Posted on 08/21/2023 6:32:15 AM PDT by Red Badger
*Outdoorsman Al stars in a short film made by YouTuber DiegoTriesHard
*He first started generating his own power on December 13, 1996
A man has revealed how he has lived off grid for 46 years in an isolated cabin in the woods, where he uses a homemade waterwheel to power his gadgets.
Simply referred to as 'Al,' the 82-year-old outdoorsman from the state of Washington stars in a short film made by YouTuber DiegoTriesHard.
In the documentary, he shows viewers the eco-friendly home he has created on a 40-acre plot.
He starts off explaining how his waterwheel works and how he first started generating his own power using the current system on December 13, 1996, with the date etched into his wheel house.
While Al started out with a water wheel as his main power source, he has since purchased three solar panels which do the majority of the work.
Now he says: 'Mostly it's solar power.
'The waterwheel's for dark winter nights, I use it for two, three hours maybe.'
In terms of energy consumption, the forest dweller says his usage is 'very low.'
At breakfast he will generally have his laptop on while listening to the radio 'and then I don't use anything until probably six at night.'
In the evenings, he says he likes to put on his laptop to watch the news and he will use a few lights. If there is an outage, there is a generator in a shed, but it is rarely used.
To heat his house and sauna, which he constructed in an outbuilding, Al says he has an abundance of wood on the doorstep, which he doesn't have to pay for.
His property is mainly surrounded by mature elder trees, but there are cedars and other species amid the mix.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Your post is a fresh breath of positivity glowing in it. You have inspired me with your honesty. I feel like the scales have dropped from my eyes. I like you. Maybe you come to my place and meet my sister.
Not since the ACLU eliminated protective custodial commitments 50 years ago.
They will condemn his shack take away his tools as litter and he can go live under a bridge with the rest of the nuts.
While the lifestyle is his choice, it reinforces the idea that “necessity is the mother of invention”.
And put him in prison because I bet he hasn’t paid his taxes.
I don’t know. There’s work arounds with mental health evaluations and he could be deemed a danger to himself and over ride whatever the ACLU did. Happens a lot.
I really hope not. The man is living his dream and looks really healthy for age eighty-two. He’s built a little paradise, hurting no one.
“Does he pull his own teeth with pliers?”
Don’t be silly.
He gets his buddy, Wilson, to do that.
Thank you for your truffle and positive reply to all the negativity!
Who whizzed in your Wheaties this morning?
Producing CO2 without a permit (wood burning). /s
Just calling it as I see it and I see it not good at all.
.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.