Saturday, July 05, 2014

Homesteading

I just read a book review about a family homesteading in the Adirondack Mountains. There's a short growing season, a fair amount of rainfall, and it's helpful if you know how to forage. Know your mushrooms.

You need to accept the cold, be able to fix anything even when you don't have the necessary tools, and be totally self-sufficient. Qualities that many of us lack.

Years ago I camped with a friend in the Adirondack's-- mid-November and the one room cabin had no indoor plumbing. A can would do at night.

We cooked our meals on a camping stove and ate with our gloves on. I wore multiple layers to bed.

During the day we hiked. I still recall the magnificent scenery, the stillness, and the oneness I felt with my surroundings.

Homesteading is alive. In September Paul Smith College sponsored an Adirondack Rural Skills & Homesteading Festival.

It's not for me, but I'm glad that there are people who want to learn traditional Longbow Construction, smoke local meats, and know wild edibles.

But I do want to read the book-- experience a vicarious adventure.

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