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Petrov: A man who lived in the woods of Mendocino County (2022)

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Re: Petrov: A man who lived in the woods of Mendocino County (2022)

#21

Post by DaftDank »

hutzlibu wrote: post #14
huytersd wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The craziest thing about this guy is he spent every Maine winter over those 27 years without lighting a single fire to keep him warm because he thought it would expose him. He would just stay awake all night and start walking around when he thought he was getting so cold it might be dangerous. That really to me is hell on earth. At least Petrov lived in California where it was mostly nice year-round.

But he did use gas bottles to heat up things and this can make all the difference. Still, not pleasant. Oh - and you automatically stay awake, when it gets too cold. Only when you are really exhausted and sleep in the cold, you will never wake up (from various movies and books I was afraid of this trope when I was younger, but nope, as long as you have energy left, your body automatically wakes you up and starts movi…

I learned this the hard way when I was homeless at 17-18 years old in the middle of Wyoming winters. I had at least had my old Grand Cherokee to sleep in the trunk space, but not enough money for gas to run the heater. I'd pile all my clothes on top of me, but there were always patches where the cold got through and I'd spend so many nights just shaking from the cold. Spent the Christmas of 2004 this way. You are also correct that when it would be sunny (but still cold) the next day, it was an awesome experience. Almost like a ray of hope, as cliche as that sounds. It's crazy what having sunlight can do to improve your mood. That's one reason I loved living in SF later on, there were so many sunny days and I also wasn't homeless lol.

Re: Petrov: A man who lived in the woods of Mendocino County (2022)

#22

Post by RetroTechie »

b112 wrote: post #10
zxspectrum1982 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hunting and gathering is as old as human beings. It's more difficult in the XXI century but in a large-enough forest (and a natural park that is), you can still do it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter-gatherer

It saddens me to see a comment where finding some way to pay for food, would be the only way to eat. Outside of local edible vegetation, there is smaller game. And as you say, this is how many used to survive. But beyond that, you can plant beans and have a crop in weeks. Even with a lack of pesticides and fertilizer, being able to plant a plant here, a plant there, will result in food not being eaten completely by p…

> Outside of local edible vegetation, there is smaller game. And as you say, this is how many used to survive.

And: compared to past centuries (or even pre-agricultural), a bit of help from modern society can save a lot of time. A lighter here, a $5 knife or cooking pot there, some discarded materials from a construction site, etc etc.

Doesn't make primitive life easy. But it's not hard to see why some people would prefer it over navigating the complexities (or stress!) of 'living in the fast lane' modern society.

Re: Petrov: A man who lived in the woods of Mendocino County (2022)

#23

Post by thriftwy »

mehal wrote: post #12
vzaliva wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

-enko is a common ending for Ukrainian last names and Petro is Ukrainian first name.

Thank you for pointing it out! Name is definitely Ukrainian, so no russian army, because in Second World War the was Red Army of USSR

No Russian Army because he was born around 1914. Otherwise, of course you would find a lot of people with -enko last name in Russian Army in WWI. Not only Russian Empire controlled most of present-day Ukraine but also parts of Poland.

Re: Petrov: A man who lived in the woods of Mendocino County (2022)

#26

Post by toastedwedge »

LastNevadan wrote: post #4

There was a family in Siberia who went off-grid and lived in the Siberian forest for 42 years. They were discovered by the Soviet authorities in 1978. https://allthatsinteresting.com/lykov-family

This was a very nice and fascinating (although strange) read with my morning coffee. Thank you for sharing.

Re: Petrov: A man who lived in the woods of Mendocino County (2022)

#27

Post by 7thaccount »

NaOH wrote: post #8
davely wrote: post #2

This immediately reminds me of a book I read a year ago about a man who walked off into the woods of Maine in 1986 and lived as a hermit for 27 years [1] [1] “Stranger in the Woods” by Michael Finkel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30687200

I haven't read Finkel's book on Christopher Knight, but other pieces on Knight were discussed here, with distinct tones to the discussions. Into the woods: how one man survived alone in the wilderness for 27 years - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13878801 - March 2017 (124 comments) The Strange and Curious Tale of the Last True Hermit - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8205993 - August 2014 (86 comments)

This the guy that basically lived in a tent and stole from those in the nearby community for decades right? I agree it must have been difficult in the middle of the night when it was cold, but it's not like he was farming, hunting, or foraging in the forest.

Re: Petrov: A man who lived in the woods of Mendocino County (2022)

#28

Post by asimpletune »

huytersd wrote: post #7
davely wrote: post #2

This immediately reminds me of a book I read a year ago about a man who walked off into the woods of Maine in 1986 and lived as a hermit for 27 years [1] [1] “Stranger in the Woods” by Michael Finkel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30687200

The craziest thing about this guy is he spent every Maine winter over those 27 years without lighting a single fire to keep him warm because he thought it would expose him. He would just stay awake all night and start walking around when he thought he was getting so cold it might be dangerous. That really to me is hell on earth. At least Petrov lived in California where it was mostly nice year-round.

I met a self-described “mountain man” in Montana once, and I asked how he stayed warm in the winter. He told me the key was to build an insulated nest, below ground, packed with snow, and then you light a single candle and close up the nest. That this was enough to stay warm even in the Montana winter.

It’s hard to know if what he was saying was true or not, but I think I believe it. He also saw my VW and immediately observed that it had been in an accident based on the way the doors hung. So, I feel like he knew some stuff.

Re: Petrov: A man who lived in the woods of Mendocino County (2022)

#29

Post by [deleted] »

DaftDank wrote: post #21
hutzlibu wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But he did use gas bottles to heat up things and this can make all the difference. Still, not pleasant. Oh - and you automatically stay awake, when it gets too cold. Only when you are really exhausted and sleep in the cold, you will never wake up (from various movies and books I was afraid of this trope when I was younger, but nope, as long as you have energy left, your body automatically wakes you up and starts movi…

I learned this the hard way when I was homeless at 17-18 years old in the middle of Wyoming winters. I had at least had my old Grand Cherokee to sleep in the trunk space, but not enough money for gas to run the heater. I'd pile all my clothes on top of me, but there were always patches where the cold got through and I'd spend so many nights just shaking from the cold. Spent the Christmas of 2004 this way. You are als…

[deleted]

Re: Petrov: A man who lived in the woods of Mendocino County (2022)

#30

Post by mehal »

thriftwy wrote: post #23
mehal wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for pointing it out! Name is definitely Ukrainian, so no russian army, because in Second World War the was Red Army of USSR

No Russian Army because he was born around 1914. Otherwise, of course you would find a lot of people with -enko last name in Russian Army in WWI. Not only Russian Empire controlled most of present-day Ukraine but also parts of Poland.

He was captured by Nazis during Second World War
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