Jun 27 2008
Finally: I’m Living Primitively!
It’s been a struggle, I’ve had to make some trade-offs, but from now and on I am living out in the woods. Actually I’ve already been doing it for some days. It is going to be a transition, making everthing for my daily life, food will be gathered, caught, stored and cooked. I’ll be juggeling two lives to some extent, though with clear emphasis on the primitive living. Legalities and real life situations will dictate that I continue to ask local hunters for skins and do some work to make a little money.
About once a week I’ll try to post an update on how things are and my progress.
Things I’ll do:
- Get food through: Hunting, fishing, gathering, gardening, forest gardening (a hybrid approach between gathering and gardening) and scavenging stuff from hunters.
- Make everything I need in my daily life. No exceptions, I’ll continue to use some of the stuff I already have, like fishing nets and clothes, but it will all be phased out as I manage to replace it with primitive gear.
- Live in primitive accomodations for most of the year (when I’m not visiting somone).
- Take photos and update the blog occasionally.
Things I’ll not do:
- Raise livestock. They need regular tending and I value freedom of movement and action.
- Try to make things as hardcore as possible. I’m not interested in a life of perpetual suffering, so I’ll try as hard as I can to find the solutions that makes a primitive life enjoyable (without resorting to modern tools).
PS! If you like what you are reading, please donate as I really need it.
RegardsTorjus
Get my book "Traditional Trout Fishing: Fishing for Survival in the North (Volume 1)
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Torjus,
Great to hear from you – wishing you well, and hoping you are having a good time. From the tone of your post, it seems like this is a real adventure and an exciting time for you.
All the best – take care, be safe, and think of the rest of us as you engage with Mother Earth in this correct way.
Cheers,
Mungo
Congratulations! Hope you find the time to post on here occasionally!
What a great adventure! I’ll be following closely. All the best and keep safe.
Pablo.
Torjus, Let me know if those chestnut seeds germinate. I wouldn’t count on any nuts for awhile though :]
Take care friend!
I am still totally convinced that you (alone) are offering, practicing, learning, doing and teaching the only real hope mankind has left. I’ve spent some years now studying this issue and reaffirm my viewpoint that within 50 – 100 years, the primitive lifestyle is the near-future for mankind.
I admire your conviction and dedication, despite difficult odds and society / civilization’s viewpoint that anyone that rejects the modern life is ‘nuts’. You are most definitely on the right track. My donation has been sent — hope you get plenty more from your readership, I’ll give you another plug on my blog, really glad to see you take this step.
Hey, thanks for keeping us informed of your experiences and what you’ve learned. Are you willing to say where your modern day Walden Pond is located… just in general?
LC
hi, great to see! hope you’re ok. will follow this. and it is encouraging to see you doing this.
take care and good luck!
Thanks for the kind and supporting comments all of you! And thanks for the link Survival Acres.
LC, it is located in Telemark county in the south of Norway.
What resources will you be using primarily in learning about primitive living? Books?
L
I know most of what I need in my head, but I have some books for reference. And as you can see, I have access to a computer nearby so I can surf the net if I discover any holes in my knowledge.
Norway gets awfully cold in winter. How do you plan to stay warm during the hardest part of winter when the temperatures are way below zero Centigrade? Have you found any caves or have access to enough material to make a very thick debris shelter during ice storms?
Charlotte, I’m building an earthlodge to use in winter. I’m slightly concerned that I’ll not have time to finish it. But I have slept out in very cold temperatures before, so it shouldn’t be a problem anyway. I’m going to make a caribou skin sleeping bag very soon. That will probably help too.
We don’t have ice storms luckily. Blizzards yes, but I guess they are easier to shelter out.