That and my wife are strongest deterrents. I do have a Satellite phone for emergencies from either end. 6 people in the world have the number.

I’m ready to leave the city but not society as a whole. I have to many friends to go completely dark.

Not saying you are wrong but that would require more introspection then a i suspect i am capable of.

Im 30 miles to town, three gates off the road. Closest full time neighbor is over a mile. 400 SF home with power.....heater, water heater and indoor terlit. While not 82, I have lived with the outhouse, woodstove, and baths in a #2 washtub. I'll keep the solitude and the amenities and still be away from the silliness of townfolk as Creek described.

I realized many years ago........I wasn't made for town.


And.........enjoy your time with your spouse. Tomorrow will be one year since mine went Heavenward.

Hirogen, some days, I'm with you. Our place isn't completely off grid, but it's a lot closer than where I live currently. If I could talk my wife into it, our house would be up for sale tomorrow.

Condolences. I myself have never lived in town except for 6 years while i did my undergrad and masters (long time ago). Our place now (not the 2 off-grid properties) is on 70 acres about 7 or 8 minutes from town. It is however inside the commuter range of the Greater Toronto Area and over the last 40 or 50 years has changed so much as to be not recognizable. Not the place i grew up in where i knew every farmer and family for 10 miles in any direction and where as a child i would pedal around on my bicycle to fish in their ponds. Now it's mostly former urban citiots who have no concept of rural family values.

Where my 2 off-grid places are though i still know everyone within a 15 mile radius of my place and i don't even live there. My closest neighbor at my lake place is more of a friend and someone i will spend a Friday night with more than anyone around my permanent residence. We help each other out more than anyone does at my year round. Two months ago he knocked on my door in the middle of the night because the mooring line on his boat snapped in a storm - so we went out in the dark, in a storm and recovered his boat. That's the kind of culture i want.

My home town… town is what it was is all grown up. I’d love to live in the sticks but I still need a paycheck and the wife wouldn’t go.

Introspection not needed when you can use THF as a safe place. Lots of wisdom here from many who know so much. I know you have to “pick and choose “ your sources but and in the end, I ain’t real worried about you. Envious at times, just not worried.

Always remember, onward and ever forward.

In the early 70's mom and dad bought some wooded property and built an off grid weekend cabin. I know all about the "outhouse, woodstove, and baths in a #2 washtub." My kids also have those experiences at the cabin we built. I enjoy today's modern convinces but have the experience to fall back should the need arise. Currently I am developing my farm property to be grid free in an emergency.

You should be glad you have options. Many people do not. I suspect though that life style becomes a little more challenging as you get older. Not undo-able but more difficult.

I would think digging through permafrost for a drop toilet pit is a young man's job. 'Makes my back hurt just thinking about it.