In the Desert My
primary home is a cave in the desert canyon near Moab, Utah. The latest
cave I've been staying in is maybe 5 feet wide and 5 feet tall inside
and 15 feet back. It has a tear-drop shaped opening, part of a crevice
in a cliff wall. I cover it with plastic in the winter & it stays
fairly warm even without fire. But I built a little wood heating &
cooking stove out of a large tin, with connected cans as a flew, which
takes the smoke out a small hole conveniently above the entrance. Just a
couple small sticks will cook a meal & make the cave warm &
toasty. The cave is very stealth, hard to find, & doesn't even look
like a cave even when you're close by. The entrance is south-facing,
high on a ledge, meaning it gets sun most days in the winter. I can
sunbathe naked up there in the dead of winter while the temperatures are
frigid in the canyon below as well as in town! I also usually have a camp or two around town or on the outskirts of town, a place to crash when I'm feeling lazy or can't make it up the canyon at night. In these camps I shelter myself with tarps or abandoned tents that I find. On the Road When
I'm on the road I camp in random places, including in groves of trees,
prairies, farm fields, sheds & abandoned houses. In cities I've
slept in open spaces, parks, on roofs, & abandoned buildings. On
time I camped right by a police station, the least likely place for a
cop to look. College campuses are also a great place to camp. Strangers have also offered me a place in their homes. Whether I've gone out with a lot or nothing, I've never ever found myself lacking shelter & bedding, even at the times I find myself doubting, lacking faith. In Friends' Back Yards Friends often offer me their back yards to sleep in. I once spent several months living in a friend's tree house. I also house-sit People
ask me to house-sit for them, because they need their animals, plants,
gardens, and yards cared for, and they don't want their pipes to freeze
in the winter. In all my years of living moneyless, I have never asked
for or looked for a house-sit, and I do not advertise my house-sitting
services. I often turn down requests for house-sitting, because I often
prefer living outdoors. I sleep much better in the fresh air than
inside walls, in winter or summer. Some winters I have received
house-sits for most of the winter. Some winters I've spent the entire
winter outdoors. |
