No one would confuse me with Jeremiah Johnson, if for no other reason that I bear no resemblance to Robert Redford. But on a more practical level, I don't have much experience living in the outdoors. That doesn't mean the lifestyle doesn't appeal to me.
When I was growing up, I didn't camp much. I went on a couple of Scouts' outings, went with Himself one dreary weekend and with the family another week, but that's about the sum and substance of my outdoor living. I've never hunted, and my fishing experience was limited to standing on some wharf somewhere and getting one small fish that I had to put back. Last year, Karen and I went deep-sea fishing and we caught some mongos -- vermillion snapper -- but that was on what they call a party boat. Think of it as bingo fishing.
Karen and I have been hooked on cable shows about Alaska. Buying Alaska, Yukon Men, Alaska: The Last Frontier and a couple of others have us watching. It's a dirty, grimy existence, full of danger not only from the animals but from the elements. There's another show called Mountain Men that shows men in Alaska, Maine, Montana and North Carolina, which is nice because there's some variety, albeit with somewhat less danger.
While we were watching the show the other night, Karen noticed my interest in how these people live. She asked me if I'd like to live like that. Choosing my words very carefully -- because Karen, having lived with a lawyer now for three years, might as well be an attorney -- I said (and I repeat now) WERE THERE NO YOU, yes, I would have liked to try that. To rephrase my statement to make it clear, in my youth, long before I ever knew Karen existed, I might have been interested in trying to live in the wild. But not now.
The solitude wouldn't have bothered me. I lived for years by myself, so that part wouldn't bother me as it would others. The cold wouldn't bother me as much as if I were in a hot area. Then again, I don't know what it would be like to live in climes where the temperature reaches fifty degrees below zero. But I wouldn't balk at that.
Living around wild animals would take some getting used to. By that I mean I'd have to learn what to look for, what to avoid, how to be safe in doing what I needed to do. I think an apprenticeship would be very helpful in this regard. Learning the tendencies of the animals, what not to do and what I can do safely, would be of enormous value. Knowing how to hunt and fish would certainly be necessary. Would I be repulsed by killing my meals? I doubt it. I'm not squeamish about that. But learning how to hunt, how to track and trap, would carry with it a huge learning curve.
My natural curiosity would make moving to the wilderness infinitely easier than moving to another locale would be. I've lived in a huge city, and I'm not interested in a return engagement. Suburbia bores me to tears. Living in a rural area is great, but it can't compare to living in the wild as in Alaska.
Sure, part of it is overly romantic. There have to be hard times that I don't get to see or read about. I've read a few books on living in Alaska, and while they can't possibly give me a complete idea of what it's like, they have to omit some of the worst aspects about living in the wild.
Lack of modern conveniences would be an issue, but not nearly as much as one might think. I continue to have some troglodytic tendencies that drive Karen crazy -- ask her what I will and won't eat some time -- so roughing it wouldn't be much of an issue for me. About the only convenience I would really want would be books. I could go without television. Radio would be fine in whatever form I had it, because I'd have to have some form of communication with the outer world.
Would I have survived in the wild? Who knows? I might have mistakenly eaten poisoned berried and died like that poor kid did. Given my less-than-stellar knowledge of botany, such a scenario isn't without reason.
But I would have liked to try. Now, if I could try it for a couple of months, that would be the best I could do. Physically, I don't know how my body would hold up over the rigors of such a hard life. What with my medical history, I'd be a little concerned.
But I still would have liked to try.
(c) 2013 The Truxton Spangler Chronicles
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