Ah, the Forest… a place for healing and rejuvenation; For-Rest.
My favorite place to be is in the Appalachian Mountains, one of the oldest mountain ranges on Earth. Plants and fungi abound; waves of birdsong and the grand insect orchestra are in full effect amidst this majestic paradise which overflows with pristine spring water.
It’s obvious if you’ve spent any time in Appalachia just how powerful the energies are; and if you’ve never been, you’ve got quite a pleasant surprise in store.
You might say, “I can’t afford it!” So I’ve written for you my best tips on how to be out in the wild without breaking the bank.
Luckily, you don’t have to be near the Appalachian Mountains to benefit from nature immersion; I’m sure there is a park or patch of trees close enough that you could go connect with.
Even one day or night can work wonders on rejuvenating your body; so if you’re in a funk, please give nature a try. 🙂
Foraging for Fun and Nutrition:
I’m not an expert forager yet I know many wild edible plants and mushrooms and can point you towards the best books and teachers who expedited my foray into wild foods.
Samuel Thayer is one of the leading authors in the world of Wild Food Foraging. I found his book, “The Forager’s Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants” to be the most helpful introduction into this field. He really breaks down the game of foraging and explains why wild foods are nutritionally superior and more supportive of a healthy body. Samuel removes a lot of the mystery and confusion which often stop people from exploring novel food sources.
EatTheWeeds.com is a great free online resource.
Wild Man Steve Grill’s TV Show is a great watch to get in the mood to be out in the wild and can be invaluable training in the event of a survival situation.
Not sure where to go to adventure? Are you an EMF refugee fleeing into the woods? Then FreeCampsites.org might illumine your path.
It’s crucial to read the comments sections as some places are a bit shady while others are highly regarded. Some are just truck stops or Walmart parking lots which can be good to know about in case you’re ever in a bind with nowhere to stay.
Paid Campsites:
My gripe with most campgrounds is the people. Just kidding, but really, people like to idle cars and run generators and while I totally understand this behavior and once took part in it, at this point I can no longer stand it. When I started living on the road I felt safer at campgrounds with people around; now I feel the opposite but am grateful for the established pay sites which smoothed my transition into camping solo in the forest.
Camping Gear:
If you’re in a hurry, Walmart’s camping section has everything you need, though you can save big at and help upcycle stuff if you hunt around at thrift stores, yard sales or online.
Time can be tight for such frugal shopping yet I’m on a tight gear budget so I rely on eBay to find smoking hot deals on my favorite wears.
Once upon a time when I was flush with cash I was able to stock up a backpack and wardrobe full of amazing outdoor gear from the fabulous REI.
Now that I’m poor, whenever my wears start to wear out (which takes years) I’ll search for the exact model and size on eBay and often find a brand-new item (perhaps an older model) at 25% the original cost!
I’m like Superman, I wear the same outfit every day so this works great for me.
You can use an eBay sniper tool like Gixen to bid the highest amount you’d be willing to spend and Gixen will submit your bid seconds before the auction ends giving you the best chance at winning the item at the lowest price. It’ll simply keep making the next highest bid up to your budget.
I don’t consider it cheating because everyone has access to the same free tool.
Since I spend the majority of my life outdoors I have fairly high quality gear. I’d rather insulate my own body and enjoy being close to the wild elements than spend money heating or cooling an enclosed insulated space (which I also enjoy at times).
Though my winter suit costs $1,500 I can chill comfortably in near freezing temps and cozily perform physical tasks into the 20s.
An exceedingly wise friend of mine recommends campsaver.com and I definitely trust his counsel.
Safe Zones:
Now for a limited time we can still experience life without the bombardment of EMFs in places like the National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ) around Green Bank, West Virginia.
Unfortunately, when I was considering moving there I discovered that there are cafés in town with free wi-fi; it’s kind of a cruel joke for the severely electrosensitive people that gave up everything (friends, family, career) and spent all their money to a quiet zone for a chance to feel better.
There’s also a ski resort about 10 aerial miles away with antennas throughout, so people can stay connected on the mountain.
According to the article I read the antennas operate at the lowest possible power but it’s still a slap in the face to what Green Bank is supposed to be and represent.
The Radio Safe Zone is fairly large so there are many places that one can go to be deep inside the forest away from EMFs. I think it’s crucial for people to experience a sense of what life felt like on Earth before the proliferation of modern communication technology.
I’ve found that a drastic reduction in the sheer number of antennas has helped me tremendously. Though I live in the NRQZ in Fisher, WV, there are two cell towers in the nearest town a few miles away; luckily the signal is very weak here and I’m surrounded by trees whose bodies and shapes do much to cleanse the tower’s toxicity.
Wilderness Therapy:
Did you know that there is now such a disease as “Nature Deficit Disorder”? Yup, we’ve become so disconnected from our environments that it is now a certifiably diagnosable dis-ease.
Connect with a Wilderness Therapist near you to take you out into a beautiful, majestic forest and commune with nature as we did for time immemorial. Spend some quality one on ONE time with the trees that create the Oxygen you breathe and nourish them in return with your sweet carbon dioxide that they oh so love.
You’ll find plants that create the food you eat and feel a magical invisible matrix of mushroom mycelium beneath your feet and in the soil and trees orchestrating the whole magical play.
Mycelium are the great decomposers of nature as well as the great REcomposers; they are highly intelligent and sensitive and funnel nutrients to plants where and when they need them.
FUNgi Fact: 90% of all plants depend on Fungi (Mycelium) for nourishment and attunement to their environment. The power of the forest to heal is the envy of most doctors; well, it would be, if they only knew.
“With our love (with our love) we could save the world, if they only knew…” – The Beatles