How I Got Here, Vision Quest Story

A story about a formative experience and factors that led me to pursue self reliance skills and free thinking.

Standard gear I recommend. I either use or have used all of it.

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[nimrodayali]

I suppose that is the hour of day your fans from the middle east are awake...
I feel proud to be a ripple! I'm currently teaching a course in bark-tanning, probably the first ever in Israel. I've sent all the students to take a look at your channel, I hope they get there.
What a story!

[ToddMagnussonWasHere]

Whole lot of respect. Similar journey although later (26-27ish), learning from you and others. Thanks for sharing.

[Shaun.Stephens]

Good stuff, thanks for sharing Steven.

[somatder]

always interesting to hear your philosphy and underlying drive for doing what you are doing. You sure are an great inspiration for me - both for practical skills but also philosophically and I have come a long way in learning skils to live this lifestyle. You are so right that curiosity is key for living this lifestyle. It's easy to fall in love with the idea of self reliance and self sufficiency but in practice it's long work hours - much longer than that of a worker doing 8 hours 5 days a week and consuming the rest of the awake hours. Without the underlying stream of curiosity and ability to observe and learn from the surroundings it's no fun and just a lot of work, and I for this reason I believe this lifestyle is for very few people that haven't lost this curiostity to always explore the boundaries and learn new skills

[eugenemcgloin]

Thank you for putting this out there. Maybe it's me getting older, but I am starting to wonder about the "beehive" I live in and why isn't it functioning all that well? Decades later, the teachings I was given from a few "primitive" skills teachers I'd met in Likely in '84 seem so much more valuable and relevant, today. I hope that your place and the chickens are okay after that quake today.

[richardsailors]

You are the best. I have tasted, but not bitten into the style you embody. Let's all do our bit, whatever size. You and yours are an attractive outlier.

[bushleague]

Most of that story sounded like mine... misfit, punk rock, the bush. Being a poor kid in Alberta though, I did the usual thing and got involved in the trades, make money in the winter, live in the bush all summer. Now I'm married with a couple teenage daughters so I live a more normal life, mostly because I want my daughters to choose whatever life they want, not be stuck with my anti-social ideals. Looking at how pointless and soul-destroying life within the system has become, I wonder if I've made a terrible mistake. On the other hand, being a free thinker right now is not an easy path to walk, perhaps if they just care about new stuff and cell phones they will be less frustrated with the world than their old man?

That said, most years I still do my own "Vision Quest", do about a 10 day solo hunt on a remote stretch of river using a canoe, usually come back with an elk or moose. Too, I spend a lot of time still-hunting in the boreal... which is the closest I ever get to feeling like I'm living the way I was meant to. Spend the day aimlessly wandering game trails, with the abstract goal of matching my wanderings to the somewhat random movements of the big timber animals.

[vengervoldur]

Why 4 days alone, without food? Am I looking into the symbolism too much? Or was it more random?

[nagasvoice]

I think a lot of the homesteading community have been on a similar, perhaps tandem, pathway as what you describe. The 70s were full of people plunging into organic gardening, including all the Rodale books, before the Internet happened. I suspect a lot of the hunting and fishing experts had similar motivations too. I have been mulling over the demand to also be a good citizen and stand up to fascisti wannabes at all levels, even if only to vote.

[ThJones]

I would need a vision quest but I probably go home after a couple of hours.

[Tadders]

How dare you use the term, "vision quest" that is for Native Americans only and...just kidding man. You're an interesting dude. At first I thought you were some pretentious hipster who actually put in the work, but you're more than that. I've learned a lot from your vidjyas, so thank you.

How do you feel about guns?

[أنينالبعد-مق]

من بغداد العراق تحيه جميلة وحلوه إلى حضرتك من متابعيك ومعجبيك بس ياريت ألتقي بيك وجه لوجه حته اتعلم منك الكثير 🌹🍒💐🍗🍖