In case you won't hear from me again..

My dear fellow readers.

As you all know it has become harder and harder to find to time to log on to the internet. I am still staying in Delft with friends of my father and everytime I am alone I head to my blog to see what has been going on.
I have always feld like I should write a goodbye-message to my readers on the day I would leave just to let them know that I have left to live my dream.

But since the situation has changed a week can go bye without being online so I want to let all of you know that if you don't hear from me anymore and the 25th of May has past, know then that I have taken off unfortunately without having had the chance to say goodbye. 

Also remember that I won't be deleting this blog but that it also will not be updated.. Since I won't be bringing a laptop, Ipad or other device with me with which I can log on.

Take care, No regrets

My blog.. some future changes

Because of the recent changes in my life I do not have the oppurtunity to spend endless amounts of time on the internet like I used to before. When to folks I'm staying with are away I find the time to borrow their laptop and work on my blog. Because of this I will, from now on only write about my future journey.
So no more tutorials and no more information on bushcraft or primitive/wilderness living.. I just simply cannot find the time to do that. On the other hand, whenever I find the time to go online it will be spend either on this blog or to gain more info on wilderness living.. knowledge is power and this knowledge may save lives.

I will also be updating the List of items I will be bringing with me once again. since many items on the list are still at my girlfriends home such as the famed hobo cooking set.. tough luck.. perhaps I find the time to make a new one, but time is running short.

Goodbye for now. Remember.. if anyone has advice, tips or anything else, feel free to post a comment ;)

Blog: having some problems commenting back

Hi everyone.

I want to thank everyone who have recently commented on my posts but I should say that it may take some time untill I can comment back.

The reason for this is this..
I have 2 computers.. a normal pc and a laptop. We rarely use the computer because it is very slow. The laptop is a lot better and we use it all the time. I also use the laptop when I am posting in this blog but for some reason I can't view my blog on this laptop which means I can't comment back. I get notified when someone post a comment and I can see what they've read.

In order to comment back I have to disconnect the laptop from the internet and attch my pc to the modem.
I have no idea why I can't view my blog on the laptop. Maybe it's a java or flah related problem, I don't know, It's not my area of expertise. If anyone could help me out that would be great, then I can reply faster.

I feel I should post this just so you know that when you post a comment that it may take some days untill I reply.

Take care everyone ;)

Some wilderness survival videos

When I decided to head out on this trip I first had to give myself the time to learn as many survival skills as I could. I did not have the money or time to follow a wilderness survival course. I also did not want to take loads of books on skills and wild edibles with me. So websites like youtube turned out to be the best when it comes to learning such skills and I have spend days learning all I could, seeing how it's done works a lot better the reading how it should be done.
When you search youtube for bushcraft and wilderness skills then you find loads of videos teaching you the same basic stuff: Setting up a tarp or hammock, info or reviews on gear and there seem to be a thousand videos teching you how to build the same debris shelter.

However.. every now and then I find something incredibly usefull.. tips and tricks I have not seen before. So here are just a few awesome videos that are either about Bushcraft/Survival or Primitive living.

Les Stroud - Stranded (Summer)

We all know Les Stroud from the tv series "Survivorman" when he heads out in order to survive completely alone.. He is one of my favorite TV instructors and I have a lot of respect for this guy.. This video is from back in the day before he started "Survivorman". The video shows how hard it realy is in order to survive in the wilderness on your own. It's a full episode so have a seat ;) There is also a "Winter" episode

Heating a poncho

I found this video recently.. It is about having a fireplace inside a poncho or other tent.. sounds like a pretty dumb thing to do right? Well this guy came up with a solution on how to warm your tent with a fire yet without having the risk of burning or melting your tent down.

Genius.. simply genius..!

Ancient disoveries - The sling



Hey! This is about Ancient history.. How is this relevant?

This is a video from the tv series Ancient Discoveries - Lost science of the Bible.

It's from back in the day when History Channel was actualy about History and still fun to watch.

This episode is about David & Goliath and especialy about the sling he used.. Slings were used as a weapon in war, a self defense weapon but also as a hunting tool and that's why I love it.

It is my favorite primitive hunting weapon and the guy in the video is a treu champion, In this video you see how a sling is used and also how powerfull it realy is.

Primitive Bow Hunting

This is an excellent video from primitive pathways, It shows a skilled hunter, a primitive bow (Longbow type I believe) and primitive arrows with stone tips. He did hit the deer but because he missed vital areas the deer got away, still it's a very interesting video... PETA is gonna love me for this... :)

Alone in the Wild

Here is the story of Ed Wardle who decided to make his childhood dream come true to live in the wild, completely alone for 3 months. He was dropped in the Canadian Yukon territory with minimum gear. He films everything himself. He bailed out after 7 weeks but I can't blame him. This video shows how hard living in the wilderness can be even for an experienced adventurer like him. In my opinion it also shows why being a very social person and living alone in the wild don't mix well.

That's it, hope you enjoyed

Top 5 of odd religions

This has nothing to do with my journey, with bushcraft or survival. So it will be placed in the "other" category on this blog.

I was raised by my non-religious parents yet I have always felt the need for spirituality in my life and because I was raised an Atheist no religion was forced down my throat and I would have the unique opportunity to find my own path early in life. Finding that path was a huge struggle.. I started studying religions and eventualy learning about the various religions became more of a hobby, from the big, well known religions such as Christianity and Islam until smaller, less known religions such as Rastafari, Shinto and Zoroastrianism.

So here is the top 5 of odd religions, or rather "the top 5 of odd religions that I have encountered and studied" but that becomes such a mouthfull.

5- Gnostic Christianity

This is definately one of the more interesting religions I've ever looked into. Christianity is the biggest religion and as we know there are many different traditions within this path such as Catholic and Protestant. In the past there were also other traditions that went extinct and these traditions often believed in a whole different kind of Christianity. Things and ideas that would now be called herassy where pretty normal back then. Many Gnostic Christians believe that Jesus was a very important spiritual teacher but not "the son of God".. just as human as you and me. Unlike many Christians the Gnostics read more then just the Bible, other texts such as the Dead sea scrolls and Nag hammadi texts are very important to them and they date back during the time of Christ himself.

4- Satanism

Yes I have explored Satanism.. Modern satanism to be more precise, since there are different kinds of paths that are called Satanism.  Modern Satanism has nothing to do with worshipping some kind of devil and the devil is seen more as a symbol. I have read the Satanic Bible and other works of Anton Lavey, the founder of Modern Satanism and there are definately things about Satanism that I agree with but no matter how interesting it was reading about it, it wasn't a path for me. The worst thing about Modern Satanism is, at some degree, it's name.. Satanism.. By naming it as such they got a lot of idiotic 'followers' who just call themselves 'Satanist' in order to be cool or to freak out their parents. The biggest sin according to this religion is Stupidity. Nothing in the world is more stupid then teenie rebels and goths who practice a religion because it seems cool, and they tend to be the majority of it's followers.. Making a fool out of those who do practice it seriously.

3- Jediism

This religion is growing more rapidly then ever and it has more followers then you think. Jedi temples, schools and forums are everywhere and they are very active aswell. Dispite the fact that Jediism gets bad reputation from non-believers I find it hard to discover anything "bad" about this religion. From the outside it all looks a little stupid.. Guys dressed up as jedi's who are roleplaying and living in a fantasy world.. However if you look deep inside this religion you'll see what it's all about. To a jedi the most important things are; Meditation, Following the Jedi code and helping others. This makes it somewhat similar to Buddhism, or thats how I experienced it. Robes and lightsabers are all items that are merely symbolic.  They also believe in the force, seems a little weird but there are other religions believe who believe in something similar, it can be compared with the concept of Chi

2- Religio Romana

Religio Romana is a form of Reconstructionism and reconstructionism means the reconstruction of an ancient religion. Religio Romana, as you can tell by it's name is the ancient religion of the Roman peoples.
There are more types of Reconstructionism such as Celtic reconstructionism, Kemitism (Ancient Egyptian), Slavic Reconstructionism, Hellenismos (Greek). New forms are also on the rise such as Aztec reconstructionism. The populair religion called Asatru is often seen as a Viking/Saxon type of reconstructionism. All these religions are a form of ancient Paganism that believe in multiple dieties.
Religio Romana has quite alot of followers and the religion is pretty complex.

1- Matrixism

Here it is.. If anyone asks you what you're religion is and you are not in the mood for talking, say it's Matrixism, That'll leave them speechless.

Matrixism is on the number one of my list and it is one of those religions you probably never heard about and it only has a handfull of followers, dispite the fact that it is unknown it is a religion with a coolness factor and learning about it was a great experience. Just like Jediism it appears to be based on the philosophy behind a hollywood movie. The followers believe in "the one" which can be seen as believing in the coming of a future massiah, They also believe that the world we see around us is not reality, not the real world like in the movie and they consider psychedelics to be the most important sacrements (blue pil, red pill)..

So I went looking for a religion that fits me and instead I found myself learning about different religions as a hobby. Some other religions i have studied but that are far from odd are Rastafari and Shinto, to name a few.

So have I found a religion that I decided to follow and practice? Yes.. Buddhism.

No real surprise really, Buddhism was always something that made sence to me. Also since it has no Gods, No holy but only important texts, No leader and since they do not believe in a future devine apocalypse it feels more like a way of life/philosophy then a religion. In my opinion Buddhism is a path that helps me help myself in order to help others in the future.

If you want more info on the religions mentioned above.....

Gnostic Christianity

Gnosis.org

About gnostic christians

Modern Satanism

Church of Satan

Satanism forum

Jediism

Temple of the Jedi Order

Introduction to Jediism

Religio Romana and other reconstructionist religions

Nova Roma on religion

Intro to Religio Romana

Kemetic/Egyptian recons

Hellenic/Greek forum

Celtic reconstructionism

Aztec reconstructionism

Matrixism

Matrixism main site

Their second site

The art of making incense

Huh?.. How does making incense help you survive in the wild? Well it doesn't but it does make a fun experiment when you're out in the woods for a while and yes it does have some practical uses.
Other then being an aid during meditation the scent can make you fall asleep easier or it can even be used as a insect repellant (depending on the ingredients). You can find alot of good ingredients at your local supermarket, alot of typical kitchen herbs can be used but many other ingredients can be gathered for free in the outdoors and that's what making it is so much fun.. If you want to mass produce your own incense it's gonna cost ya, If you want to make some incense for personal use it can be done without spending a penny.

So here's what I did.. Remember that this is not a tutorial, this is an experiment.

Incense is made by using a Binding ingredient, a Burning ingredient and finaly the ingredient(s) that cause the Scent. When we think of incense we immediatly think of Asia, that's where most of the incense is made. Therefore when we look for recipies to make incense we see that most of the ingredients are herbs, resins, flowers and woods that grow in Asia only.  For example the sticks in sticks incense are thin slices of bamboo. One of the ingredients you often find in incense is Makko, if i'm correct this is a binding and burning ingredient in one.
Unfortunately I live in Holland so either I have to buy the special ingredients (expensive in the long run, and where's the sport in that) or I have to improvise, and that's just what I did.

For my burning ingredient I needed to make charcoal. I already did a tutorial on how to make charcloth, you can find it here. Making charcoal can be done with the same method.

After leaving it on a fire for 30 minutes there was no more smoke coming out of the small hole. After cooling it down I opened up the tin  and out came some nice chunks of charcoal. Knowing how to make Charcoal is very usefull.. It can be used for Drawing, Heating up a fire, Explosives (that's between you and me haha) and fireworks, Blacksmithing, making Dyes and pigments, Blackpowder and even to tread food poisoning or in this case, to make incense.

I could not find my mortar and pestle so instead I used a pencil and a small glass to crush up the charcoal in a very fine powder. I got another glass and in there went the ingredients that should cause the smell, in this case Basil and the bark of Ficus Ginseng (a bonsai species). I also took a few leaves of a purple flower, dried it, crushed it, no idea what it's called.. I didn't even leave the house. After crushing that up I took my binding ingredient which was.. here it comes.. water! That was easy..

All the ingredients mixed together

So here is the incense I've made. I decided to make those cone shaped incensebecause that seems easier. If I ever get better at this I might try stick incense. The two cones look the same but they're not.
The cone in the front has a water binder, it is very brittle and I guess it can easily fall apart, I made it two days ago and at this moment it has become very dry and I will test it today (for the result look at my next diary entry)

The cone in the back is with a honey binder (I've read somewhere it could be used as a binder). I made it approx 2 weeks ago and it is still sticky and not ready to burn. It is far from brittle but who cares if it doesn't even burn.  Both cones are pitch black from the charcoal, not what you expect incense to look like. Then again.. this is what my ancestors would have come up with if they'd made incense instead of the ancient Chinese... It was a fun experiment and I will try this more often. If you want to make your own incense then give it a try, now you know this can be a hobbie that can be very low costs. experiment with all kinds of herbs, resins and make mixtures of your own.

So.. I have quit smoking

Yesterday I've quit smoking cold turkey.
I have been trying to quit several times and I wanted to quit since a few years, yet I always found myself looking for excuses so I could keep on smoking... "if I don't smoke I realy have nothing else to do", "my life is to messed up now to quit".. and so on.

At the moment I'm doing allright but I know it will get harder.. I started smoking when I was still in school. And I soon turned into a obsessive smoker.

The real reason why I quit now is because of my condition. Lately i'm into fitness and not smoking makes training alot easier. When I was 23 I started taekwondo.. the most awesome sport I ever did.. I remember during a warming-up one of the guys came to me and said; You smoke don't you? And he was right. I probably was the only smoker in the group and I was the only one who was totally broken after the warming-up, before the real training started.

Anyhow, all I have to do in order to quit is keeping myself buzy so I don't think about smoking all the time.
3 months untill I leave..... I must have loads of things to do..

Hermit's website up and running

So I just wanted to let you guys know that I have build a website to go along with this blog.
It is still under construction but i'm working on it.

For those interested here is the link;
http://dutchhermit.wix.com/the-dutch-hermit

Outdoor pc games

Now for something totally different..

I have always been a gamer and in my life I have played some very neat games.. city building games, shooters, RPG's, simulators and much more.
Outdoor pc games or Outdoor sports games are less popular and many of them are crappy games but there are some which are pure fun. Here is a list of outdoor pc games I have played, it is not a "top 5" type of list.

Deer Hunter 2005

This is a game I used to play on and on for years.. The game is now 8 years old but when we are talking graphics, animal behaviour and experience it doesn't get much better then this. It is a very cool game and it's fun to play and in a way it feels more like a hunting simulator then a game. The scenery is beautiful and the multiplayer is also great.

Hunting Unlimited 2010

Another hunting game yet a whole different ballgame. If you want to "virtual" hunt other types of game then just deer then this is the game for you.. It has several different area's where you can hunt and each area has it's own wildlife. For example you can hunt bears in Alaska or lions in Africa. It also seems like HU2010 has a lot more different weapons to choose from then in Deer hunter 2005 and in many other ways it looks better.

Stranded 2

Finding good Outdoor pc games is hard since they're rare, but finding good outdoor pc games that are about Bushcraft and Survival is a unique event yet sometime ago I did found one.

It is called Stranded 2.. It is a bit like an adventure game with a minecraft look and feel to it.

You are stranded on an island and you basically just need to survive.. build shelters, build tools, hunt monkeys and gather materials.. It is a very cool game that everyone who is into this kinda stuff should try.

Bird Hunter 2003

Now we know that there are some decent hunting games on the pc but they are all about big game hunting. After searching for a game about small game hunting I found this game called Bird Hunter 2003 which is worth mentioning. It is one of the few games where you can use a hunting dog.  There is no multiplayer in this game but you playing this in sp mode is fun enough. The game is kinda hard to find in stores and your best bet is finding it on ebay or something for very cheap.

Go Fishing (Facebook)

The only outdoor sport that I practice offline is fishing so I should mention a fishing pc game here.
However, This technically isn't a pc game. Go fishing is a Facebook social game and I strongly dislike Facebook games such as Farmville, Cityville and all that rubbish. The only games I ever played on Facebook are Zynga poker, Angry birds and Go Fishing.
Go Fishing is a fun game where you have to catch fish and sell them so you can buy upgrades. This really is a game and not much of a simulator like the hunting games I have mentioned.


A final note: I am pretty sure there are other great outdoor games but these are just some of the best that I have ever played. Some other games that should be great to play (according to others) are the Cabela's hunting series and the Fishing simulator series.

Hope you enjoyed ;) Take care



No more..

No More...



No more money
No more commercials
No more reality tv
No more rules
No more parties
No more sadness
No more boredom
No more concrete
No more fighting
No more fake music
No more sheep
No more documents
No more backstabbers
No more paranoia
No more birthdays
No more religion
No more drama
No more visits
No more id
No more hatred
No more world news
No more blog ;)
No more addictives
No more emptiness
No more cars
No more minecraft
No more social media
No more fu*king gadgets

...just peace...

Am I really a Bushcrafter?

When you scroll this blog you find the term "Bushcraft" alot so you might think, with good reason, that I am a "Bushcrafter", however I probably am not.

I am beginning to wonder how a person is called who does what i am doing.. leaving society and all materialism behind in order to escape in the wilderness.. Is there a name for it..?

How about a "Hermit"?.. Well I guess this word comes closest to define what i'm doing, which is the reason why I named this blog "A hermits diary" but on the other hand Hermits are usualy people who seek abandoness for religious reasons.

"Survivalist"
Makes sence at first since i'll be surviving in the woods. But a survivalist is another word for Prepper. which I am not.. despite the fact that I like preppers and have learned alot from them

"Nomad"
When I leave and head East I will be making several camps along the way but eventualy when I have found a good spot I will settle down, So Nomad is not a good way of calling myself

"Refugee"
Yes I am fleeing from my country because I think it sucks but it's not Rwanda where I Must flee for political reasons.. I admit it ain't that bad. So calling myself a refugee is plain stupid. Also refugees  flee to places where they can get help or food, which usualy is not in the wilderness

"Bushcrafter"
Why not? Well Bushcrafters often spend their time in nature, sometimes for 2 days, sometimes for 2 months. But the difference between me and a bushcrafter is that they, eventualy, return home.

"Forest Dweller"
Hey.. Wait a minute.. this might be it! This name defines exactly what I will be doing next year.. dwelling the forests.. Not gonna change the name of my blog though.

This was just a little something I felt worth sharing, hope everyone of you had a great christmas.
Take care

Leaving your kids, how dare you!?

Wow.. this is not going to be an easy thing to talk about but it''s still a very important matter.. In my introduction I wrote that I am a father of 3 daughters and that I was going to leave society to live in the wild. It is only a matter of time until someone asks "But what about your children?", "Don't you love them?", "Won't you miss them?"..

Truth is I am not a cold hearted bastard. I cannot look at them, turn around and walk away while realising that I might never see them again. I love my children and I spend more time with them then my father used to spend with me. Then again the last time when I had a job I was 23 years old so I had all the time in the world to play with them, care for them or to give them the attention they deserve in any other way. I was there when they were born, I was there when they started to walk and when they said their first words. My children are all I have and all I need.

Then why leave you might think.
Because I do not feel at home in the society i'm currently living in. My children are the only reason why I would stay while I can think of a million reasons why I would leave. I have 2 five years old daughters (twins) and a 1 year old daughter and I understand that they will grow up not knowing where daddy is. Sure, this is my quest, my journey but it comes at a cost.

I know that they will turn out allright in the hands of their mother and her (over)protective family but still it is hard for me to think about it. letting go of someone you love alot is hard and letting go of your children is impossible because we are talking about a kind of love only another parent can understand so I will be taking them with me in my mind and think about them every day

My sources of inspiration

Now you may think that what inspired me to do this was the movie "Into the Wild", it is nowadays the most famous account of a man who left society to live in the wilderness, but no.. The first time I watched that movie was after I made the decision to leave. It was a good movie but I would have handled things differently. Is was a good movie however to show how things should not be done. We probably all remember the scene where he spots a moose. He takes his rifle, aims, but then sees that the moose has a calf. So he dicides not to take the shot... I would have.. At that very moment he was a part of the wilderness, nature, and nature is harsh and to survive one must be harsh.

On the other hand he obviously had the same mindset I have now. Few people want to want to live in the wild and that's something he and i have (had) in common. And you have to respect the man for following his dreams. He died, but if that means he failed is all in the eye of the beholder.. At least he realy lived.

Into the wild

People who became more or less famous for being TV survival instructors were a big inspiration for me, especialy in the beginning when I was just learning about bushcraft and survival. I honestly believe that I have seen every single episode of Ray Mears Bushcraft, Dual Survival and Les Stroud's Survivorman...  These guys were my masters, they have tought me well (especialy the basics) about how to stay alive in different enviroments. But watching how a technique is done is only half of the learning proces.  Just watching Cody Lundin make a fire with a bowdrill does not mean I can do it too.

Cody Lundin from dual survival

Because practice makes perfect, watching a show about survival does not save your live, practicing that what was shown will.
I now more then ever the importance of practicing that what you have learned. Theory is nice but without putting it into practice nothing was learned.

Another source of learning skills are sites like Youtube. It's littered with tutorials on how to survive in the wild and every now and then you will find truly inspiring people.  Recently I love to watch the videos of a man who calles himself "trapperjack" on youtube and he has become an inspiration and something tells me that he spends most of his days in the great outdoors.
Be sure to check him out: https://www.youtube.com/user/trapperjacksurvival

14 reasons why I leave society

If anyone asks my why I am leaving modern society I often do not know what to say. So yesterday I made a list of reasons why I want leave and here it is.. enjoy!

1- Because I don't (want to) need money (bits of copper and paper.. that's all it realy is)
2- Because I only want to own that what I need to survive (which isn't alot)
3- Because only the forests make me feel free (and I was born free according to Mel Gibson)
4- Because I'm a natural born loner
5- Because the need of adventure (away with boredom and daily sloth)
6- Because I want to live like my ancestors did (uhmm.. that'll be the Saxons)
7- Because wild food tastes better (can't get fresher then that)
8- Because I need to do something with my life (something few have done before)
9- Because I need to put all the skills i've learned into practice
10- Because I want to see more of the world (wanderlust)
11- Because TV sucks nowadays (different channel, same shit)
12-Because I don't have a carreer (and more important: don't want one)
13- Because of all the rules in a society  (if I want to piss against that tree I'll do so).
14- Because I was born to hunt which is illegal over here (again those damn rules)
All these reasons realy overshadow the reasons why I would stay