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The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Discussions related to the physiological and psychological effects of peak oil on our members and future generations.

Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby benzoil » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 15:17:37

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cashmere', 'I') wonder if the Swedes know that the Blonde Swedish Female is the preferred reference among American males when talking about the perfect boner-producing specimen? If they do know, how do they feel about that?

Given the suicide rate in Sweden, I'd guess that it depresses them. That, or the thought of eating more herring.
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby JJ » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 15:24:39

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('heineken', 'A') few years back there was some sort of criminal who escaped into the woods of western North Carolina (I think it was) and managed to hide out there for several years, living like a mountain man of old. Not sure what happened to him . . . maybe he was finally captured.

from time to time there is a show on tv about someone who fabricates an exciting prison escape (through the wire, etc.) and then is relieved when they are caught 24 hours later as they are being devoured by the insects (sometimes they turn themselves in because they are hungry and cold)
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby VMarcHart » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 15:35:33

PeakOilers, what a disappointment! This thread has been active for over 2 hours and nobody has mentioned the Z-word yet.

Don't make me say it! :)
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby killJOY » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 15:39:26

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'P')eakOilers, what a disappointment! This thread has been active for over 2 hours and nobody has mentioned the Z-word yet.

Zeus! Zeus!
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby dunewalker » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 15:54:29

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('RedStateGreen', 'I') was just on another forum where the question was posed re: what you would take if you were bugging out 'into the unknown'. Why do people insist on this fantasy?
Is this just a case of "trusting" that "something" will turn up? Some macho "live off the land" wish-fulfillment? Or what? I'm baffled.

This is not necessarily fantasy. In a TSHTF scenario, this is likely to be the reality for the majority. Not everyone has a "grandmother's house" type refuge to retreat to nor do they have the resources to set something up. Of course the majority will not survive in any case, whether they bug-out, bug-in, or report to a FEMA camp. Those with a vestige of free spirit cling to the bug-out scenario, even as a way to die. I'll head to a certain death in the mountains before relinquishing my freedom.
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby Daniel_Plainview » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 16:05:00

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cashmere', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DoomWarrior', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('benzoil', 'W')ith a year's worth of Mountain House #10 cans of food and a couple of Swedish stewardesses, too?
Actually, the blond Swedish twins (age 17 and alone) live a few cabins down the road .......
I wonder if the Swedes know that the Blonde Swedish Female is the preferred reference among American males when talking about the perfect boner-producing specimen?If they do know, how do they feel about that?

Actually, the hot chick in your avatar represents the preferred reference among American males when talking about the perfect boner-producing specimen ........ :lol:
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby RedStateGreen » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 16:11:51

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('benzoil', 'i')f your choice is stay put and die in a nuclear blast, then flight is probably a better option!

That is, if you can reach a safe distance. Sometimes it's better to face the inevitable with dignity rather than spending your last remaining minutes in a frenzy.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('efarmer', '&')quot;Taste the sizzling fury of fajita skillet death you marauding zombie goon!"

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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby pedalling_faster » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 16:17:57

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('RedStateGreen', 'I') was just on another forum where the question was posed re: what you would take if you were bugging out 'into the unknown'. Why do people insist on this fantasy? ...
I've had to evacuate before (wildfires) and it really makes it much easier if you have a place to go already. We packed important documents, a few changes of clothes, and the kids' toys and went to grandma's. :)

Grandma makes good cookies. especially in Humboldt :-D

i experience the kind of thought you talk about. my guess is, a lot of other people do, too. i think it's related to the "grass is greener" tendency. i think it's a reaction to the stark realness of dealing with the circumstances of your life - in combination with Peak Oil.

there's also the aspect that Peak Oil is difficult to visualize. i think this affects our tendency to say, "hey man, i'm going to grab a bug-out kit when the deck of card falls, and go live in Armstrong State Park".

some people are successful at "bugging out into the wild". i read an article maybe 4 years ago about a woman & her romance with some guy that was a truly gifted survivalist, some guy that detested Western civilization and was talented enough to make it work. practice makes perfect ! but, as myths go, for those that are unable to do it, it's a pleasant myth. and, a fatal myth, if you're not prepared.
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby criticalmass » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 16:22:55

So what do you take... if you do it?

I think it's noble to retreat to the mountains and invite certain death as a choice above freedom.
I also think it's an interesting idea to lay low in a predetermined area to get away from the disaster- but realistically how long would you have to be there? 6 months, a year? Most likely.
The first winter? Harsh, and not likely survived.

My escape sack: Bagged and labeled seeds, a sleeping bag, full tang knife, fishing line and hooks, lighter(s), a heavy jacket, flour, notebook and pencil, mess kit for two, and rope- 100'. The 357 and plenty of rounds would logically already be on my person.

I've no fantasies about being the only person in a lesser known location. Negotiating skills and proof that I can pull my own weight would certainly be my best assets.
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby frankthetank » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 16:29:57

I've already got a Carnival Cruise ship lined up for all of us. They told me that when the $hit goes down, just give them a ring and they'll have a fully prepped/stocked ship ready for us. I'm hoping to charter planes to come and pick everyone up. Bring swimming trunks and lubricants.

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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby CrudeAwakening » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 16:30:16

Anyone seen/read "Into the Wild"? The young protagonist was remarkably resourceful as a modern day hunter-gatherer, surviving as a serial "bug-outer" for (from memory) about one year.

Until he ate the wrong berries in Alaska and died alone in an abandoned bus.
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby benzoil » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 16:44:26

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('RedStateGreen', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('benzoil', 'i')f your choice is stay put and die in a nuclear blast, then flight is probably a better option!
That is, if you can reach a safe distance. Sometimes it's better to face the inevitable with dignity rather than spending your last remaining minutes in a frenzy.

Yeah, but the view is so much better from the clogged highway out of town. You can really see the mushroom cloud from there...assuming you weren't blinded by the initial flash. Besides, this is 2008 America. We don't have any dignity left. :-D
Last edited by benzoil on Mon 18 Aug 2008, 16:44:54, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby frankthetank » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 16:44:52

Just read or watch some Dick Proenneke... The guy did it all. He did have supplies flown in, but they were just staples. Plus he hardly ate any of the local wildlife, just what he found dead and some fish.
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby Roy » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 17:23:34

:)
Last edited by Roy on Sun 12 Oct 2008, 10:32:39, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby joeltrout » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 17:34:08

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Fiddlerdave', 'S')mall and large game was rampant, seafood in the the many coastal sloughs and ebaches was rich, and seasonl events like salmon runs made getting an enormous supply of meat to dry and store was fast (although the preparation took some work). Various edible fruits, nuts and vegetables grow year round, and edible mushrooms are everywhere. Sardines took little work to catch in large numbers. A rain-tight shelter made of the ever-present tulle reed with a few other bodies to keep it warm was the basic technological need.

Did anyone watch The Alaska Experiment on the Discovery Channel?

It basically had 3 or 4 groups of people who lived off the land in Alaska for several months. They had to hunt big game, catch and can as much salmon as possible, cut their own firewood, live in tiny shelters, etc...

It was very interesting especially to see everyone get cabin fever during the winter months.
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby americandream » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 17:48:26

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Cashmere', 'I') don't think it's a myth. I think it's very doable. Think about it. Thousands of men did it when the country was being colonized (invaded).
There are plenty of fairly vast, forested areas where you can disappear into the forest. Life would be difficult. And simple. Very simple.
I guess my perspective is this: I don't love my own life enough to want to protect it by living in the woods by myself for the next X number of years. Simple as that for me.
I've never got that about people. I met some 70 year old guy who was desperate to live. I'm thinking, "why?" What the hell is it about being on this parasite infested sh1t-hole of a planet that you find so endearing? 70 years isn't enough?

You took the words right out of my mouth. This place really is a flea bitten hole. It;s probably why higher life forms (if there are any out there), more than likely give us a wide berth.

I did do the wild bit soon after university on a bleak Scottish Island in the North Sea and despite the few inhabitants, you had the same old dramas. One billion or one hundred or ten...or even two...you get the same crap. Why bother. Drink and be merry and let tomorrow take care of itself.
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby katnipkid » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 18:36:32

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DoomWarrior', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('RedStateGreen', ' ')It seems as though people just think there will be some idyllic mountain area (that no one ELSE knows about) that they can just somehow find (because we're "bugging out into the UNKNOWN"), without being arrested for trespassing, coming across thugs/druggies who have staked out the area already, or falling prey to the elements.

I plan on hiking into the mountains and finding an abandoned lakeside log cabin, complete with fireplace and a kitchen. Please don't destroy that fantasy for me.

I won't destroy your fantasy. Just make sure it isn't my cabin you get to before I do, because I may not want another person there with me and mine. Or, maybe I would. What do you have to offer? There is safety in numbers. The point is, that cabin is someones, and that someone will most likely be showing up eventually.

I disagree with most of the posts so far. I would rather trust my fate to that cabin in the woods than expect the gubermint to save us. The response to Katrina speaks for itself. Do I really need to elaborate?
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby vision-master » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 18:52:26

The story of Dick Proenneke
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby Ludi » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 18:53:14

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('katnipkid', ' ')I would rather trust my fate to that cabin in the woods than expect the gubermint to save us.

Why do you think anyone in this thread expects the guvmint to save them?
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Re: The myth of "bugging out into the wild"

Unread postby mgibbons19 » Mon 18 Aug 2008, 19:02:21

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('aflurry', 'F')antasy wish-fulfillment. The religious apocalypse ushers in the the union of the self with God in the Rapture, where the self is remade and its divinity revealed. Secular apocapypsies imagine a similar reformation of the self through a union with the unknown, the wilderness, whatever chaotic rupture.

I agree. I think this goes much deeper into the American cultural dreamscape than any possible reality of peak oil or nukes in the cities. After all, there were survivalists and survivalist ideologies long before several thousand of us found peakoil.com.

I haven't really figured it out though. The secular Armageddon is certainly part of it and synchs right up with religious Armageddon which itself plays directly into our puritan ethic (as well as does environmentalism I might add)

We also have the cowboy figure - the antisocial hero who cannot live amongst the rest of us, but can come in druing times of trouble and disorder. He straightens out the lawlessness and restores order, but cannot stay. He cannot stay because it is society itself that is flawed and he is pure - because he is not of society.

Deeply in our cultural mythos is the idea that society is morally flawed and nature is sacred (makes a nice replacement for god in moving towards environmentalism). All of the examples above tap into that.

Somehow - I haven't figured it just out, the bug-out plays into all this mythology. Peal Oil is just another channel or mechanism that can allow this mythology to play out.
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