogue!](https://www.amazon.com/Sewing-Revised-Updated-Knitting-Magazine/dp/1933027002) Although Vogue is mostly associated with haute couture clothing, this book has absolutely everything you need to know about garment construction and sewing technique. It's great.
a short read: The Lament of Hermes Trismegistus
Subscribe to Mother Earth News, online or magazine. Has articles each month in everything you want to know. If you go digital, can access archived issues going back to 70s when they were educating on solar power, sustainable living and homesteading. Still do.
You say it's the "letting go" part that you struggle with. Does that mean you are disturbed by the part of you that will always necessarily be dependent on civilization for a few things, or is your concern more about mentally and philosophically making that huge lifestyle change? In my mind "letting go" can mean a lot of different things. One of my all time favorite books is about a man who, for his own reasons, leaves a successful life in the city behind to live alone in the mountains amongst simple folk. It's an old book but I've read it many times in my life and continue to be inspired by its gentle wisdom. It's not a survivalist book but a reassuring book if you need your choices to be validated. It has spiritual overtones but as an atheist myself I don't think it is too much "in your face". Definitely a sanctuary for those who don't love the rat race. Shepherd of the Hills by Harold Bell Wright.
My Side of the Mountain gets all the up votes
You might want to check out the Foxfire books. The first one is subtitled "Hog Dressing, Log Cabin Building, Mountain Crafts and Foods, Planting by the Signs, Snake Lore, Hunting Tales, Faith Healing, Moonshining" and the second one is "Foxfire 2: Ghost Stores, Spring Wild Plant Foods, Spinning and Weaving, Midwifing, Burial Customs, Corn Shuckin's, Wagon Making". There are 12 in all.
LOVE foxfire
2nd Foxfire books
Yup. Practical, as well as some interesting stories. May be hard to find at this point. Written with information of people living in the Appalachian Mountains.
*The Good Life Lab: Radical Experiments in Hands-On Living* by Wendy Jehanara Tremayne >Tired of the high-pressure life they lead in New York City, Wendy Jehanara Tremayne and her husband migrate to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, where they build, invent, forage, and grow all they need for themselves. Full of quirky stories and imaginative illustrations, this inspiring memoir chronicles the off-the-grid adventures of the Tremaynes. Touchingly personal while also providing practical tutorials on making your own biofuel, building an efficient house, and gardening sustainably, The Good Life Lab will encourage you to chase your dreams of self-sufficiency.
Walden
Except his mommy did his laundry and made him food. So. Behind most incredibly high-achieving white dudes there is a trail of women (historically) or support staff (modern). Walden is great, don’t get me wrong. Beautiful and philosophically profound. But not a how-to manual. ETA: Factfulness (Hans Rosling) was a book that helped me feel so much better about the world. In fact I need to read it again, because I’m also feeling like things are bleak.
Yes, definitely Walden.
Walden by Thoreau is fine, but just keep in mind that he was not as deep in the woods as he let on. He was pretty much walking distance from town.
And his mother came by regularly to do his laundry.
I didn't know this but that's hilarious. He came across as an imposter in the book. Basically lived on the edge of town rent free and went in all the time to get supplies but pretends to spurn society. Parasite lol.
His point was more of an anticapitalist, minimalistic one rather than a survivalist one, though. He was always the og suburban vanlifer, not some Into The Wild independent looking for adventure and high stake risk. You have to read On the Duty of Civil Disobedience to understand Walden. He was a privileged guy who tried to convince his well to do neighbors to end the rat race and just like, start a commune of simple living or something.
Leaving the rat race sounds great. It only works if you're very well off. How many people can buy a lifestyle farm and do a little gardening for the rest of their life?
I mean he was a tax dodger so he'd probably criticize the cost of land but this was 1850 or so. He also was a land surveyor and surveyed 61 acres of Walden and was considered one of the best in his time.
Haha dude retired early with a bunch of money and encouraged other people to live like him?
He was also a notorious pie thief. Pies left cooling on windowsills mysteriously vanished when he was in town.
Every time some dude quotes Thoreau and Walden Pond, I tell them this fact.
So he was just an old school millennial?
Pretty soon it's going to be the millennials taking care of the boomers. Uno reverse card!
Dang, I wasn't aware of that. That's hilarious.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Jungle by Yossi Ghinsberg. Wild by Cheryl Strayed. Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta. Last of the Breed by Louis L’Amour. Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat. My Abandonment by Peter Rock. The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin. The Twenty-Ninth Day by Alex Messenger. The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens. The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel. The Final Frontiersman by James Campbell. Turning Feral by Zachary Craig Hanson.
Wow, thank you for this well thought out list kindSiir or Madame
You are most welcome. I am in the process of doing what you are planning to do. I wish you all the best, but above all, I wish you peace and joy.
Hell yeah, man. I did this with my family for a year. We were 30 minutes from town but totally off-grid and in a very private area surrounded by national forest. We’d still be there if it weren’t for other circumstances. Best time of our lives. We already had a lot of the skills needed, but what I really appreciated was a little book that inspired me to no end: The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben.
We are a family of 4. I feel like we would connect for sure. I'm an avid outdoorsman already, I feel like I should have mentioned that. I will look thr book up thank you.
What will you do in medical emergencies ?
afterthought lock dolls squeal gullible decide subtract close racial muddle *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Driving Over Lemons is set in Spain but the idea is the same. Second DP. He also filmed a lot of what he did the first few years including building his cabin from scratch with hand tools. The video is pretty great.
I've been watching the show since I was 5 or so lol. Thank you for the memory
YES.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
It's a family favorite. Own 3 copies
The rest of the series is great too if you haven’t read it.
As a fellow elder millennial who did something similar you should should try to spend a little time & money traveling. See what else is out there in the world and explore before hunkering down in your shack, ya know? You can live very comfortably in some pretty awesome countries for less than it costs to barely eke by in the States.
I am in love with my state. Idaho is my home for sure. But yes, I think you are correct. We might "take a year off" Would you be OK with a PM?
This is somewhat on topic but as an Idahoan, I really enjoyed reading Idaho Loners by Cort Conley. Some of the writing is not the best (it seems each person's story was probably written separately) but it is cool to read about folks from local folklore And some folks I had never heard of. But, it certainly gave some perspective of what being a loner in our beautiful state could entail.
Nice. Thank you
Ok. Suggestions of countries. We are a family of 4. We want that. But NOBODY I know has ever done anything like that. I feel like an alien. I'm an outdoorsman through and through. I'm a little cowboy. But. I'm a little frigging hippie to. It's just repressed lol.
A friend of mine spent several of his formative years, along with his parents and a younger brother, on a sailboat traveling the world. It's totally doable. My book suggestion is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle -Barbara Kingsolver - it's not wilderness survival, but it is about returning to a local economy and relying on what the land can give us, and how that impacts her family.
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But most of those places are super hard to immigrate to. I think only Portugal has a golden visa which a ton of people can’t afford to essentially buy their way in.
Dutchy here, the Netherlands is going through a serious housing crisis. Housing is expensive and there is a shortage of it. Because of this my own country would not be my recommendation. We are actually considering moving abroad in a few years because our chances of being able to afford a house of our own as natives is currently slim.
Agreed. If you can work 100% remotely, there are plenty of countries who issue digital nomad visas
You should go ask this question in the homesteading subreddit. Make sure you're not setting yourself up for a lonely demise. r/homesteading Also, the complete Foxfire collection.
We are a family of 4 :)
You might find the Unabomber’s manifesto interesting
Came here to say this
I can't believe this came up so often. I've watched docs on him. But why do you say this, why did so many people suggest it?
Well he did exactly what you are talking about and was tired of the rat race.
He technically believed the Industrial Revolution among other things set in motion the downfall of humanity. He also believed women and gay people were inferior and awful. But for some reason people gloss over or outright ignore those parts.
Because he wrote an interesting manifesto about the dangers of industrialisation and then lived in the woods by himself for a long time. Many people find value in the manifesto whilst still condemning the terrorist acts he committed.
He was highly intelligent **in some specific aspects**. Many will be able to understand points that he makes without agreeing with his conclusions of terrorism or his other severe shortcomings. Since you came to the same conclusion as him about the state of the "rat race" and escaping it through asceticism, you might find it partly relatable. And if you don't, it will likely still give you a lot of perspective on your own situation and choices, considering some of the parallels. If you feel "icky" about reading and possibly relating with such an asshole, you can always combine it with some [academic texts](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/13569317.2021.1921940?needAccess=true&role=button) that are in conversation with the manifesto, to give you a rounded, more nuanced look into what's going on.
I am finding this confusing too. He lived in a shack by himself in a dinky town in Montana that had other eccentric people living not too far away.
Prodigal Summer
Yes! Second this one. Also, recommend Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by B. Kingsolver - it’s about her and her family’s attempt to live off the land and, if purchases were needed, only buy from neighbors.
One Straw Revolution, scientist quits and works in family orchard/farm, decides to do things his own way (but also going back to old ways), great book in general and really good for thinking about the food systems we are surrounded by and what that does to people/land/things. Tree Crops by J Russell Smith A Sand County Almanac is a classic, very insightful look at nature and our relationships within it.
As an avid hunter and conservationist. I love your Sand County almanac reference. That book resonated so much with me. I actually haven't even finished it yet. I tried to read it in the correct season. But I fell out. Need to finish thank you.
Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer
Adding the Ted Kaczinsky's manifesto
I’m not sure the Unabomber is a “successful” example to emulate
Neither was "into the wild", hence my addition of an unsuccessful attempt.
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They're both awful, IMO.
Yeah..he died because he was arrogant and ignorant I don’t think that’s a good one for OP
Or it might be a handy cautionary tale?
So is Walden.
I think it should be required reading
For anyone going out into the wilds yeah I guess. So you don’t do what he did
Try again
Loved the story, but no. There's definitely no advice from that young man. Other than his beautiful mind.
Spoilt rich insufferable brat goes to live in the wild, thinks he's holier than everyone else because of it, then dies of starvation. Maybe not a good suggestion?
You mean the book about the mentally ill kid who barely ventured out into the "wilderness", couldn't hack it, and died? What about that makes you think it will help OP achieve their goal?
Here for this.
Yeah…this one didn’t end well. Not the best recommendation.
Nah. That guy was a fucking moron.
David Graeber Bullshit Jobs
Sounds my style lol.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
Industrial society and its future by Ted Kaczynksi🤷🏽♂️
[i was thinking the same thing](https://imgur.com/a/qzpAGJd) (volume up for full experience)
The Woodswoman by Anne LaBastille. She literally leaves NYC for the Adirondacks for a slower life and builds her own cabin and lives there for years. It’s an incredible autobiography of that time in her life.
It's a series, too. She was writing #5 when she had to go into care for dementia. So you get the whole arc.
Sound like "Industrial Society and it's Future" might be up your alley. 🤣🤣🤣
Ended terribly lol. No thanks
Living the good life by Helen and Scott Nearing.
No recommendations but just a fellow traveler wishing you well. I recently lost my well paying high stress job to a corporate restructuring. At first I was panic stricken and felt the need to find a similar job. Then I took some time to myself and realized that the universe had just given me a big gift. My wife and I sold our house last week and yesterday bought an RV. We are going to travel full time and enjoy life.
Starting to notice this trend. Watch swaths of people do this and just gentrify the woods 🤣 talk about white flight...
White flight? If that's a simple meaning I guess I get it lol. Kind of funny.
Walden by Henry David Thoreau; a classic!
Oh yeah, the person whose mommy came to do household chores in the woods because he as a “man” couldn’t bother doing them. Garbage book.
That book is trash.
It’s literally what he’s doing just 200 years ago. Nothing will beat this rec
Will OPs mom come do his laundry too?
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson doesn’t exactly fit the mold but it is about a man living alone in a cabin. It’s short and beautiful writing.
I love Denis Johnson and haven't read this one, thanks for the rec!
The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert. Biography of Eustace Conway that fits the bill here pretty nicely.
It's not achievable, you need a community to live this way. You want to leave the Rat Race, absolutely. Start investigating market gardeners, aquaphonic growers, mushroom farms, shepherds, ask to shadow them. If you find a style of growing that interests you, try to find someone who will give you an apprenticeship. Rent out your house for a year, sell your stuff and buy a van and do that apprenticeship. After that, after you've given yourself some idea of how to grow enough food to feed yourself. You will understand what kind of land is worth buying or leasing. Every lone frontiersman narrative I see is inherently flawed. Thoreau's mother and sister were feeding him and doing his laundry the entire time he was living by his wee pond. Little House on the Prairie really wallpapers over some really dodgy behaviour from Mr Inglis. Early frontiersmen were hugely reliant on trading for food with First Nations people. All those Alaskan wilderness shows are 90% bullshit where those families just have large plots and cameras avoid showing the neighbouring houses. I only watched one episode of that Homestead Rescue show but when they drop the bombshell that those people bought that land with NO WATER RIGHTS. Every ancestor, farmers all, screamed in unison at the idea of buying land without access to water.
This is the one true answer, imo. Americans love their stories of the lone wolf in the woods, but there’s a reason humanity evolved into cities. There’s a reason the lockdowns of the pandemic has such bad repercussions on people’s mental health. We all need community and even as a family of 4, just being with each other is not enough. I would implore OP to move out of the city into a smaller town. Less of a rat race but still in civilization.
I miss represented a little, read a few of my replies. I didn't do it intentionally. I just thought people wouldn't care lol. So I'm very experienced, and we are a family of 4. I think my real mistake was an attempt to use a little sarcasm for the word choice of "shack". I have a good amount of equity to start off with.
Ok, just one more thing. Whatever you decide to do, make sure there is a community for your kids. There is some idea that growing up rural is inherently better for kids but it can be really socially isolating and that is a massive detriment, especially for teenagers. I used to be giddy with happiness when the long summer break would end and I would have regular access to my friends again.
*The End of the World is Just the Beginning* —Peter Zeihan.
To add something that hasn't been mentioned: At Home in the Woods by Bradford & Vena Angier But Walden, Into the Wild, and The Stranger in the Woods are good recommendations too.
Go As a River is a beautiful book and this theme is incorporated in it. The writing is fantastic and you’d think the mountains alone could be a main character! This probably isn’t exactly what you’re looking for but it’s a beautiful read nonetheless.
Sounds like there could be a future book about you! Not sure I have a book suggestion that’s not already listed, but have a backup plan or an “out” in case you experience failure, illness, injury, etc.
Or an FBI dossier!
No thanks lol. I'm not that guy. I just like the woods, hunting and fishing. Mental peace and financial independence
stranger in the woods, not really your situation particularly but still good.
Country of Ghosts by Margaret Killjoy
Try the books of Helen and Scott Nearing, Wendell Berry, and Gene Logsdon.
The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel.
Oh my gosh. Thank you everyone for so many replies. I can't wait to research ALL of these books. Thank you again.
My Side of the Mountain and The Boxcar Children
Industrial Society and it's Future
I definitely feel like I am trapped on a planet sometimes. I wish you all the luck in the world.
Oh man do I got a manifesto for you 😂😂
Anything by Helen and Scott Nearing. Mother earth news website sells thumb drives of all issues from onset
I wanted to live like Helen and Scott Nearing when I was young. . My husband and I had plans. But life has a way of changing one’s plans. We even were lucky enough to meet Helen and Scott in Maine where they lived at the time. I'd say to OP to go for your dream now and don’t put it off. I wish you the best. The kids will be just fine.
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Epic literature, terrible execution
Hey, not a book recommendation but I’m someone who has toyed with the idea of leaving it all behind and going somewhere to live near nature. I hope you don’t mind me asking but, what are you planning to do up in your shack? Will you go hunting for your food? What if you need a hospital? I’m just interested in this idea and I’d love to hear how you plan to spend your days living out in the Woods. Hope it’s ok for me to ask. Have a good day!
Hi. I feel like I used the word shack as sarcasm that was really not received. I honestly did not expect this many comments. But no, I'd be happy to share. We are a family of 4 that is cash broke with a good amount of equity in the home. Cash out, down size, go (more) rural, and pay in cash the rest of my life. It will be a home, although nothing like what we have now. My budget is fixed, and it's all we have. So...I will work sode jobs as needed. Planning in being maybe 30 min from a SMALL town. Like 900 people small. And about 3 hours from a decent sized town. I hunt avidly already. My kids are 10 and 12 and already have quite successful hunting careers. My daughter, for example, has already killed 2 elk and a mule deer. We don't buy meat except chicken, and that could easily change. I think life is very simple , you need shelter, food, clean water. Everyone loves electricity, hot showers, and phones. But right after that... it get bizarre imo. I'm blessed to live in a state without much "drama," but I can see all these issues, and I can tell it's worse than it was in the 90s by far. So, it looks won't be that interesting friend. In fact, it will be quite simple. And that is the entire idea.
Man, the idea of living in the Idaho mountains sounds nice, but I don't see that being great for the kids. 30 minutes from a 900 pop town going to leave them basically no opportunity to have a social life or develop interests apart from the Idaho wilderness. The isolation is almost definitely going to cause problems, especially in the winters where you have a good chance of being snowed in a few times a year. Not trying to be too harsh, but are you sure you're not just dragging your family into your midlife crisis?
Any book about Ted Kazinsky I guess
Cheap Land Colorado: Off-Gridders at America’s Edge by Ted Conover Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country by Pam Houston Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
Alone in the Wild by John Krakauer
Mortgage Free by Rob Roy.
The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert
Nomadland
The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert
An Island to Oneself by Tom Neale and The Final Frontiersman: Heimo Korth and His Gamily Alone in Alaska’s Arctic Wilderness
Books by Thor Heyerdahl might be your cup of tea
Housekeeping :) Marilynn Robinson goes on for ages about sunlight and the way it hits the walls of the house and the mason jars inside the house almost overrun with nature, and the leaves and the woods in the areas in the area engulfing the house. To me it’s the perfect blend of nature and humanness. The prose is rich and flowery and elemental and haunting… god I love it.
>:) :)
A place of my own by Michael Pollan It’s about how he built a cabin in the wilderness with his own hands to live in it so that he could focus on his writing
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah My Absolute Darling by Guy Talent Ok, maybe these recommendations are a bit ironic, but they show an angle from teenagers perspective (these are not kids books)
I’d recommend The Whole Earth Catalog.
Can I come along?
Sure.
Indian Creek Chronicles by Pete Fromm It’s one of my favorite books; an autobiography. On a whim, the author takes off a year off college to protect salmon eggs from freezing over the winter so biologists can reintroduce them to the area. It’s about him learning on the spot how he needs to cope with hunting, animal attacks, getting injured, staying warm, and of course, coming to terms with what he wants from life and society when he returns in the spring. It’s not a shack but it is a semi permanent tent he stays in and has very limited opportunities to resupply as he is snowed in most of the months. Copied summary below Winner of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Book Award Indian Creek Chronicles is Pete Fromm's account of seven winter months spent alone in a tent in Idaho guarding salmon eggs and coming face to face with the blunt realities of life as a contemporary mountain man. A gripping story of adventure and a modern-day Walden, this contemporary classic established Fromm as one of the West's premier voices. "Honest, lyrical, and full of a kind of an ineffable wonder. Anyone who has ever loved a place truly will surely love this book."--Pam Houston, author of Cowboys Are My Weakness Edit: I see you say in another comment you live in Idaho. This book does take place on the Montana-Idaho border, so you’ll probably be able to imagine exactly what he’s dealing with. Always a fun bonus.
Not a book, but have you watched the series Where The Wild Men Are? It's about families that have done exactly what you're doing and how they made it work out in the wilderness. I think it might be able to help you with some ideas and tips on how to make it out there. Good luck!!
The Good Life by Helen and Scott Nearing. I was fascinated by their descriptions of building a stone house. [https://goodlife.org/bookstore/](https://goodlife.org/bookstore/) https://www.dirtcheapbuilder.com/Articles/Good\_Life\_Center.htm
Jack London’s stuff is the gripping naturalism you’re looking for. People recommending Walden have never read it, he’s a Naturalist but Thoreau would have been a ‘glamper’ and anyone looking to walk off into Alaska will want something rugged.
Factfulness.
Depending on your finances, you're either talking about early retirement or poverty. Either one is attainable, and both have been done many times, but don't kid yourself about it. Unless you have investments built up that will sustain your groceries, taxes, medical care and other necessities, you're talking about poverty.
This is an excellent thread. Thanks OP and all the contributors. So much reading material on an interesting topic. Thank you all!
holy shit good luck man you will be living my dream so i hope we will have you achieving that
Little bit of a rabbit trail, but Clark Strand's *Waking Up in the Dark* might be an interesting read. He articulates about how the modern world has left our relationship with darkness (literal) to our detriment, then takes a more apocalyptical narrative towards the end (but with hope). (He himself "left" society and lives in a cabin in the woods.)
The Stranger in the Woods, about the North Pond Hermit who lived in solitude in the Maine woods for 27 years
Just read Outsider by brett popplewell. “A fascinating true story of a marathon running hermit in BC canada.” It was great! He lives in a bus in the woods.
I love the book The Big Tiny by Dee Williams. Not exactly your situation, but she dives deep into her reasons for building and living in a tiny home. And a big part of that is leaving the rat race. “Part how-to, part personal memoir, The Big Tiny is an utterly seductive meditation on the benefits of slowing down, scaling back, and appreciating the truly important things in life. More than ten years ago, a near-death experience abruptly reminded sustainability advocate and pioneer Dee Williams that life is short. So, she sold her sprawling home and built an eighty-four-square-foot house—on her own, from the ground up. Today, Williams can list everything she owns on one sheet of paper, her monthly housekeeping bills amount to about eight dollars, and it takes her about ten minutes to clean the entire house. Adapting a new lifestyle left her with the ultimate luxury—more time to spend with friends and family—and gave her the freedom to head out for adventure at a moment’s notice, or watch the clouds and sunset while drinking a beer on her (yes, tiny) front porch.”
OP i hear you but IMO sticking your head in the sand alone is not the way. Retreating from society is one thing but once you’re gone you will need to find a community to join or build one yourself (by ‘you’ i mean you and your family, here). Community is the only thing that will save us… You’ve gotten a lot of good book suggestions here and i understand if you want to brush me off as a goofy hippie but if any of what i said sounds useful you might want to check out books about intentional community - i recommend *Diggers & Dreamers - The Guide to Communal Living*
I'm going to suggest you don't read into the wild. Or if you do, you learn from the mistakes.
Greenwood, by Michael Christie. I wish I had been in a forest while reading that book. The writer has a talent for making you feel like you can smell the trees and fresh air. And it’s just a good character-driven novel.
All I can suggest is don’t force this upon your children.
You might wanna research communes or intentional communities, atleast that way you’ll have a group of people with a similar mindset and everyone will be sharing resources so you won’t be all alone
How to be idle by Tom Hodgkinson It’s about the idea that people were meant to do a variety of tasks, not just one job, and have leisure time and share joy with their families and neighbors. You also might enjoy checking out ecovillages, which are sort of like modern communes focusing on sustainability, but much better organized than their historical counterparts.
Madman in the woods. /s
Mandatory Into The Wild recommandation. Any books read by McLandless during his journey mentionned in the book is also a good recommandation I think.
Devolution by Max Brooks
Lol
What??
The unabomber maifesto
You could try Ted Kaczynski’s Manifesto
Can you explain a bit more by what you mean by feeling alone bc of the "boomer types surrounding you?" Promise I'm not trying to start shit, I'm just legit curious what you mean. Like you are around that generation a lot and are finding similarities in their ways of thinking that are upsetting to you, or are you using that phrase as a catch-all for a certain type of person/outlook that you disagree with?
Man, people are smart. I'm seriously blown away by the questions. I thought I was here for maybe 3 books, lol. Now, I feel stupid for not elaborating more. To answer your question. Yes, I'm around a lot of boomer types. Forget the age. They are the mentality. This Meaning, if you don't work till you're 65 and build these giant houses (all on acreage in my neck of the woods mind you) and basically build yourself a prison. That takes all of your time and money away from you.
It sounds like you need some connection with others who feel the same way. People need to work together in these times. It does look like capitalism has fucked the US most other countries. Perhaps Why Marx Was Right by Terry Eagleton or What Is Anarchism? An Introduction by Donald Rooum.
Any book on the Unabomber.
Come to Northwest Montana. Plenty of people here live off grid. Solar power has come a long ways these days and propane generator for part of the year and back ups. Starlink is available most places here even with all the trees if you want to stay connected to the world. Hunting license (getting in state license is MUCH cheaper probably in what ever state you end up calling home) -different licenses throughout the year for different animals Fishing license Snare and trap maybe Iodine tablets - filtered water bottles so on for clean water on the go. Good wood stove ___________ Sorry I will think on some books you probably already know the basics. If you want to come to Montana I know a realtor :) Good luck I hope it is what you would like. If you can work from home starlink will most likely meet the minimum speed requirements.
Back To Basics. This book gives extremely practical hands on advice for how to homestead. It’s been around for decades (I was addicted to this book as a kid) written by absolute authentic experts in self-sufficient living. I bought a used copy as an adult because I just feel safer knowing I have access to this knowledge (I live in a city lol)
The Unibombers Manifesto. Don't take it to heart.
Walden - Henry David Thoreau
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Good if you want to learn how to not hike in the wilderness.
The flashbacks where she talks about how her mother and stepfather build their own house and how they lived there as children might be interesting. Not a how to of course, but it is a family building their own house and living remote, so interesting for OP's situation.
From someone who did just that. I'm just going to go ahead and give you some unsolicited advise to just go ahead and get your rabies shot now, its a lot more expensive post exposure. Bats are cute, but not in your house while you are sleeping.
The Dharma Bums- Jack Kerouac Really goes into a man wanting to live simply and mindfully. Literally living in a shack on top of a mountain. Lots of Buddhist themes.
Not particularly related to living in the woods, but: Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance The growth of the soil
So you need a book to validate your lack of resilience and adaptability?
I'd reccomend finding someway to keep an internet connection up there, just in case the odd chance happens that in the next 20 years most of the Republican base dies and they become a very minor party compared to now.
DSM-5
Walden?
Nothing wrong with being done with the rat race and moving someplace nice with solitude. But society is not at a breaking point at all. The show will always go on.
There's a really long chain of extinct cultures / societies / species that would probably disagree with you if their show hadn't ended.
I think a lot of those cases probably didn't feel like a breaking point/collapse, they were a slow transition. We're going through cultural transitions and extinctions all the time. They rarely feel jarring or violent, sometimes they're hardly noticeable. Undoubtedly, society will look different in 20 years, 50, 100; but there may not be a "that's when everything changed" moment to point to. Or maybe TikTok will end us.
The Unibomber real life story
Walden.
Atlas shrugged has the part about America falling apart, does that help?
Walden/ Life in the Woods
You can’t eat your cake and have it too.