Nance Mortensen

That is a great place to be! Are you stocked up on food way out there? What about water, do you have plenty of water from the ground? Sound like they are having a blast!

Nancy Mortensen wrote:

""Years ago, for only a few months in my early twenties I lived alone in a tent and then a one room off grid cabin and when word got around that there was a single young woman in the woods I had visitors.  Nothing I couldn't handle and I suppose some even had good intentions but all quite annoying because of the supposition that as a woman alone I needed their 'help'.""


Yes, I built a cabin in Montana on a old mining claim I bought from my Uncles Estate.  Fortunately, I had a gate to block people out, but when it was open, I would have visitors during the day when the word got out that an ancestor WB Thompson was up at the Boulder Chief.  People were curious so, I kept it locked at night because it was out in the middle of nowhere.  Unfortunately, the neighboring owner (we had adjoining mining claims) was already in the process of adverse possession when my uncle was alive. So, where I got the land, I had to get an attorney to fight him off. It cost $20,000 to finally get rid of him.  Some of the men thought, that a woman should not be up there alone. The two properties were (on "Mt. Thompson"-my great grandfather) 40 acres surrounded by national forest - 5 miles from the nearest town, Basin, Montana.

Here is a picture of the original cabin my grandfather built and then the one that I built with a chainsaw, a bobcat and an axe with one guy helping me (doing most of the heavy work).  It was so remote on the continental divide at an elevation of 7000-7500ft above sea level.

""Years ago, for only a few months in my early twenties I lived alone in a tent and then a one room off grid cabin and when word got around that there was a single young woman in the woods I had visitors.  Nothing I couldn't handle and I suppose some even had good intentions but all quite annoying because of the supposition that as a woman alone I needed their 'help'.""


Yes, I built a cabin in Montana on a old mining claim I bought from my Uncles Estate.  Fortunately, I had a gate to block people out, but when it was open, I would have visitors  during the day. So, I kept it locked at night.  Unfortunately, the neighboring owner (we had adjoining mining claims) was already in the process of adverse possession when my uncle was alive. So, where I got the land, I had to have an attorney to fight him off. It cost $20,000 to finally get rid of him.  Some of the men thought, that a woman should not be up there alone. The two properties  were surrounded by national forest and about an hour from town down a washed out mining road.

Here is a picture of the original cabin my g. grandfather built and then the one that I built with a chainsaw, a bobcat and an axe with one guy helping me (doing most of the heavy work).  It was on the Continental Divide at an elevation of 7000-7500ft above sea level- amazing and beautiful

Food Prep and storage. This is where I love to invest my time and resources for the future. I started with buying bulk bags from our local coop. If you purchase in bulk there is a substantial discount. You can purchase a year or two supply of bulk foods you will never have to grow in a field. It is already done for you and readily available.  I have purchased and experimented with different storage techniques and it is amazing how long you can store grains beyond the suggested expiration date. I also created an underground storage tank to hermetically seal large quantities of grain for the future. I am thinking 25-50 years, and if not for myself, then for those in the future who may be in need to start a new beginning. So, thinking beyond your limited one lifetime parameters really opens the mind to its potentials.

THE TANK: 8x20 stainless steel milk tank buried in the ground with a Bayer Marine flush deck hatch for the opening. First I cut a hole in the side to be able to load 50 gallon drums full of grains and other essential for the future. I painted the inside with a blue primer/paint that was very expensive to buy. I can't remember the name, but it is a rust proof sealant that looks really good in blue too. I loaded 16 50 drums with bulk grains and rechecked them 10 years later. The sealed containers had fresh and beautiful grains as if they were new.  So, I have things in 50 gallon drums and in 5 gallon buckets. The drums of food are for 30 years future forward. The bucket of food are for 5-10 years forward.

THE GRAINS:  I purchased one Ton Hard Red Winter Wheat Organic, non-hybred, non-GMO from Montana. Wheat will last forever. It has been found in Egypt and still was able to be sprout. With living wheat, you can do many things for a long time to come. It will sustain you when your garden fails during a catastrophic disaster. It was the first thing I purchased when learning about food storage. No special treatment but to put it in sealed containers to keep the mold and bugs out. It is the easiest and most economic thing to do.  The next thing I purchased was 300 lbs different kinds of Rice, 500 bls of different kinds of beans and lintels. They are very cheap and all you have to do is put it in the bucket or bin. It never goes bad. You do not have to use oxygen packets to remover the air. I have sprouted beans that were 10 years old to convert the carbs in to sugar before cooking. They are just fine. Again, I will never eat them all, but I was thinking more of feeding the community a natural disaster. I then stared experimenting with specialty grains like quinoa and amaranth and other ancient grains. Some I have sealed in "seal a meal" for 10 years and counting. They never go bad. I have hard oats, barley and that is about it for the grain. I never have to think about running to the store and I never have to worry that I will not have anything to eat. I can also supply neighbors if the Earth goes Off GRID.

Sustainability is my Key to the future. So now that I have all the grains secured is like having LIFE INSURANCE for you, your family and the future. The act makes you preservable in and of itself.

CANNING: Now, I have also become a great canning advocate putting up 99 quarts of fruit, veggies and soups this fall. I canned from August to October sometimes gleaning from local farms. You can also purchase 1 extra can of food at the marked to put away. Now, sometime you may not have a lot of cash. So, I have gone to food banks and collected cans they give away there. Sometimes people don't want the cans they recieve, I take them and put them in a box and store it away. My goal is to start with 6 months supply of food, extend that to 1 years, until I have 2 years of food stored and put away.  Now, I don't eat a lot of canned food, so I have had to recycle those cans and get some more when I have had them a while. Because you don't want to eat bad food if you had nothing else to eat, right?  

Freeze Dry: For a time I was a freeze dry food consultant selling THRIVE foods. I was able to obtain and store 50 cases of freeze dried food in my "Tank" I also gave away about the same amount to people who did not have any way to purchase them. Part of my commission was free food, so I kept it all and gave it away.

FROZEN: I have always had a freezer full of meat, but when the power goes out, what will you do? If you have a propane stove, you can start canning! I like to store things I can eat like, chicken, turkey and beef. I live in the Pacific Northwest and we have fresh salmon in season. But for the freezer, its beef and elk if I can get some. I am really shying away from freezing a lot of meat, simply because of the power outages and I would would like be able to sustain  OFF GRID.  so this year I am not freezing a lot of meat. Just enough to get through the winter. My back up is also having enough empty jars in case I need to can the meat. I just don't want to be dependent on a mechanical freezer for my life.

I have done all of this with out the introduction my own garden.  Also, purchase 50 lbs of your favorite salt and other essentials "just in case"

So, now I am just about to purchase a 6 acre piece of property where I can create a sustainable garden that will produce food all year longs. The property was not for sale, but I knew it was what I was looking for and I approached the owners and they agreed!

I have one more thing to share at the moment. That after my last remaining parent passed away, I move to a valley (where I am buying the land) and rented a place that is on a dairy. So each week, I have fresh raw milk and cream.  I also drive Wednesday to pick up bread for the local coop, so I can get some fresh bread and milk each week. I would count myself very fortunate!

I am of European stock and love my wheat, milk and meat. I don't mind cutting out meat in the summer if I am on retreat and someone else is cooking microbiotically balanced meals. But in the winter, I am a true nomad consuming healthy hearty foods we were designed to eat. What will I do with all those beans and rice? Well, I suppose I would let someone else have them, but the whole point of the exercise was to become sovereign and sustainable while having enough to give to others.

Now, on to "SHAMBHALIN GARDENS 2021" for my Permaculture Food Forest Botanical Park

Take a Long Hike in the Wilderness. Let go and Let God bring home.

I know this post is pretty old, but I have to comment on it here. I am outdoorsy, having back packed, camped, horse camped, solo hiked, in the wilderness and outdoor settings for years. I even build my own cabin on a 20 acre mining claim, lived there all summer with out an outhouse. I would rather go outdoors in a clean place, then a filthy outhouse. If I can I always choose to go outdoors. Unless there is a clean facility. But I avoid outhouse like the plague.

It is not difficult to pee in the wood. finding the right place and time is the main challenge.  What the main concern is... is getting caught in a compromising position by an unsuspecting paserby!! So as a woman, I must know that I am totally secluded in a place where no one is going to see what I am about to do. I cover my tracks.  I first look around and listen for a while making note of any unusual sounds. Is there anyone with in ear shot?  Can anyone hear me walk off trail in to the woods? does anyone care I just disappeared for a moment; will they come looking for me if I am missing?  Did someone see me walk off the trail. Is anyone following me?  Is this trail a common "toilet trail?" Will someone accidentally follow my path?

when I know I am safe then I can to the job. It is not that it is messy. When a female squats, everything spreads, but you have to squat. You can't half squat. You have to make the commitment. Balance: you can brace against a tree or a log. Doing #2 - the same thing. You will build strong quads from squatting and standing up with out falling over when there are branches and sticks and vegetation all around.  Know your vegetation. You don't want to use poison oak or nettles for toilet paper.

Toilet paper: rocks, bark, leaves anything will work, just as long as its clean. Rocks are the best because they are smooth. Leaves are good if they are soft and green. I always try to carry kleenex with me on day hikes just for that purpose. Now if you are on your monthly cycle, that is a whole other ball game. Unless you are totally prepared with your supplies to carry in and carry out or burn, stay home! You want plastic baggie with supplies, wet wipes, plastic baggy for disposables. Pack them out, burn them, bury them, but get rid of it because it will attract bears. I have never had a problem with predators in the woods. They key is to keep yourself clean. Find a creek and wash off your underparts is the best way to keep clean in the wilderness.

I would never use a gadget like the one shown here. I think these would be handy in public places where you did not want to sit on the seat. It is just another thing, I would have to clean and carry. I don't want a urine soaked gadget in my backpack. It just represents another problem to deal with. I think those are more for traveling on trains or in foreign countries. Anyway, that all I have to say about that!