Off The Grid - Warren Miller, Survivorman and me?

How many times have you really been off the grid? I mean miles from home and safety in the wilderness- really off the grid. With the recent popularity of adventure TV shows, such as Warren Miller’s ‘Off the Grid’ being out there in far off places has gained a lot of popularity. The phrase ‘off the grid’ has come to mean many things.

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Jane and I really enjoy watching and learning from Survivorman, Les Stroud on the OLN network. Stroud, who lives only a short drive away from us, is now off the grid. Basically, Survivorman is plunked down in the wilderness without any support and very few supplies. He has a week to make it back to civilization, or in most cases just survive. Thus the title, Survivorman. He is really out there sometimes, and always off the grid. There is a lot of passion in the show and Jane and I learn something about the wilderness and survival every time we watch.

Recently, Les Stroud and his family made the move to off grid living. They installed solar panels and a wind generator, rebuilt an old house and moved off the grid. In true Survivorman fashion, Les filmed the whole process from start to finish.

As a side note, Jane and I will be interviewing Les Stroud and his family some time in the weeks to come, about their adventure in living off the grid. The survivorman has also agreed to make available to our readers his film on DVD, ‘Les Stroud- Off The Grid’. We look forward to the day, you will enjoy this firsthand look at the same struggles that Jane and I faced many years ago, this time on film.

What Does ‘Off The Grid’ mean to you?

When I think of the word grid, I immediately think of a map. So, is it ‘off the map?’ Well, almost. A bit out there, crazy?, not quite like everyone else. Thoreau would have said, “we march to the beat of a different drummer.”

Henry David Thoreau was perhaps the first to publish a book about being ‘off the grid’. Well, the first we read anyways, there are certainly others. Of course, Thoreau and his long time friend, Emerson could not have flicked on a light switch even if they wanted to. It did not exist. But, they did march to the beat of a different drummer indeed.

Ralph Waldo Emerson is actually my uncle, admittedly a long way back. I guess I come from a long line of different drummers.

For modern ‘off-gridders’ I would suppose that we hear different music altogether, but still that same song of the wilderness ever present in Emerson’s poetry and Thoreau’s words.

In more recent times, Helen and Scott Nearing lived off the grid from 1930 well into the 1970’s. They did in later years install electricity to run a freezer in their homestead. It is interesting to note that the Foundation that now runs Forest Farm in , the Nearing’s home, now run the home on solar panels. Well done. I’m sure Helen and Scott would approve.

But, what is all this fuss about ‘Off The Grid’?

Jane and I have come to believe it is the pull of the wilderness and wild places- the test, the challenge, the joy of discovery, and the ‘peace beyond all understanding’ only present in wild places.

This is no ‘paper tiger’ dream, no ‘wage slave’ existence. This is, in the dirt, sweaty, painful, sometimes bloody and damn scary reality.

Fear? Why not? Where there is no fear, there can be no joy. The two go hand in hand. If you were to ask Jane when she was the most scared, and the most alive, in the last five years she would say, “Paddling in ”. Scared to death she was for a while, but she came home stronger and filled with joy.

Every year we go on a week-long canoe trip in ’s wilderness. We paddle and fish and face the ever-changing weather of September. More specifically, we have an adventure- every year, for one week. No kids, no neighbors, just Jane and I.

Our first canoe trip, years ago, Jane didn’t sleep the first 4 nights, she was that scared. “We won’t make it back home”, she kept saying. Gradually her confidence grew… and joy replaced the fear.

When we returned we were different people. We were filled with a quiet peace that spilled over to everyone we met.

“What happened to you?” our friends asked.

“We were on an adventure off the grid”, was our answer.

That’s it, isn’t it? We don’t just live in an off the grid home, we are ‘off the grid’.

I only hope that can live up to the legends that precede us. How am I doing Ralph?