StoryList
First Berry Experience Some of the best moments in the forest happen when you’re lucky enough to watch the youngest wild neighbors experience the world for the very first time One summer a mother chipmunk made her nest deep inside my wood pile. I discovered it while gathering firewood and decided to leave that section of the pile alone for the season. A few weeks later, the little ones started appearing. At first they barely ventured out. Tiny striped faces […]
Psycho the Rope-Obsessed Squirrel Some of the wildest friendships in the forest come from the most unexpected characters. For one unforgettable season on the Mogollon Rim, that character was Psycho — a hyperactive Albert squirrel who turned my camp into his personal rope demolition derby. I’ve shared camp with hundreds of squirrels over my ten years living off-grid, but Psycho was unlike any other. This little maniac had one all-consuming obsession: cordage. Any kind of rope, line, or string. And […]
Pretty Bird’s Peace Treaty When COVID hit, I suddenly found myself with more time than money worries. Like a lot of people, I was collecting government assistance, and instead of spending much of it on myself, I ended up spoiling the wildlife around camp. Every week I’d buy a ten-pound bag of peanuts. Before long, my feeding schedule became part of the forest routine. Three times a day the animals would show up expecting their treats. If I was late, […]
The Day Foxi Stole My Money Living off-grid teaches you to solve problems differently than most people. When your home is parked in the middle of the forest and anyone can walk by while you’re away, you start thinking creatively about security. A few years ago I decided the safest place for my emergency cash wasn’t in my trailer at all. It was underground. Throughout the summer I buried three sealed pods in different locations around camp. One held $2,000. […]
Some friendships begin in ways that make perfect sense. Others begin with a story so ridiculous that nobody would believe it if it weren’t true. Mine started with a hotdog. Years ago, while living off-grid in the forests near Arizona’s Mogollon Rim, I became curious about what was visiting camp when I wasn’t paying attention. Wildlife was constantly moving through the area, and I wanted to know exactly who was showing up and what they were interested in. Like many […]