Anyone live the slack life / hippy life / desert rat life in Cali? (Santa Cruz: insurance, home)

[Kafkaesque]

I was just wondering if fake outdoorsmen are related to Urban Cowboys in some way?

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by freedom125

Hi nullgeo,

Thanks for responding. I'll go into a little more detail without making it too long.

I love nature, and I currently live in the mountains in the Northeastern US, very close to the Appalachian Trail.

I backpack, hike, mountain bike or rock climb because it's fun but also because I like to be close to nature, in awe of it and to experience it up close. I have a respect for nature and I live by Leave No Trace principles. I think there is beauty in all types of nature, from mountains to trees to canyonlands to deserts to dried up lake beds and anything in between.

There are a lot of people up here that do outdoor activities as well, but there is just something... really obnoxious about them. They hike the Appalachian Trail just to tell people they did, and maybe to try writing a book about it. They hike to spots just to take pictures and post them on Facebook, to show others that they live that "outdoor lifestyle" or whatever. They cut down trees in their back yards just so they can have a little bit better view of the mountains. They'll take liquor out on the trails, get drunk and leave their bottles behind on the ground.

Basically it's all very showy and they all really feel like "fake" outdoorspeople.

I want to live somewhere eventually where people are more real, eccentric, in tune with nature and just much easier to chill out with. I've been to Yosemite, Death Valley, JTNP, Sequoia, and all in that area on trips before. And I've also been to plenty of New Mexico, Zona and Utah.

From the little experience I have, it seems that people out West approach nature a lot differently and more in my style than people here in the Northeast.

Thoughts on all of this? Thanks so much.

Ok, now there's picture of your personality somewhat ... fine ... thanks ... next: how do you / will you survive? Independently wealthy? Work from internet by cellphone hot spot? What?

When I was a kid my family went camping for two to three months straight every summer ... and shorter trips every other kinda break from three-day weekends to longer school breaks. I always pouted about coming back. Didn't want to go to school, etc. Parents would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up -- because, in their mind, one had to have a schooled profession. My answer was always: I want to go camping. Well, now I am on about a 30 or 40 year camping trip, depending on how my health holds up and how long I can drive the van.

But I will never live in a house again for sure. I, however, have income from pensions and properties earned over many years of hard knocks. What you got?

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by Bunjee

If you're looking for an existing community check into Slab City

If you're gonna go full bore off the grid and away from civilization, then this would do it.

[Sierravillian]

I wound up in the Northern Sierra due to snow, and stayed because everything anyone could want is here, except my boat, I have to leave the hills for it.. The trick is to make a living, lots of techie types telecommuting, every town has teachers, Caltrans workers, Forest Service. Builders, ranchers, loggers.

Drive snowplow in winter, fight fire in summer, vacation in Mexico every spring, go to Europe every fall.

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by Sierravillian

I wound up in the Northern Sierra due to snow, and stayed because everything anyone could want is here, except my boat, I have to leave the hills for it.. The trick is to make a living, lots of techie types telecommuting, every town has teachers, Caltrans workers, Forest Service. Builders, ranchers, loggers.

Drive snowplow in winter, fight fire in summer, vacation in Mexico every spring, go to Europe every fall.

Here is an interesting job (in the Norwegian arctic -- if you have a loud voice and competency with firearms) as an example of fun ways to make a living out of the box:
Wanted: Polar Bear Spotter on Norwegian islands | Weather Underground
Now all the OP has to do is find a California parallel and voila!

[freedom125]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

Ok, now there's picture of your personality somewhat ... fine ... thanks ... next: how do you / will you survive? Independently wealthy? Work from internet by cellphone hot spot? What?

When I was a kid my family went camping for two to three months straight every summer ... and shorter trips every other kinda break from three-day weekends to longer school breaks. I always pouted about coming back. Didn't want to go to school, etc. Parents would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up -- because, in their mind, one had to have a schooled profession. My answer was always: I want to go camping. Well, now I am on about a 30 or 40 year camping trip, depending on how my health holds up and how long I can drive the van.

But I will never live in a house again for sure. I, however, have income from pensions and properties earned over many years of hard knocks. What you got?

Thanks for the responses, guys.

I guess I was a little unclear with my original post, and I apologize about that.

I don't mind having a job, and I don't mind living in a real house or in an apartment or anything like that. I mean sure, in an ideal world I would never have to work - just relax and enjoy myself all the time. But I'm not vehemently against having a job or anything. I've worked in outdoor education for a few years. Right now I live in a cabin in the woods, though I am still "on the grid"

I guess what I should have said from the beginning is that I'm not necessarily looking to stop working, or to get off the grid. Mainly I want to live in a place where I can be around other people who love and respect nature, who are out in it all the time, and who think of nature and outdoor activities the way I do - in a more humble and calm way, rather than in an obnoxious "Let's go hiking and get smashed and be loud and then post about our camping parties on Facebook" type of way.

And I was trying to see if there were any areas in California, particularly near national parks or forests, that this mindset seems more prevalent.

[nullgeo]

Originally Posted by freedom125

Thanks for the responses, guys.

I guess I was a little unclear with my original post, and I apologize about that.

I don't mind having a job, and I don't mind living in a real house or in an apartment or anything like that. I mean sure, in an ideal world I would never have to work - just relax and enjoy myself all the time. But I'm not vehemently against having a job or anything. I've worked in outdoor education for a few years. Right now I live in a cabin in the woods, though I am still "on the grid"

I guess what I should have said from the beginning is that I'm not necessarily looking to stop working, or to get off the grid. Mainly I want to live in a place where I can be around other people who love and respect nature, who are out in it all the time, and who think of nature and outdoor activities the way I do - in a more humble and calm way, rather than in an obnoxious "Let's go hiking and get smashed and be loud and then post about our camping parties on Facebook" type of way.

And I was trying to see if there were any areas in California, particularly near national parks or forests, that this mindset seems more prevalent.

Ok then ... entirely realistic to live as you desire near the great outdoors ... I don't know why anybody likes cities, but that's their business.

It seemed that you were wondering about living in an RV like a gypsy. And frankly, you can do that too. It just costs some money like everything else. It can cost a lot LESS money, if you are suitable personality-wise for living super simplistic in very small spaces ... but you gotta have some kind of income. As you now clarify, assuming you are still quite young, there are a number of outdoors careers from wildlands firefighting, as has been suggested, to simply owning your own backhoe and getting networked in a rural community. Good luck!

[nullgeo]

Another thought for you is to consider Washington State. I home base there since the early 70's. If you can handle the weather, you'll not likely find another place in the nation so populated by serious outdoor extremists. You'll find lots of serious outdoors people many places but none more than the Pacific NW in % of total population.

Whitewater rafting and kayaking, canoeing, sea-kayaking, mountain climbing (N. Cascades will challenge you as much as anyplace), hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, skiing of every type, snowshoeing ... you name it.

[Dean Trails]

Originally Posted by nullgeo

Ok, now there's picture of your personality somewhat ... fine ... thanks ... next: how do you / will you survive? Independently wealthy? Work from internet by cellphone hot spot? What?
I, however, have income from pensions and properties earned over many years of hard knocks. What you got?

I bet it went something like this,,,,,

Then one day he was shootin' at some food,
And up through the ground came a bubblin' crude.

Oil that is
Black gold
Texas tea.

[DMenscha]

Originally Posted by Kafkaesque

We currently have a pretty relaxed Sierras dweller on premises. But I don't know if he will show up. But he's not full on hippie and is a RE agent.

Do you mean full on hippie in tiedie and hemp clothes? And in a geodesic dome or something similar?

I take umbrage at that! Just so y'all know, I'm posting this from my office. I have my usual attire on. Hawaiian shirt, shorts and flip flops.

I think my 55 hour a week work ethic does somehow disqualify me from the "slacker" moniker though.

Sidebar edit: I'm also a director of our Chamber of Commerce. Yesterday I had to sit through a meeting with our congressman, who kept referring to "left wing environmentalists". I winced every time he blamed the nation's ills on folks like me. This "left wing environmentalist" was there to present a land exchange with the USFS that would give a half mile of Mokelumne River to the public in exchange for some landlocked USFS land.