Im a new member here, and i got some info to help out.

So i have been reading the topics on this forum and I am happy to have found a group of people who are seriously considering living in the wild. In mid-June of 2009 i am heading out to the wilderness till the end of October, then in 2010 i am leaving on the first of May after the lakes are completely ice free, i want to stay for a minimum of 18 months, which would be 1 winter, and 2 summer's, and if my body can handle it, then i would stay for 5 years, possibly longer if i can. I live in Ontario, Canada, I am 45 minutes away from Toronto and I am willing to drive anyone who wants to live in the wild in Central/Southern Ontario, you just have to get over the border yourself, which is not to hard.

I am going to live in the wild at Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. If you dont know anything about Algonquin Park [Al-gon-quin], you probably have not put Ontario on your list of places to live in the wild. Ontario is absolutly the best place in the world to live in the wild, Ontario has thousands of square kilometers of extremely remote forests and thousands of uninhabitted lakes and rivers. Central Ontario is the perfect place to live in the wild, it is on the border line of where two types of forests meet, so the amount of food and wildlife is increable, and if you want to be hundreds of kilometers away from any roads then go to Nortern Ontario, nearest to Hudson Bay. Northern Ontario is a bit harder to life in, and has packs of wolves that will come to your cabin, but you will never seen a single person.

When I was reading some threads i saw a place that someone had picked [ 48 44'52.44 N 124 48'18.67 W ], this place is one of the few places on that island that is remote enough to actually live in without running into humans. Although, that landsacpe is alot harder to live in then it looks like from space, not to mention it rains there everyday, non stop. I sujest going to the eartern part of the British Columbia, in the mountian ranges, but you may run into some people, but i dont think they will say anything.

And Alaska is over-rated, I dont sujest going there, you will be eaten alive by misqutoes, you only have a couple of weeks to grab the few berries that actually grow, you will freeze, and get mauled by a bear. In Ontario, we dont have mountains, just rolling hills of dense forest, filled with blueberries, deer, moose, and a few bears that are scared of humans. You want the environment you are in to work with you, not against you, living in then wild is already hard enough, and the last thing you need is an Alaskian snowstorm on top of you.

This is the exact coordinate to where i will begin to build my cabin next summer:
45°34'43.67"N 78°52'53.04"W.
On google earth it looks weird, the forests are all yellow, but in real life it looks like this: http://www.markinthepark.com/images/DSCF0201.jpg
And this is a more detailed map of the region:
http://img357.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pic2xn4.png

Right now since it is colder outside i have just been going out everyweekend practicing survival skills, like traping, building shelter, starting fires, but in the summer months i go to Algonquin Park every three weeks for a couple of days, sometimes a week. I have gone to the location where the cocordinates are and i have picked the exact spot to build the 'cabin' or to set up my camp, Ive explored the forest and made sure the landscape is perfect, so now im just waiting till next june where i will go their and build the cabin, then in november or late october i will come home for the winter, get my body back in shape and gain lots of weight, then go back the following may to live all-year round. It takes me 4 hours to drive to algonquin, and 4 hours to get to that location. Anyways, if u have read everything here, then thanks for reading, i may post a few comments on some topics, but for now im going to go.

-Taylor

Taylor, it sounds like you've done your homework and made yourself personally familiar with exactly where you want to be and what you need to know to make it there, which is what all of these guys ought to be doing.

I disagree with most of what you said about AK, but that's ok. Like many here like to put it, "Alaska is full, go to Canada!"

Rahel

Sounds good, you seem to know exactly what you are wanting, and what you want to do. Are you planning to goout by yourself or with a group? I know you are on here but still. How old are you, and where would you go after your first stay in the park next year? I agree with rachel on what she has said. You two have completley different views on alaska. I have never been to all the areas in alaska so i do not know the terrain. Unlike her she lives their so yeah. well great to see your post.

-ryan

What do you guys think about the idea of getting jobs and living in AK, just until the spring?

I've been contemplating the idea now for months and I really think it might be a good way to talk to the AK natives and make a sound decision on where to go. We might even be able to take out supplies on days off. With so many of us going, I think it could really work.

I honestly don't know how I'd live another year before going, but in all fairness, a year passes by very quickly if your mind is ocuppied. In the worst case, we could live and save money in society until the spring of 2010. Have any of you thought of this idea before?

I know I have lots of experience in call centers and banking. Considering the wages that jobs in AK pays, I could probably single-handedly fund us all.

I am afraid that another year would do me in, to be frank. What do you guys think? If I knew I was doing it for the group, then I might be able to swallow it easier. Give me your thoughts?

John

Well.. I to be 100% real with everyone, there is no way I can wait another year waiting to do this. It may not be good judgment on my behalf but I've got a calling that needs to be answered..

I have been looking into the Ontario and Quebec regions though ever since taylor mentioned them and they do look promising, although they look kind of wet like it might flood there alot? The weather looked pretty good I guess concidering other numbers we've looked at. What do you guys think?

I think what we are shooting for 'march' should still be our goal I think we will be fine weveill go up there wen the time comes and we will find a spot. I don't want to wait or think we or I need to wait a year.

After the first year im moving to my different location, which i have also been to and is even better then the one inside the park [ 45°36'44.68"N 79° 0'24.13"W ]. As of right now i plan on going by myself for the first year, and since im not doing a winter the first time im not building a cabin, just setting up a 'camp'. The second year tho i plan to go with someone else because building a cabin, hunting, gathering, etc...is just too much work for one person.

And someone said Ontario and Quebec look wet, well the northern tip of Ontario right by hudson bay can be a bit wet, but flooding is not a problem. Ontario is covered in trillions of lakes, almost as much water as there is land it seems, but the forests are dry, the lake water stays in the lake, and the rivers dont change much other than rising and lowering through the seasons. This picture shows you a 'red zone' where almost no one lives in, there are a few scattered towns that you have to fly in by water plane, and really is human-free if you go 5 miles away from the towns. Anywhere below the red zone is great for living in, especially where it says location 5. Above the red zone is harder to live in but by all means is really one of the larger areas in North America that you are garanteed to never be found.
http://img355.imageshack.us/my.php?image=pic3sw6.png

Also what i said about Alaska is not really what i think about it, i just think many people here are limiting themselvs to Alaska because they are from the United States and are not very familiar with Canada. Alaska is extremely populated compared to the Yukon Territory in Canada, let alone in the NorthWest Territory. In about 30 seconds you can find spots that are 50 miles away from anything.

These are spots i found in 30 seconds or less, all i did was zoom in and find a random spot.
61°49'32.74"N 125°38'6.23"W
59°54'26.32"N 137°17'56.81"W
60°24'13.78"N 95°41'28.16"W

The point that im trying to make is that if you really never want to be found then try the Territories in Canada, Alaska does have alot of remote areas, but with a roaring fire, and a big cabin, im sure some hunters or Atvers will spot you.
Rough population of Alsaka - 675,000
Rough population of the Yukon - 40,000
See the difference?

Total area of the Yukon: 186,272 sq mi
Total area of Alaska: 663,268 sq mi

Also consider that 279,671 of those 675k live in Anchorage municipality (1,961.1 sq mi), 82,840 live in Fairbanks and vicinity (7,444 sq mi), and 30,690 live in Juneau and vicinity (3,255.0 sq mi). Which means nearly 400,000 of those 675,000 live in the three "major" cities on a grand total of approximately 12,660 sq mi out of 663,268 sq mi.

The rest are scattered pretty far and wide.

There are lots of places in AK that you could go and never be found, they just aren't always very accessible. And like I've said before, it's possible to hole up in a patch of woods in the middle of everything and not be found, (Squatting is a well-known and fairly well accepted social phenomenon in Alaska,) but the one person that is most likely to find you is the one that matters most. This is not a problem unique to this state, I promise.

Yeah it very possible to put it off in Alaska, i just have a question tho. In Alaska are you allowed to just go in the mountains and build a cabin without owning the land? Just wondering if the United States protects it more, because my Uncle lives in the Yukon and he knows 2 people that have gone to remote mountain ranges and built a cabin for the summer and he said the government doesent care as long as your not clear-cutting huge areas to grow crops.

Rachel you should give use more info about your states laws about building a cabin.

Rachel you've been a lot of help and I thank you for even taking the time to do as much as you have.

The laws state that you can camp for up to 2 weeks at any given time on public land. All you have to do to start over is move at least 2 miles away every 14 days.

However, you could go years without being found and I would think it safe to say that the 2 weeks doesn't actually start until you are given a notice by authorities.

Permanent structures are not allowed, except for docks/boat houses, et cetera and only then if they will not be resided in.

The ultimate squatting involves private land, check out this wikipedia entry on adverse possesion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverse_possession

On the other hand, I'm not sure that applies here. Read this answer to a similar question from someone else who lives here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080222115529AAuiMlc


Like Taylor, I know several people who have/still do squat on homesteads, and have for years, but it's against the law. Of course you could break them, but it's always a risk and that's just something you have to accept.

Here's an interesting thesis from a University of Fairbanks student about squatting: http://www.uaf.edu/faculty/ftgtk/thesis/home.html

Just Google Alaska Squatting. All kinds of information.

You seem to have alot of helpful knowledge, thanks for sharing it.

Do you guys have a show on discovery channel called survivorman in the states, because if not you guys are really missing out, this guy goes out to every type of wilderness and survive's there for 7 days, along the way he shows you tons of survival techniques, and from every episode you learn about a different geographic location, and 2 good survival skills that you most likely will end up using.
He does an episode in Alaska in his second season, you have to watch it. Its amazing.

Taylor wrote:Do you guys have a show on discovery channel called survivorman in the states, because if not you guys are really missing out, this guy goes out to every type of wilderness and survive's there for 7 days, along the way he shows you tons of survival techniques, and from every episode you learn about a different geographic location, and 2 good survival skills that you most likely will end up using.
He does an episode in Alaska in his second season, you have to watch it. Its amazing.

Yeah, one of the episodes he did in AK was filmed here where I live! I was waiting tables at the time and boy, that guy was a pain in the ass, but I love his show.

Actually, they film a lot of reality TV in Girdwood. It's kind of weird. Andrew Zimmerman did some work here, and the Myth Busters, and The Amazing Race and Survivorman and the Toughest Jobs in America, just to name a few. It's really strange and kind of annoying.