Author Topic: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods  (Read 20100 times)

hoping2retire35

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Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« on: October 13, 2016, 06:31:56 AM »
Is this anyone else's plan? Anyone done this?

If I attain my FIRE amount of money (enough to live and help others) then I may not do this as extensively but If I can barely FI and just need to spend time doing something I'll do mostly this.

Large public forest I can almost walk to, two large public lakes with public woods esp in the coves and lower swamp areas, national forests nearby, also another national forest near my parents. I could definitely see myself doing this in the mornings, picking up kids after school and taking them out to keep going all afternoon. I may ride bikes, a horse, or even buy a used atv, but will mostly walk.

please share
« Last Edit: October 14, 2016, 07:08:51 AM by hoping2retire35 »

ender

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #1 on: October 13, 2016, 06:35:16 AM »
We would love to, though our biggest issue is social interaction.

Generally the places you can do this cheaply are fairly isolated from other people.

Jdslepp

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #2 on: October 13, 2016, 06:44:06 AM »
I live near national and state forests and love to hike there every weekend, but that won't depend on the size of my 'stashe.  I go for 4-6 hours at a time just for fun.  It sounds like a nice, healthy interest for you!

hoping2retire35

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #3 on: October 13, 2016, 07:14:00 AM »
We would love to, though our biggest issue is social interaction.

Generally the places you can do this cheaply are fairly isolated from other people.

Lol, I'll still get social interaction. I am not planning on moving. Actually Atlanta less than 2hrs away, so if I need to see something in a big city it is not too difficult. We actually haven't been back since getting stuck in traffic for 4 hours and missing our comedy show, almost 9 years ago.

Probably only go camping on weekends or when kids are out of school.

lizzzi

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #4 on: October 13, 2016, 08:14:24 AM »
I am across the road from the walking trails of a 4,400 acre Metropark. It is why I bought this little house I live in. I started walking there once a day, but now that I have a dog, I am in the park two or three times a day--easily walk two hours a day and more like two and a half to three hours. It is soul-satisfying--being out in all weathers at different times of day, seeing the changing seasons in the colors of the leaves, the different wild flowers--the sudden surprises as deer cross the trail in front of you--mostly does, sometimes fawns, the really occasional huge buck with antlers--a great blue heron zipping across the creek practically in front of your nose--a barred owl flying across the trail right in front of you in the evening, then landing on a nearby tree and staring at you for a while--geese, ducks, squirrels, chipmunks, toads, a garter snake, a gorgeous luna moth in the evening--this is all so priceless. I don't think I could ever live somewhere without nearby natural beauty that I could immerse myself in. So to answer your question, OP, yes--I want to mostly spend my time in the woods.

Jon_Snow

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #5 on: October 13, 2016, 11:11:58 AM »
Forests. I like them. :) I just returned to the city from my own bit of forested nirvana.

Anyone who happened to follow my FIRE-saga knows that one of my "places" is a on small island in the PNW. Heavily forested with cedars, Douglas firs, red-skinned arbutus (madrone)...interspersed with a few farm fields - but trees will always be the dominant feature here. And surrounded by a teeming-with-life sea. At certain times, in certain places, the mingling of scents of the trees and sea creates an intoxicating bouquet.

I am not what you would consider a "flakey" person...but when I wander in amongst the woods (which I do often) I feel SOMETHING that I cannot explain.

One of the reasons for my mad dash to FIRE was so that I could spend more time here. During my career regular visits helped me keep my sanity (barely)...now it serves to maintain my current post-FIRE happiness.

So, yes to the woods for me. :)

Northwestie

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #6 on: October 13, 2016, 12:54:14 PM »
A nice read on the subject:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140081135/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=7009408089&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_301yt12oac_e

I live near three national parks and a ton of USFS land - so even while working spend a lot of time here - not to mention my work.   But looking forward to exploring a bit more soon.

lthenderson

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #7 on: October 13, 2016, 01:36:26 PM »
I have 40 acres that borders over a million acres of national wilderness area. Wouldn't trade it for the world and I've been offered 50x what I paid for the land and a small cabin in recent years.

frompa

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #8 on: October 13, 2016, 01:49:30 PM »
The timing of your question encourages my response, because a few months into ER, I am finding that we are spending much time in the forests, some near home, some a couple of hours' drive away. Only a few hours ago, we returned from this week's three-day jaunt to a state forest a few hours away, where we hiked on Tuesday and biked nearly the entire day yesterday.   We were in swamp land, on the tops of mountains, and crossed many creeks. When we were done, we sat for a few hours in the late afternoon sun on a lake, where I knit, kept an eye out for the bald eagle I'd seen the day before, and watched the fishermen. Each walk, I saw a multitude of mushrooms sprouting, along with the teaberries in the underbrush. (Ha ha, even in the woods, I am food-oriented.)   Each night, we sat for hours in front of our fire, sometimes chatting, but mostly listening to the night sounds of the forest, enjoying the warmth of the fire as the coldness of the night crept up behind us. 
A few weeks ago, we did a similar car-camping/biking trip in the Finger Lakes area of NY, and next week we're heading out for 3-4 days of trail riding/camping with a group of friends, leaving from home.  Having the time and mobility to make these small trips has added tremendously to my appreciation of life.  There's something magical to me, too, in stretching into the time that used to be "work time" -- my sweetie and I were chuckling over how it seems last weekend was just here, and now it's nearly this weekend.  The middle of the week, which used to be so measured and demanding, now all but disappears as we are completely engaged in whatever adventures we find.  Even I am surprised at how easily we are taking to living so much in the outdoors.   I hope you get the chance to go for it!
   

cschx

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #9 on: October 13, 2016, 02:18:21 PM »
I am not what you would consider a "flakey" person...but when I wander in amongst the woods (which I do often) I feel SOMETHING that I cannot explain.

Nothing flakey about that. We've spent most of our evolutionary history in the forest, after all – of course it feels right.

Maybe there needs to be a "ER towns close to wilderness areas" thread. How about some actual place names?

MsRichLife

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #10 on: October 13, 2016, 06:51:49 PM »
Yes. This is part of the reason we've chosen our post-FIRE location (two weeks to go!). We are very close to Temperate rainforest national parks and lots of other 'bush' around. I will certainly making hiking a regular part of my routine and hope we get back into camping once we have more time.

Mr. Green

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #11 on: October 13, 2016, 07:49:24 PM »
Nothing stills my restless soul more than the stunning peace of serene scenery. Quite often that means the woods somewhere, though an incredible beach can be equally satisfying.

scrubbyfish

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #12 on: October 13, 2016, 10:27:46 PM »
I live in amongst many trees. So far, I refuse to leave :)

Metric Mouse

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #13 on: October 14, 2016, 01:48:43 AM »
I live in amongst many trees. So far, I refuse to leave :)

Quite wooden-headed of you to stick around.

scrubbyfish

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #14 on: October 14, 2016, 09:48:43 AM »
Quite wooden-headed of you to stick around.

:)

scrubbyfish

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #15 on: October 14, 2016, 09:51:10 AM »
I will add: It's important to me to live in the trees vs just visit them daily, because I know the bears and cougars are around me, I can hear the owls in the night, and the stars are dense and bright. These fill me up. Hanging in it during the day wouldn't cut it the way sleeping every night in it does. So restorative.

hoping2retire35

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #16 on: October 14, 2016, 10:38:42 AM »
For those looking to move...

probably need to come up with several criteria
1.actual size in pop.
2. what store amenities (# of grocery stores, any specific grocery store, size of library, available hardware stores, just to name a few that come to mind)
3. access to intestate, larger nearby city/airport, other small town with that 'one' store, internet speed
4. type of woods; skiing, hiking, mountain bike riding, horse back, hunting/no hunting, mountains/elevation/grade/brush thickness, lake/stream fishing, some things I am leaving out.

maybe some other key details, could start another thread similar to the AirMnM thread, with a little database. I pretty much have all the above except I have to drive 40 mins before I hit a switchback. its kinda weird, I live in a tiny town but the area (maybe 100 sq mi) has somewhere just under 100k people, lots of farms and forest in between several decent sized towns one of which is a college town, so doesn't really fit a mold. I can think of a lot of other places but then again would be better to put in a database than me just rambling. If someone likes a place in NE georgia, western NC or SC Ill be happy to give an opinion. Not sure if there are any Asheville mustachians, that region in general would probably fit a lot of people on here.

Funny how everyone gets poetic on this thread.

avrex

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #17 on: October 15, 2016, 10:11:08 PM »
Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods

Do I want to spend more time in the woods?







soccerluvof4

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #18 on: October 26, 2016, 06:27:47 AM »
When we downsized we moved to an area actually in a smaller town but an hour away from the closest city but still in our school system.  In town ( population 8k) I can walk to anything I need but more importantly I can walk out of town 10 minutes and disappear on trails man made and not man made that lead to all sort of lakes , hiking etc.. and I do this 3 hours every morning now. I dont think you need to go to far out of most cities to find what your looking for. Guess it depends more on if you would be happy with Mountains vs Hills and stuff like that. Where I am at I see all the wildlife you could ask for and some I really would rather not see on a walk. At least 30 lakes in the area and some really good hiking hills/woods but not "mountains" though I would love those!!

Linea_Norway

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #19 on: November 14, 2016, 01:31:43 AM »
I am fortunate to live close to a forest already and I tend to walk or ski there in the weekends. I certainly hope to do that more after FIRE. In our nearest town, there are organized trips in the forest for seniors and other trips for people with newborns who don't work for a period, so there is always a group to join for the social aspect. There is also an option of joining a club of people who maintain the marked trails in the forest. These are often pensioners.

But I think we should actively try to find other people who can join trips during day time.

gettingtoyes

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #20 on: November 15, 2016, 03:25:43 PM »
OP- I would check out the FrugalWoods blog- they're a couple in their early 30s who just retired and now live on 66 acres in Vermont, living the dream.

stoaX

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #21 on: November 15, 2016, 04:58:04 PM »
joining a club of people who maintain the marked trails in the forest.

I would like to spend much more time hiking once I get rid of my pesky job...and volunteering to maintain trails is a great way to do this.

Gone Fishing

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #22 on: November 15, 2016, 06:22:48 PM »
I'm spending 2-3 days a week fixing up a 640 acre summer camp that adjoins a 500,000 acre tract of national forest so children can enjoy the same experience I had as a child.  So, yes, I like the woods!  I particularly enjoy socializing in the woods.  Aside from some unneeded high end gear some choose to purchase, it seems to strip away a lot of the BS from our culture and has resulted in some of the best bonding experiences I have ever had.  I'll solo a bit, but sharing the experience is so much better.

Northwestie

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #23 on: November 16, 2016, 03:13:27 PM »
Since they PAY me to be in the woods I'm keeping the gig for a bit longer, but then, alas, I'll have to do it for free in the near future.

Larsg

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #24 on: November 25, 2016, 08:58:08 PM »
We bought a forest outside of Seattle for self sufficiency - 5 acres, our own firewood from naturally fallen trees in the forest, solar, water catchment, and so on...love it, never going back. Only about an hour outside of civilization if we need it. No HOA's, no silly rules, no one to bother us and the hood is still filled w/nice helpful people when you need it or when they need it. We wake up, see old growth Douglass Firs and Cedar all around, we don't see a single house in any direction - in a cove like setting - hear traffic on a distant street. Wildlife all around. We don't have to live with all the ridiculous LAWN noise that we grew to hate that seemed to be never ending, people and their machines cutting this or that non stop. We have a low maintenance yard we cut w/a battery operated lawn mower from green works a few times a summer but the grass is the type that can grow long, keeping the weeds out, remains lush and increases the frog population which is good for all. We love it and most likely not ever leave or sell. I reached FI at 49, not ER yet. Working on the remaining details and will post soon. Love the site and all the inspiration. Glad I found this community - just awesome.

MgoSam

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #25 on: November 26, 2016, 03:33:14 PM »
I don't know if I'll do it, but the PCT or the aT once I've FIRED, but we'll see. I love being in MN during the warm weather months, but wouldn't love to spend the winter months somewhere warm where I can spend plenty of time in the woods.

RedwoodDreams

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #26 on: November 29, 2016, 12:32:33 AM »
Absolutely.

We live adjacent to a redwood forest, and I walk there daily for at least an hour. It's tranquil and peaceful, and no matter how distracted or crabby or grumpy I am, particularly now with current events, as soon as I get into the forest all the BS lifts and I feel restored and balanced again. I feel like the richest person in the world having this forest outside my front door.

I can hear the owls out there hooting at each other up in the redwoods as I type this evening.

I've been wanting to read "The Secret Life of Trees." Has anyone read it?

EscapeVelocity2020

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #27 on: November 29, 2016, 12:51:43 AM »
I love the thought of permanent nature, but I also really like travel.  To be in the woods 'permanently', one either needs a solid home and willingness to somewhat constrict themselves to domestic travel, or a traveler spirit (and slightly larger budget) to go anywhere and continue to balance adapting to the land with reasonable comfort (or maybe survival, although I have yet to feel stressed in that dimension). 
« Last Edit: November 29, 2016, 07:14:37 AM by EscapeVelocity2020 »

Greenback Reproduction Specialist

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #28 on: December 01, 2016, 03:16:21 PM »
In reply to the thread title, YES!!! A lot of time in the woods : )

Gunny

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #29 on: December 04, 2016, 10:43:20 AM »
I love being outside; woods, trout stream, beach, mountains.  Pursuing my outdoor hobbies is the biggest reason I fired. 

Gunny

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #30 on: December 04, 2016, 10:50:52 AM »
I'm spending 2-3 days a week fixing up a 640 acre summer camp that adjoins a 500,000 acre tract of national forest so children can enjoy the same experience I had as a child.  So, yes, I like the woods!  I particularly enjoy socializing in the woods.  Aside from some unneeded high end gear some choose to purchase, it seems to strip away a lot of the BS from our culture and has resulted in some of the best bonding experiences I have ever had.  I'll solo a bit, but sharing the experience is so much better.

Fixing up a summer camp for kids sounds like an awesome way to spend your time and give back.  Good for you.  Let me know if you need some help. 

Greenback Reproduction Specialist

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #31 on: December 05, 2016, 03:25:03 PM »
I'm spending 2-3 days a week fixing up a 640 acre summer camp that adjoins a 500,000 acre tract of national forest so children can enjoy the same experience I had as a child.  So, yes, I like the woods!  I particularly enjoy socializing in the woods.  Aside from some unneeded high end gear some choose to purchase, it seems to strip away a lot of the BS from our culture and has resulted in some of the best bonding experiences I have ever had.  I'll solo a bit, but sharing the experience is so much better.

Fixing up a summer camp for kids sounds like an awesome way to spend your time and give back.  Good for you.  Let me know if you need some help.

+1 no kidding that would be fun

Jet9

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #32 on: February 16, 2017, 03:31:51 PM »
Me! I want to have some forested land and a small cabin, ideally near a National Park, somewhere in the Northwest, not too far from the coast, not too far from a major airport. It's the details that elude me so far: How much land? What do I need to know to but land? Where exactly in the Northwest? What kind of care will it need? I hope to begin learning more and begin narrowing the search this year. Ideally it would be nice to use the land as a vacation spot now and retirement home in 10-15 years. Following this thread to keep up with everyone else who has the same idea; there will surely be a lot to learn from this thread!

nara

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #33 on: February 17, 2017, 07:07:08 PM »
We made this happen pre-FIRE! We live in Colorado on 5 acres of ponderosa pines. It is so peaceful and beautiful. It really is our dream home. We have fruit trees and a garden, lots of space for our dogs to run, a barn with a couple pet goats, lots of wild life, star filled skies at night, and best of all NO NEIGHBORS! We live about 12 miles away from stores and work--but it really is like coming home to a private sanctuary. We really don't feel the need for vacations anymore like we used to when we lived in residential areas where we felt like we just needed to get away from people and noise! We're looking forward to spending lots of time enjoying our days here after FIRE!

Linea_Norway

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #34 on: February 18, 2017, 08:08:28 AM »
We made this happen pre-FIRE! We live in Colorado on 5 acres of ponderosa pines. It is so peaceful and beautiful. It really is our dream home. We have fruit trees and a garden, lots of space for our dogs to run, a barn with a couple pet goats, lots of wild life, star filled skies at night, and best of all NO NEIGHBORS! We live about 12 miles away from stores and work--but it really is like coming home to a private sanctuary. We really don't feel the need for vacations anymore like we used to when we lived in residential areas where we felt like we just needed to get away from people and noise! We're looking forward to spending lots of time enjoying our days here after FIRE!

Congrats, that sounds just great. O
Tip: buy a telescope to look at those stars and galaxies. Without disturbing neighbour lights astronomy is great.
« Last Edit: February 25, 2017, 09:13:33 AM by Linda_Norway »

Cezil

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #35 on: February 24, 2017, 10:43:21 AM »
I am not what you would consider a "flakey" person...but when I wander in amongst the woods (which I do often) I feel SOMETHING that I cannot explain.

YES.

Part of my FIRE plan is to find a place in the woods, with maybe some pockets of meadows, and some type of body of water, that I can just enjoy on nature's time.  Of course, I'll need to save up the money for this paradise along with the stash.. Don't know where it will be or anything (still at the getting-out-of-debt stage..) but I sometimes dream about it.  So I've seen it.  I just got to get there.  I love nature. so. much.

Nate R

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #36 on: February 24, 2017, 11:32:02 AM »
Mostly? Not sure, maybe. More than I do now? Definitely.

Not sure what our Post-FIRE plan would be yet.
We have purchased 4 acres of land w/ 60 year old Red Pine trees on it, and not much else. Less than 3 hours from our home. We've put in a camping trailer and outhouse/privy, but plan to build a small off-grid cabin in the next few years.

Our primary residence is a duplex, and, in the future with inflation, rent from the lower should cover carrying costs of the house itself, or make us money if we pay the house off. I could see splitting time between our duplex unit and a cabin, and maybe a 3rd location/travel location as well. The possibility of full-time in said cabin has been discussed a bit, but I'm not sure if that's realistic or not.

If I had both today and was retired, I could see AirBnB renting the cabin and/or the duplex unit enough to cover their own costs so each was essentially free.

So, yes, MORE time in the woods for sure. Hiking, foraging, firewood, hunting, fishing, snowshoeing, x-country skiing, biking, all things I could see doing a lot more of!


MoonLiteNite

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #37 on: February 25, 2017, 03:02:33 AM »
My first week into FIRE i plan on doing thru-hike for PCT, followed by AT and CDT every year.
I think that will be some good time in the woods :D

Accidental Fire

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #38 on: February 25, 2017, 06:35:58 AM »
I plan to partially FIRE in the next 3 months by negotiating a new part-time position at my job. Two days a week max is my limit, and if they don't accommodate I'll just fully FIRE, I have FU money.  After that, I'm kinda like spartana, I plan to spend my days climbing, cycling, hiking, standup paddleboarding, running, mountaineering, pack-rafting, backpacking, snowboarding, etc etc. I love most every outdoor sport and am decently mediocre at most of them :)  I get my energy, inspiration, and motivation from nature and I can't wait to more fully immerse myself in her beauty!

Retire-Canada

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #39 on: February 25, 2017, 07:45:57 PM »
Is this anyone else's plan? Anyone done this?

If I attain my FIRE amount of money (enough to live and help others) then I may not do this as extensively but If I can barely FI and just need to spend time doing something I'll do mostly this.

Large public forest I can almost walk to, two large public lakes with public woods esp in the coves and lower swamp areas, national forests nearby, also another national forest near my parents. I could definitely see myself doing this in the mornings, picking up kids after school and taking them out to keep going all afternoon. I may ride bikes, a horse, or even buy a used atv, but will mostly walk.

please share

My FIRE plans involve:

- camping
- fishing
- riding mountain bikes
- kiteboarding
- surfing

Those are all outside activities. If I need to cut back on $$ I'll do more stuff closer to home and if I have lots of money I'll travel further afield.

steveo

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #40 on: February 26, 2017, 12:05:49 AM »
Is this anyone else's plan? Anyone done this?

If I attain my FIRE amount of money (enough to live and help others) then I may not do this as extensively but If I can barely FI and just need to spend time doing something I'll do mostly this.

Large public forest I can almost walk to, two large public lakes with public woods esp in the coves and lower swamp areas, national forests nearby, also another national forest near my parents. I could definitely see myself doing this in the mornings, picking up kids after school and taking them out to keep going all afternoon. I may ride bikes, a horse, or even buy a used atv, but will mostly walk.

please share

My FIRE plans involve:

- camping
- fishing
- riding mountain bikes
- kiteboarding
- surfing

Those are all outside activities. If I need to cut back on $$ I'll do more stuff closer to home and if I have lots of money I'll travel further afield.

This sounds great. I will be pretty similar to this.

Retire-Canada

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #41 on: February 26, 2017, 05:04:17 AM »
This sounds great. I will be pretty similar to this.

If you ever come to Vancouver Island there are a few MMMers here who can show you around. :)

Linea_Norway

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #42 on: February 26, 2017, 07:31:14 AM »
My FIRE plans involve:
Camping in the woods or in the mountains.
Hiking in the woods or in the mountains.
Fishing (with a rod) in the sea or in mountain rivers or lakes.
Picking edible mushrooms.
Cycling around Europe or in Norway on gravel roads (I am not a technically skilled mountain biker).
Cross country skiing, if that still exists with the coming climate changes.
Paddeling on lakes and quiet rivers.
« Last Edit: February 26, 2017, 10:55:04 AM by Linda_Norway »

tomita

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #43 on: February 26, 2017, 08:18:26 AM »
We would love to spend our time in forests but I 'm afraid we are not badass enough to do that
We are in Canada and we got couple acres of forest out east , this is far away from us. Anyway first time we saw the forest, it looks like primeval forest, is awesome & intimidating
We are not sure if we can build a off the grid cabin there,
what with all the regs in Canada.
We will need to plan our second approach better.


Fishindude

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #44 on: February 28, 2017, 08:06:47 AM »
We live on a 160 acre farm in the rural midwest that has gradually all been converted into wildlife habitat.
I really enjoy the work associated with working on and maintaining the property, and have projects to do every day if I choose.
My hobbies are hunting & fishing, so they go hand in hand with this.  When I'm not at home doing something on the farm, I'm usually off somewhere on a hunting or fishing adventure.

Cezil

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #45 on: February 28, 2017, 09:13:18 AM »
We live on a 160 acre farm in the rural midwest that has gradually all been converted into wildlife habitat.
I really enjoy the work associated with working on and maintaining the property, and have projects to do every day if I choose.
My hobbies are hunting & fishing, so they go hand in hand with this.  When I'm not at home doing something on the farm, I'm usually off somewhere on a hunting or fishing adventure.

This sounds absolutely wonderful, almost hits the nail on the head (no hunting for me :) )  I think once I'm in a similar situation, I'd really enjoy taking a forestry class, or something that will make me more knowledgeable about the land and caring for it, making it a good home for us and the wildlife.  I guess I just want to live as harmoniously as I can with nature.  Maybe turn into a nature spirit when I die, I don't know..  :D

jim555

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #46 on: February 28, 2017, 09:41:06 AM »
FIRE paradise:

Jet9

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #47 on: February 28, 2017, 04:23:08 PM »
Cezilous, is there such a class? I keep telling my husband the land takes care of itself for the most part, but maybe I'm a bit too optimistic on that front?

Gone Fishing

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #48 on: March 01, 2017, 07:39:34 AM »
Cezilous, is there such a class? I keep telling my husband the land takes care of itself for the most part, but maybe I'm a bit too optimistic on that front?

Depends on you definition of "care"!  Your location will determine the final appearance, but all land will eventually reach a stability point in one form or another with no human input.  If you are starting with a mature ecology, it should pretty much remain the same, perhaps with some ocasional disturbance from heavy storms, fire, etc.  If you are starting with previously cleared, or otherwise disturbed, land it will need to go through full succession before you reach stability.  In our neck of the woods, that usually means impenetrable growth of non-diverse, less productive species, that take decades to thin out enough to even walk through. 

I'd consider my land pretty heavily managed.  I use livestock to clear underbrush and maintain fields.  After the fences are built, they don't require too much of my time to maintain, but do require some attention every day or two to check water, health, etc.  We cut dead trees for firewood (probably my most productive activity $ wise but hard dangerous work), build brush piles for wildlife, and are slowly adding more productive species, such as nut and fruit trees (long term investments!). 

Now if I had wanted, I could have let it all go wild, maybe just maintaining some walking trails, hunting a bit of game, and ocasionally picking up some deadfall wood for a campfire.  That would have been cool, too!
« Last Edit: March 01, 2017, 07:41:41 AM by Gone Fishing »

Rural

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Re: Will anyone else want to mostly spend their time in the woods
« Reply #49 on: March 01, 2017, 01:53:59 PM »
 Aside from maintaining the very steep dirt road in, ours is entirely unmanaged. We have 25 acres that were pretty well climax forest stage when we bought them, and we put the whole thing under a conservation easement.  Forestry advises us on the occasional controlled burn.


 So yeah, I spend almost all of my time in the woods, and I'm not even retired yet. Of course, I spend a great deal of it in the house looking out at the words through my big wall of windows…

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!