Meet Jack - 93 Year-Old Living Alone In Wilderness

Meet Jack English, a 93-year-old legend who lives in a cabin isolated deep in the Ventana Wilderness.

While on a hunting trip he learned that an old homestead in the Ventana Wilderness was being put up for auction by the estate of a childless heiress. He put a bid on the property and won. On the land he built a small cabin using materials from the land and milling trees by hand. When his wife passed away, Jack effectively left "society" and moved to the cabin full time.

The video is of Jack and the cabin he built; his life style is amazing especially at the ripe old age of 93. I hope those who care to, can view the video. I tried putting myself in that position as a mind game... I don't think I would like it... not today anyway....If something happened to my wife I might change my mind.....

vimeo.com...

go you good thing....your 100% correct Jack is a legend, when my kids grow up I can see myself getting out of dodge and doing something similar, this man is an inspiration......

Love this. What an awesome old guy.

reply to post by 727Sky


looks like this life agrees with him, he seems to get around real good for 93.
and i bet he gets a pretty penny for those custom violin bows. some violinist think the bow is as important as the violin.

i see a man at peace with himself. and set in life.

reply to post by 727Sky


Thanks for the post.

I'm a fan of him now.

Great link. What an outstanding individual. I would love to spend a day with him.

Thanks for posting this. It's very inspiring.

Not trying to hijack the thread, but similar to Dick Proenneke. www.aloneinthewilderness.com...

reply to post by 727Sky


Thanks OP.

What a lovely old bloke.

Inspirational too.

I've always wanted to know Jack, now I do. So rare to find folk of that calibre anymore. His wife sounded very wise, too. This made my day. Thanks, Sky!

It's not that I don't like people, I do. I just don't like swarms of them.

Hahaha. This guy is a pure legend.

ChaoticOrder

It's not that I don't like people, I do. I just don't like swarms of them.

Hahaha. This guy is a pure legend.

This one caught my hears as well haha.

I can definitely resonate.

TheComte
Thanks for posting this. It's very inspiring.

Not trying to hijack the thread, but similar to Dick Proenneke. www.aloneinthewilderness.com...

Damn right he does!

I was blessed to have a grandfather similar to both Dick & Jack and I'll never forget the endless wisdom he provided me as a kid regarding survival and reverence for nature.

Props on the Boardwalk Empire avatar too pal.

I remember when they used to call people like that Hermits. I knew of a few who lived in the woods by themselves. The one who lived by our farm died in his house one winter, my father and I found him in the spring when we went to visit him. I just went to the door, my father smelled him and told me to stay outside, covering his face with his hanky when he went in. I guess he had been dead for a while. He was old, he lived where he wanted to, he was not stuck in a nursing home amongst people who did not even remember who they are or whom are crippled.

It is not a mental disorder at all that causes some to like to live alone in the woods. Often when their spouse dies, men go live at camp and desire to be alone. There is nothing wrong with that.

I thought we had free will yet some in society think that if we do not see things like they desire to see things than we have mental issues. These people don't understand that their thinking is compromised, societies thinking is compromised, not the person who is exercising their right to do something that harms nobody else. I would rather spend my last days close to nature not in the ratrace we have created. Peaceful is better when you get older. It is nice to have children come over occasionally and visit though. As long as they aren't trying to push you into a nursing home or assisted living.

I want to leave what I worked hard for to my kids, not the medical industry and nursing homes. I don't want taxpayers to foot the bill for my permanent nursing home stay either. I would rather die at home than go into a nursing home. If I get seriously hurt or sick I will try to go outside and lay by a tree next to the house so I can join nature when the time comes. They can then cremate what is left.

So now that I have slammed the death tax and end of life consumerism agenda, I guess I am a little nuts because I do not believe the direction society is going is right. They want us to give our money to the system, not our kids. Society wants our kids broke and they want our money to keep circulating in the economy to stimulate it. I am nuts for thinking this is a flawed system.

This was brilliant, and made my heart ache for doing the same thing - it's a life-long dream of mine.

I wonder, does Jack have a dog? I would definitely have a dog; probably several.

What a sweet life. Does he fish? Farm? Or does he go to town every couple of weeks for food and stuff?

Good for him, in any case! The first thing he said was "I don't want to..."
which is exactly what my 90-year old grandmother-in-law said one day when her photo-happy daughter insisted she stand in front of a restaurant on a very blustery day to have a pic taken with me and hubby.

"I don't want to" in a high-pitched old-lady voice. I just love her.

reply to post by 727Sky

This man is defiantly legend. If you are an outdoorsman in California you have probably met in and been invited in for tea.

He suffered a fall out there in his 80's and broke his hip, but recovered and was still hiking in on his own into his 90's.

He has now suffered from a stroke and lives with his family only, I do not know if he will make it out to that cabin again.

reply to post by wildtimes

He does not have a dog. He did fish all over the ventana in his younger days but is now just a resource for where to find the big fish. He always had a little garden, but it never did much. Food came from the outside, most backpackers who are aware of him in there bring him his favorite goodies too.

reply to post by 727Sky


Awesome, thanks for posting, love him.

Mozot
reply to post by 727Sky

 

This man is defiantly legend. If you are an outdoorsman in California you have probably met in and been invited in for tea.

He suffered a fall out there in his 80's and broke his hip, but recovered and was still hiking in on his own into his 90's.

He has now suffered from a stroke and lives with his family only, I do not know if he will make it out to that cabin again.

aww I am sorry to hear that.

Stormdancer777

Mozot
reply to post by 727Sky

 

This man is defiantly legend. If you are an outdoorsman in California you have probably met in and been invited in for tea.

He suffered a fall out there in his 80's and broke his hip, but recovered and was still hiking in on his own into his 90's.

He has now suffered from a stroke and lives with his family only, I do not know if he will make it out to that cabin again.

aww I am sorry to hear that.

Yes sorry to hear that too. If me I would rather of had the big one while chopping wood or in bed asleep. The problem is being a burden (which I never want) for those who like me for some reason... hahaha

Someone sort of like that is Jack Oar up in Idaho. Jack and Connie built their cabin, furniture, and what not, he's a well known falconer and horseman. They live out in the butt end of nowhere.