“Six months after the power goes out, the bands that are still operating will be pretty effective.”
But also same with defensible neighborhoods. We, too, will have learned how to defend our territory and it will no doubt involved hunting parties going out and killing anything that doesn’t belong.
I am a middle-aged single lady, living at the line between suburbia and countryside, outside of DC. Have thought about what the future may hold, and I have a small and inadequate but tolerable collection of guns, and ammo for it all. Like many people I’ve laid in a good stock of food, medicine, water, personal supplies, and firewood, but this house is not really defensible in a situation in which things collapse altogether. No, I do not have any relatives in the area. I also have a good horse and a small hunting hound.
I’ve seen what the roads are like around here on the average rainy Friday afternoon, and if anything bad did happen, it’s clear that getting out of town by vehicle would simply not be possible.
I have a girlfriend in the same situation, ten miles away, in a more well-protected and rural location. If things get bad, I intend to saddle up and ride to her place, where we would be harder to find and the area is more defensible, with plentiful game and a source of water as well as off-road access by horse. But in the event of total, long-term collapse, military friends who live in a true back-country area in the midwest have strongly urged us to come join them. The people in their area are already organized and in communication; they’re ready and they’re tough and experienced.
So knowing that this is not going to be a one-day drive on the interstates, I’m thinking about planning a route to get as far west as possible by horse and foot.
What would be the best route to head west, in general? I was planning on riding up the towpath trail along the Potomac to West Virginia, staying strictly away from any road. This part I know well, and anticipate no problems. But then what? One has to cross the Ohio and the Mississippi. Gee, how did our ancestors do it?
I sure hope so! That’s my plan.