The Woman Who Lives 200,000 Years in the Past

As we confront the reality of COVID-19, the idea of living self-sufficiently in the woods, far from crowds and grocery stores, doesn`t sound so bad. Lynx Vilden has been doing just that for decades, while teaching others how to live primitively, too.

There is no easy way to reach Twisp, a blink of a town in north-central Washington’s Methow Valley. You could fly into Spokane and cut northwest for 175 miles. Or you could take a turboprop from Seattle over the mountains to the world’s apple capital, Wenatchee, and then get in a car and follow the Columbia River north for two hours. Or you could drive, as I’m doing, from Seattle through the electric moss of the North Cascades, slowing to a crawl through the ice-menaced range.

It’s November 2019, and I’m on my way to meet Lynx Vilden, a 54-year-old British expat who, for most of her adult life, has lived wholly off the grid. The slick roads don’t help my apprehension about what lies ahead: a three-day, one-on-one experience of “living wild.” The details are hazy. I’ve been advised to prepare for bracing climes and arduous excursions. “Wear sturdy shoes,” Lynx told me. “Bring meat.”...
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Ken Notes: Not exactly and environmental story, but if you kids are home, have them read this story about a lady who both live in nature and teaches others how to do the same. You can then discuss all the aspects of our environment and why we need to take care of it. I used to love to backpack in nature and take in the stillness of it. I love being in a tent when it rains, but I must confess I love the quality of the tent that I am in just a much.