For All of You That Think You Will Head for the Mountains when the SHTF...

[Moped]

The History Channel's Alone Season 2 starts Thursday night at 9PM!  I watched Season 1 this weekend.  It was a great show!  If you haven't seen Season 1 and you have the chance, go watch it!!!

 

Now meet the Survivors!!!

 

http://www.history.com/shows/alone/cast?mkwid=mQo4jPfb|dc_pcrid_9959052000_pkw_%2Balone%20%2Bseason%20%2B2_pmt_p&keyword=%2Balone%20%2Bseason%20%2B2&pcrid=&mt=

Edited April 20, 2016 by Moped

[SupaRice]

Meh... more people for me to take what I need from around here.

Plus, my bed is pretty comfortable.


*jokes* =p Edited April 19, 2016 by SupaRice

[gregintenn]

I'm already where I plan to be when the chit hits the fan.....unless, of course, my wife happens to be "the fan". :eek:

Edited April 19, 2016 by gregintenn

[Monkeybat]

I love this show. I watch it to escape the burbs. Port Protection is also really good.


Sent from the Fortress of Solitude.

[monkeylizard]

Last season was interesting. I'll tune in for this one too.

[Moped]

It started last Thursday.  Comes on at 9pm on the History Channel.

[enfield]

The mountains are already occupied. Try west Texas.

[Dolomite_supafly]

The mountains are already occupied. Try west Texas.

+1

[frankmako]

I lived in west Texas in the 70/80. Hard place to live when things go bad. No water and there will be many Mexicans looking for things to get on our side of the boarder. Nothing but hot in summer, cold in winter and lots of sand.

[bersaguy]

I have a buddy that lives with his entire extended family on a mountain in North Carolina and the family owns the entire mountain and he said if I can make it there for me to come on. Every road on the moutain is named after a family member.  When it looks like it is close to happening I will relocate to NC. All my family have the location and they are all welcome also. These plans were made several years ago and my friend and I speak often about it.................. :up:

[enfield]

I lived in west Texas in the 70/80. Hard place to live when things go bad. No water and there will be many Mexicans looking for things to get on our side of the boarder. Nothing but hot in summer, cold in winter and lots of sand.

 

That's why it's available.  Van Horn TX is a garden spot, sorta.

[Tedro2022]

On April 27, 2016 at 7:11 AM, frankmako said:

I lived in west Texas in the 70/80. Hard place to live when things go bad. No water and there will be many Mexicans looking for things to get on our side of the boarder. Nothing but hot in summer, cold in winter and lots of sand.

My sister and her family live in southeast New Mexico on 40 acres. If it weren't for the river cutting through their land it would be almost inhospitable. She and I have had the same talk though, she wants me to head that way if it ever happens. I'm more inclined to find a way to stick it out here in TN until it's just not possible. At that point all bets are off. 

[ReeferMac]

Hell, I moved down here to GTFOOD! I'm w/ you guys, I'm sticking it out here.

Just purchased 17 acre's at the end of a windy country road ... just hope I can get it improved and the house built before the schumer really hits the oscillator!

 

- K

[Billrube]

Yep...travelers in the road in a SHTF situation will face much more peril than those in a static position. 

i figure that when a real event occurs we will have a slight "grace period" between the time the event starts and the general population figures out that the government is not coming to the rescue. 

Maybe 3 days in a densely populated area and maybe 7-10 days in rural areas before the people start looking to loot and pillage. 

I live in the sticks and I'd rather take my chances at home. 

[bersaguy]

18 hours ago, Billrube said:

Yep...travelers in the road in a SHTF situation will face much more peril than those in a static position. 

i figure that when a real event occurs we will have a slight "grace period" between the time the event starts and the general population figures out that the government is not coming to the rescue. 

Maybe 3 days in a densely populated area and maybe 7-10 days in rural areas before the people start looking to loot and pillage. 

I live in the sticks and I'd rather take my chances at home. 

If I lived in the country I might try and stick it out but I don't so if there is any notice what so ever I will be a NC resident in 24 hours.

[SWCUMBERLAND]

On 5/27/2017 at 6:59 PM, Billrube said:

Yep...travelers in the road in a SHTF situation will face much more peril than those in a static position. 

i figure that when a real event occurs we will have a slight "grace period" between the time the event starts and the general population figures out that the government is not coming to the rescue. 

Maybe 3 days in a densely populated area and maybe 7-10 days in rural areas before the people start looking to loot and pillage. 

I live in the sticks and I'd rather take my chances at home. 

Depends greatly on the nature of the S.

A nuclear war.... no worries, none will be left alive aboveground.

Pandemic... see nuclear war.

Money crash... Power will still be on, sort of, intermittently here and there, and there might be another day, as the smartphone generation's batteries die out and their cell towers go offline

Grid failure? Maybe you get your three days in denser populations.  What are left after 7-10 days MIGHT come boiling out of their warrens and out into the rural areas. Not a good thing for them, though, as rural folks know quite well how to make do with home made bread, home brewed whisky, and home-honed gun skills.

To this day, I do not know how the Grosvenors allowed the National Geographic Society to make such a halfwitted piece of tripe under the NatGeo logo as "American Blackout"

If anyone has 88 minutes of their time to waste, the link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNx8UHteFUU

I scratched my curiosity...Almighty DAY-um, what a load. Puff pieces like this are what happens when guano and saccharine intersect.

Edited January 3, 2018 by SWCUMBERLAND

[DWARREN123]

I will just dig a hole, get in it and then pull it in with me!

I'm funny that way.

[Ronald_55]

There are few places with enough acreage and far enough from a major population center to keep everyone at bay. The few possible exceptions  in the surrounding area would be something like the Smokeys or the National Forests. 5, 10, or 20 acres is not enough to isolate you. The problem there is that even if you get there first, you start from zero. Hauling enough supplies and materials there to get a decent start would be a miracle in itself. Then you are not very secure in a tent or RV while trying to build a fortification. You would need one or you might just have everything taken in an instant. Anyone that is a decent shot that can get within rifle range can drop you. Then just wait out anyone else there with you. 

Unfortunately, a fair amount of those that survive the chaos in the urban areas will not necessarily folks that have the best intentions. That makes them dangerous to begin with. Add in stress, sleep deprivation, and hunger next. That is a volatile mixture that even the most rural of us might have issues handling. 

Even if we could predict when and what type of $hitstorm would hit, few of us actually have the means to gather the supplies, a secure facility, and enough land to hold out in a long social collapse event like the grid being totally down indefinately. 

While that might be worst case but still survivable event , luckily the odds of a total worldwide grid crash are slim. I agree that nuclear war and a pandemic offer a very bleak chance. There are many more local or regional events that could easily happen. These are the ones we can plan and provision for. Food, water, guns, ammo, tools, and building supplies are good to stock. This way if your location is not compromised, you can hunker down and fortify somewhat if necessary. You know the lay of the land, who should be around and who should not be, and have more supplies than you could carry (hopefully) if you decided to run for the hills.

Personally, if I had to pick an apocalypse, it would be something that drops the population by a huge percentage very quickly without destroying the infrastructure and supplies. This would give the survivors a fighting chance to make it in the long term. A slow withering of the population over weeks or months would destroy much of the supply store amid the ensuing chaos.

My thoughts on the subject....

[Dolomite_supafly]

Unless you grew up in the "country" you should really stay where you are.

there are plenty of people who plan on bugging out and I wonder where. Most of them say they plan to head to the hills which is a huge problem because there are already people in those hills living there right now. And those people are going to defend their location or at least I know I will. And don't expect others to openly welcome a large group of people. I know I won't welcome anyone unless they bring a significant skill to the group and honestly I can't imagine what that skill might be that isn't already covered. There are less than 5 people that will be invited in and all others will be turned away with overwhelming amount of force.

I will say this to all of those planning on bugging out to the hills. I will defend what is mine, including land, from any squatters or looters. After all if you show up and try to take what isn't yours you are a thief. That includes wild game, plants or anything on my property even if I do not need it or not using it that stuff is still mine. I may have more than I need to survive but I will not share any of it with complete strangers. I have made preparations to ensure my survivability and I would be a fool to give any of it up to complete strangers.

It takes a lot of land to support a person year around. An acre or two isn't going to cut it. It will likely take 10's of acres per person. Anyone who has hunted, both for meat and vegetables, knows that it will take a lot of land to support a hunter/gatherer lifestyle.

And what makes the average person think they are going to make it out of a population center before the other 50% of the other people leaving the cities clog the roadways? What is going to happen is the highways are going to clog like Rita/ Katrina leaving them stranded and with the option of walking to the "hills" or walking back to the cities. And when you start walking you are going to be able to carry far less than what you left with or even left behind.

Bugging in has some real advantages and if I lived in a city I would, without a doubt, stay put. First is you already have everything you are going to have without the need to transport it to a new location. You can call for help from those around you while in a remote location you cannot call for help. Another big advantage is you know the area. You also know who friend and who foe is or at least have a good idea. Travelling exposes you to more dangers. It is also easier to defend a building or high rise than a tent in the woods. Those buildings are going to protect you from the elements and be easier to keep warm in and survive in for the average person especially those used to living in the city. Food, at least initially, will be easier to come by in the cities as well as potable water. There are literally a few weeks worth of potable water in your water heater and toilet bowls and that is if you don't ration. With rain gutters, collecting water is much easier too. And as disgusting as it might sound cities have tons of rodents or stray animals that can be harvested for food. If any type of relief or supplies is going to be handed out it is going to be in the population centers first, not in the middle of a forest. The average person is going to have a far easier time surviving in the city than in the "hills".

But if you must bug out and have any hope of bugging out you must be packed and ready to go in a moments notice. Vehicles have to ALWAYS have the gas needed to make it to the remote location. When the SHTF gas will be gone within minutes unless you are at the pumps pumping your gas as it takes place.

You need to also realize that there are going to be a lot more people than just you heading to a bug out location. This is going to clog the roadways like we saw during Rita/Katrina. The only way you might get a head start is if you are in a position to get some notice, like LE, emergency services or the government would get to prepare. Otherwise it is going to be a race to get out and if you are not in the lead you will find yourself stuck in the rear. And once you are stuck you and your stuff become vulnerable to roaming bands of thugs set on taking your stuff for themselves. And honestly it would be easy picking.

As far as your bug out location you need to own the property you plan to go to. This can give you a little bit of a delay in the squatters that will show up. And once there, the squatters are not going to readily leave even if you tell them you own the property. If your bug out location is "public lands" you are not going to be the first there, it will be like winning the lottery if you are. You are going to find yourself surrounded by thousands of others who have the same plan.

Most people don't realize that best case scenario crops will be edible in 4 months. If it happened today we are looking at 6-7 months before crops can begin to be harvested. So that means you are going to have to transport that much food because you are not going to be able to kill a years worth of food with everyone else trying to do the same thing.

And as much as I hate to say it in order to survive people must loose their conscience. They must be willing to turn those less fortunate away unless they bring a substantial advantage to the group.

People have this grand illusion that they are going to be able to find virgin land to live off of. Look around, how much public land do you see? And of that how much is going to be free for the taking, not much if any, by the time they make it?

[ReeferMac]

Yeah, what he said....

It's partly why I relocated to a farming community in Eastern TN.

It's partly why I practice and train w/ my rifle at 200 yds. Popping a target at 50 yds isn't a problem, for you or me, but I'm not going to let you get that close!

It's partly why I've cleared land and put in a fenced in garden area. Before building a house. Heck, I've got 3-4 weeks worth of taters in the ground waiting to be dug up right now!

It's partly why I've gardened for years and saved my own seeds and learned what I'm good at growing and what I'm not.

It's partly why I'm interested in pursuing animal husbandry (pigs, chickens, cows, etc.)

It's partly why I do a lot of the things I do. People that think they'll be able to flip a switch when the balloon goes up, and suddenly become self-sufficient, or see it coming from weeks away, will be the second stage of casualties. Their ignorance and ability to stick their head in the dirt and ignore the reality is a good indicator of their mental capacity to adapt to and understand their circumstances. I've lived through many blizzards and incapacitating snowstorms over my years in the great-white north. You just get an itch 'round about October, and go to the store and buy cases of bottled water, spaghetti'o's, ramen, and propane, and stick it in the corner of your basement. Until you do, you continue to itch. I didn't know when the NE Blackout was going to hit. I was at work and the lights went out and machine's stopped running. My wife was 70 miles away with our children. Thankfully she made it home. via side-roads, in 8-hours....

Some people are incapable of grasping reality, because it makes them uncomfortable. Look at all the snowflakes on Nov. 17th. I wish them luck.

[Ronald_55]

I read a book series a while back that was about a nationwide grid failure. One pair it followed was a Dad and 20ish Son. The Dad was all prepared, but got shot and killed by a random stranger trying to take over his house on the first day of the outage. Unfortunately, unforseen things can ruin all the best preparation. 

Looking into animals, I think chickens and goats provide the most options and best output per acre. Pigs come in a close second tier. Goats rank high for me due to size, milk production (cheese anyone?), and meat production. Cows are the first "livestock" lots of people think of, but it takes a lot of land and/or hay to keep them fed. Both my grandfathers had cows. You also have the issue of how to preserve a whole cow when you slaughter it if the power is off. Much easier to cure out a couple goats and leave the rest fresh on the hoof.

Has anyone grown Jerusalem Artichokes? My Father-in-law does. Basically you just leave them in the ground year round until needed. Might be a good "wild" crop to put out.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke

One thing that I lack locally is a group of trusted and close individuals with a similar mindset who could band together for shared workload and security. I think this would be a very important factor if you are looking at long term survival. Trying to piece a group together afterwards could be dicey. Right now most of my family just thinks I am paranoid. Well maybe I am. Lol

[RAEIndustries]

Im a flatlander where I am now and yes I think that up in the mountains can be harder to defend if needed unless you have some great lines of site like mentioned earlier, ad if anyone sees an are alike that it will look like a honeypot when the SHTF

[ReeferMac]

6 hours ago, Ronald_55 said:

Has anyone grown Jerusalem Artichokes? My Father-in-law does. Basically you just leave them in the ground year round until needed. Might be a good "wild" crop to put out.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke

As a matter of fact.....

If you attend our very own @Highwalker Wild Edible Plants class, he will show you some, and allow you to dig them up and transplant into your area. That's where I got mine, and dug some of them up about a month ago! There weren't many, they're small tubers, but I cleaned them up, mixed them in with the potatoe's I use to make my world famous potato leek soup, and they were pretty good! Reminded me of a cross between potatoe's and water-chestnuts? Slightly nuttier flavor. Might have been because they weren't cooked as long as the tater's, regardless... you don't get quite as much bang-for-your-buck as a plot of spuds, but they do make a nice flower, spread readily on their own, and could easily be planted guerilla-style, without most people even noticing I'd wager.

Again though, another one of those things you would have to do months or years in advance. I highly recommend Highwalker's class either way. Besides being a friendly host and good instructor, it's a nice walk in the woods in a gorgeous valley in Eastern TN.

[Ronald_55]

I would love to go to a class like this but Crossville is almost 3 hours for me. Any one know of anyone that does them closer to Johnson City?

@Highwalker do you run a website for your classes?

[ReeferMac]

Man, I do Knox to Johnson City for work all the time, it's nothing!

You could make a day of it. Leave early, hit Knife Works in Sevierville on the way back, pick up some Ammo and a new toy!

His class is very similar information you could find in a book on the topic, but there's something quite useful about seeing, finding, and touching the plants in their natural environment. I've gone twice, and would like to go again, as the plants change from season to season, and with most skills, fades quickly if not used. Betcha you could find another TGO'er to split the gas with. It's worth it IMO. Having been to the class, I'd drive 3 hours to take it.