Anyone live the slack life / hippy life / desert rat life in Cali? (Perris: fit in, living)

[freedom125]

Is there anyone on here that lives a really relaxed, chilled-out natural lifestyle, maybe near the Mojave, Joshua Tree, Death Valley, or in the Sierras?

I've always wondered a bit about what it would be like out there and to be involved in this type of lifestyle. I'd love to read a good blog about someone who lives like this.

[nullgeo]

Conjuration noted ... however, I am neither hippy nor desert rat ... "slack life" I suppose is debatable ... however, having worked a full career's worth of years, raised family, given blood for my country - I declare the right to operate on "cruise control" much of the time now ...

Anyway, OP, what is it you are wanting to know? We need a bit more information before we can dazzle you with our collective wisdom here.

[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?

[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.

[freedom125]

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?

Nah I don't necessarily mean hippie in the form of what they look like, I'm talking more about a hippie-style mindset.

People who are more free-spirited and less uptight about everything.

[Kafkaesque]

That's what I meant as well. I don't think we have any full boat hippies about. But I might be surprised I guess.

[Bunjee]

I have met someone living completely off the grid in Perris on solar with wells dug, generally conventional as opposed to a teepee or mud house. But he had land and means to create the infrastructure. If you're looking for an existing community check into Slab City, or Arcosanti in Arizona.

[Ruth4Truth]

Have you checked out Taos, NM? Seems to fit in with what you're looking for.

[raindude]

Don't move to Boulder, CO or you'll see that type of fake outdoorsmanship times 10

[Ruth4Truth]

Isn't Boulder hippie central? But maybe they're the wrong kind, for the OP.