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[pct-l] Don't eat slugs! Life without Technology..



Someone mentioned in this ongoing technolog of trail life, if you were a purist, you would carry nothing ala John Muir.
I have met a few in my area, in Bigfoot country, that still live that way in the Siskiyou Mtns of northern California. We have a 
few people here that live on almost nothing in very remote areas against the wilderness on their mining claims or off the 
land. One worth mentioning was Secret Sam, a Wall Street broker that chose to live out his life in the wilderness. He lived
in a very small cabin he built (illegally) under a huge Douglas fir against a large rock face in the Siskiyou Wilderness.  He mined
for gold from some of the nearby gold bearing creeks, and with his pouch of gold he would trade for food and provisions.  He would
walk the 25 miles to town to get his provisions and walk back, refusing most welcoming rides. The USFS never saw his
smoke from his cooking and warming fires during fire season since his cabin was sheltered under the huge tree. Why he
gave up the Wall St life, I don't know, but for some civilization is not the answer to their questions in life.  About 8 years ago
he met his end, by starvation, during the winter at the age of about 40. He asked almost nothing from others, except solitude,
and the wilderness life he chose.    He is still a legend around here. 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Another local wilderness character that I have grown to admire, and constantly keeps me grounded by his reality is Mike. He lives
in a small cabin on his patented mining claim, very near to Secret Sam's hidden place in the Siskiyou Wilderness;  Sam and Mike were
neighbors.  Mike earned his  80 acre rocky and barren plot of land by building a house for someone in town. He earns his lifestyle 
by occasional carpentry, gold panning on his land, and making beautiful jewelry from the local Happy Camp jade he buys or trades. 
Mike, his wife, and two daughters to most have nothing, but to me are very wealthy in their knowledge of wilderness survival and connection 
with the land. He built a water wheel with a piece of plywood and smashed soupcans for paddles that drives a car alternator to power his light bulb
to spin his milling tool to work the jade and gold into fine jewelry. At this moment, Mike and family are huddled in their cabin, snowed in 
by the recent heavy storms.  Their old car is about 10 miles away, and when they want to come out, they will hike out across the snow and swollen 
creeks to their friends and civilization.  He isn't bothered by today's politics, the internet, or most of what we consider the daily American modern lifestyle (grind).  However, they are very warm and happy at home, with to most almost nothing, with a winter's worth of provisions and library books. 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
When Mike goes for a hike up into the hills, which to us is a backpack trip in the wilderness, he takes a knife, matches and a sheet of plastic. He lives off the land eating plants, tree buds, and eventually comes out a week later half starved. One of the things he ate that sticks with me, is slugs. From Mike I learned, "Don't eat slugs!, you can never get the slime and taste out of your mouth!"  There are still a few people left that travel and live life like John Muir that we can learn the lessons and secrets of the wilderness from, sans technology. They are very rare treasures, living life on the 
edge of history and the wilderness.