@Desertphile Im 17 and I already want to be a hermit. In fact I found your video trying to find facts out about living in the Mojave, and well I think I'll pass on it now. I think I'll try the mountains or some forest instead.
@krapptacular ; One of the many reasons I don't like looking at my own videos is because I have aged decades in just the past two years. It sucks being 50.
@Desertphile Yeah well it creep up on yah, don't it. It slowly drifts by. It's hard for me to listen to my voice on cam. I found out i have a lisp and it freaked me out. :P
!! ATT !! !! ATT !! THE ONLY , I REPEAT....THE ONLY 1% IN THE WORLD IS WITHIN THE OUTLAW MOTORCYCLE WORLD...ONLY, NOT A BUNCH OF SPOILED UPPER MIDDLE CLASS FOOLS, LOOSE THE WORD, GO BACK HOME TO MOMIES TEET, YOU NAZI!
Oh whatever, in Niland Ca (Mojave desert) there's an old army base, nothing left but the cement slabs, but there are allot of people who live around there, in trailers, tents, or just under mesquite trees. There's people who live along the chocolate Mts, Just not within the current army base, BLM land (government land) can be your if you file a claim & do $22 improvement a yr, There's crazy hermits, scabber families, weekenders & their dune buggies & old people in their RV's everywhere!!
@johnlvs2run You have to turn in receipts. Plus they inspect once a year. I grew up in Winterhaven Ca & my family took ever a claim out on sidewinder road that was in default. there was already electric and a well & septic tank. My parents added a Mobile home. We lived out in the desert for 8 years.
Heavy. This is one brave rugged man if what he did is true and I believe it too be so. I'm a bit disappointed that he didn't say what he ate..only how he cooked it. Even so. Heavy!
I'm considering doing this myself however I'm taking a handgun or two so I'm staying the fuck out of California. Just one strange question, what do you wipe your ass with?
wow you really did what many want to do but dont have enough fortitude and strong will to do it. Just great that u did it, and great that u went all the way to share it in youtube. I know congratulations sounds a bit corny, but thats all i can think of saying to u. Congrats and thank u. Nice music too drifter.loooool.
Desertphile simply DID what many just TALK about. And that is; successfully leaving civilization with all of its dubious trappings, behind for a while.
Some say that this isn't "reality". But, what can be more real than the far away places?
how the hell can almost half the people who watched this voted it down? the second i realized this guy actually did i was like thats bad ass and subscribed. i would like to know more about this... what did you eat? did you make any attempt to cultivate food?i would did up some large trees or bushes and try to transplant them near by to get more shade. also you gotta collect brush and make a compost pile so you can start mulching and trying to build up soil.... permaculture is key... was it hot?
@chunkyfecalbreakfast All of the foods that Desertphile had in that 22 months had to be brought in, purchased elsewhere since there is nothing suitable for human consumption out there. One can't grow crops to any degree not only because the soil is bad but because rains come seasonally, it's not conducive to planting crops unless one brings in soil and water.
@NotSoOldHippy Cheers buddy, I had a feeling this might be the case but was interested in knowing if there was something I hadn't thought of. Thanks a lot!
@ManuelHung shit chips, they are loose pieces of shit whith small vegges on them, quite tasty, i had them at a democratic party in 08! they are grand! extremy hard to get, see you must clip them off the ass of people like this man, only the hairy ass bum shit chips taste the best.
@ManuelHung All of the foods that Desertphile had in that 22 months had to be brought in, purchased elsewhere since there is nothing suitable for human consumption out there. One can't grow crops to any degree not only because the soil is bad but because rains come seasonally, it's not conducive to planting crops unless one brings in soil and water.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
just another cheep bum that has no wants to pay his lame ass way, now i say go live in irac for a week, he will come home kiss the grownd and PAY his way, nothing more than a bum, a fucking bum.
@Desertphile ive work with so many folks whom have the feeling of "you owe me" or" why should i pay" i tell ya, when your boy in washington gets booted out in 012, go camp with him and polosi. you will be able to chip off some of that grime on your hands....my god! whom is jeasus christ..fyi...MERRY CHRISTMASS! if they look like obamas face...what about his lower course? yeeek! he is what american people would look like if barry was re-elected. good luck lucey brown.
Just another inconsiderate man who can't tolerate other people's lives. I think what you did was amazing and I wish to someday be able to do the same.
@MrActivatedCharcoal There are a number of people squatting out in the Mojave Desert illegally, people who drag trailors out there and then pretend that they have mining claims on public lands, and the BLM leaves them alone because they're violent, right wing Christian extremists. It's a problem because some times hikers stumble across them and these domestic right wing extremists squatting in the desert kill people, then the Feds finally go in and clean them up.
@hop21537 you probably dont know what an ad hominem argument is, but your employment of the tactic is brilliant. Also better a bum than a slave. Go back to to work and tell the man I said hi.
@hop21537 Hey now! I lived in Iraq for a year, I can still appreciate his need to live in isolation. By living on his own and providing for himself, he is paying his way and consuming far less resources than you - just like your forefathers did! Don't get pissed off because his insights into society make you feel uncomfortable!
Interesting. I too am a hermit, but inside a condo I leave but 2 or 3 times a month for errans and supplies. I don't have snakes but instead a cat to keep me company. I also enjoy the internet.
I agree that society is overrated but I think it's really finding the right society that would be better than complete isolation. I'm looking at the eskimos and Amish as societies I may be interested in joining.
I love the desert. No doubt your snake friends were looking for some warmth.
wow it is against the law to spend that much time on public land???? last time i checked we are all the public ????? i would love to see that policy in writing.
@swoop1111 The law usually stipulates that 21 days is the maximum that one can camp on public lands however the law also says that if you pack up and move 25 miles, you then can legally camp for another 21 days.
Desertphile parked in locations where humans were non-existent or so infrequent that the only people who could conceivably notice him were in fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. The helicopters in that region only patrol near the power lines running through the desert.
I found your cave also. It has an amazing view. I am a shopping mall developer and I am going to build on your cave. Beautiful spot. Thank you very much. You cave is going to be the final hole on our putt putt golf course.
@justanotherbum007 LOL. Dude, just google "Desertphile" and see who he is. He's famous around the world for his desert treks and world sailing travels and stuff. He also is known for what's called "desertphile hats" -- hats he used to own that are sold at auction.
@suicidebypolice LOL. Um, wrong. Desertphile is famous for his desert travels and his world-wide sailing, among other things. He works on a ranch on the edge of the Big Rez Indian reservation, working as a cowboy. A Google search will turn up details about his history around the world.
@WizzleThump ; Yes indeed, it is against the law to spend that much time on public land. One must hide, which is not too hard to do when on foot. The toughest part is hiding one's car.
@Desertphile If you did this with a bike and trailer you could have made longer trips for water and wood. I personally would have chosen territory other than desert but I live in La where we are surrounded by water and insects. I would have rather been in a place where I could have used a Metal detector to locate things like meterorites and lost things never know what went through an area.
When you were living away from people in the cave near Death Valley did you come into contact with any Extraterrestrials, see any UFO's, spirits or any other paranormal phenomena?
@WizzleThump You can stay on public land for as long as you want. Most regulations say you can't stay in one location for more than 14 continues days. So BLM land is pretty much open for your living just about anywhere as long as you do not make a permanent structure and you do not stay for more that 14 days in one place. You can go to a different place for day and then come back to the original for another 14 days.
I can't, for the life of me, understand why you received so many thumbs down on your video. I hope you are able to go back to your desert retreat one day!
when you are alone you really are in good company. even people you like as Thoreau said can't be tolerated very long as they will erode your happiness.
learn to be alone and quiet and calm in your mind. hold no conversations with yourself which is a norm stupid and harmfull as it is with people. enjoy the enviroment of the peace and quiet of solitude existing in a beautiful forest or in the ever quiet desert.
Desertphile, thanks for the video and for showing us all that it is still possible
for us to live at least a temporary hermitic life, free from what "Chatsworth 1966" correctly calls the "birdcage of society". Good luck and may the "Divine Force" be with you.
Man! You had water, shelter and food. You were better off than millions of others, who have less than that, and rampaging armed militias or pirates, to boot. Even in that situation, you were still in the top 20% or so, for living standards, and when you had enough, you returned to civilization with all your limbs and facalties intact.
what is the legal status of doing such living on wild land...(the land must belong to somebody, government?) Will they evict you, or arrest you for vagabond? Trespassing?
Howdy! It is against the law to live on public land in the USA. Some places are limited to a four-day stay; other places allow twenty-one days. Staying longer is trespassing.
i have always been mystified by the desert out there. been thru it a few times. 1 day i will come bk. hope 2 c u. split a case a beer. then go bk to minnesota and freeze lol
I did not have a video camera during my cave life. I am considering visiting the cave, and Desertphile Spring, in December; if I do I will bring a camera.
Would you get angry if I ran up on your shack and rushed in? Cause I might journey through the desert. Who knows...we might run into eachother. You wont try to eat me?
tanerofies: "You started talking to yourself, didn't you?"
Well, who knows as much as you do, and, would be interested in the same subjects, and during a discussion could add something new without re-covering old ground?
Being that a year ago on Christmas Day I was on the Mojave Rd, I just had to revisit this video. Still hard to believe that you spent 22 months out there. 4 days is enough for me at one time LOL... Happy Yule DP!
30 months, with a break. I don't know if I can make it to the East Mojave in April, but I am considering it. I want to do a video documentry about the Mojave Road and its history.
If I had a water filter, solar cooker, and a small tent to keep the locals from crawling on me i wouldnt mind that kind of living at all. I have worked security in distant places away from everything! It is so peaceful! Now i need to get a shipment of medical supplies monthly so i cant wonder too far! I will do it again! Nice Video!
I do not know Garlington, though he has done some similar living skills. He is located far to the south-south-east (Smoke Tree Valley) from my cave near Death Valley.
This is the first Desertphile video that I ever saw. I was attracted to the fact that you spent almost two years in the Mojave. Took me a while to find it. Glad they didn't delete all your files.
Howdy again! Yes indeed, coyotes eat the Juniper berries here in New Mexico as well; they also eat "coyote gourds" (Cucurbita palmata) which one finds in the Mojave Desert--- some American Indians eat and ate these "melons."
Howdy! As far as I know nothing on juniper is safe to eat: the berries make gin, if I recall correctly. The Mojave has Indian Rice Grass and Mesquite beans, and young Yucca roots; there is "prickly pears" (also called "cactus apples") on some of the cactus. I do not have any knowledge of the subject, so I can't say just what is out there one may eat.
when i was little i made my fort under a juniper berry bush.that is my favorite smell.i have agoraphobia.the desert is home.i writhe wih jealousy seeing this.i am trapped across the country.ill make it back if i have to crawl.tell too many though and they will invade.keep us secret
I was just in Red Rock Canyon this past weekend sleeping in a truck in the middle of nowhere, but got some awesome pictures of the beautiful rock walls. There's some people around, but you can find places that no one else goes, if you have a powerful enough vehicle.
"... but you can find places that no one else goes, if you have a powerful enough vehicle."
There are also a few dude ranches there where one may get a horse to ride. I've wanted to do that but haven't done so. Thank you for =reminding me--- I'll add it to my list of things to do.
I love this video, I've talked with DesertPhile, and he's given me some excellent advice, so when I resign my Commission I can go ahead and take a few months in a nice mountain retreat. I think it'll be wonderful.
I cant believe this! For sometimes now, our government & other things that have been going on..have made me think about taking my whole family & running for the mountains/caves. Except I want to go to the ones in Chihuahua. Nice to see that it is possible. Thanx for sharing*
"For sometimes now, our government & other things that have been going on...."
The Bush2 Regime will try very hard to destroy what's left of America in their last days--- so that President Hilary Clinton will have an extremely difficult time trying to repair the damage. Bush1 did the same thing.
Did you consider a solar cooker? A good box cooker built with glare reducing flaps could help with the firewood problem. With several, you could pasteurize your water easily.
Yes indeed. My web site at desertphile dot org shows the solar oven I made. What I would love to have is a parabolic mirror instead--- much more heat. But I cannot find one that I can afford to buy.
Your story is an interesting one because living on the land is something that people have forgotten how to do and most people couldn't survive outside of the birdcage we call society.
I agree. We have become TOO DEPENDENT on technology that it's not funny!! When this world goes Mad Max, we are going to be fucked up because NOBODY will know how to start a fire with two sticks or something like that!!
@Chatsworth1966 yes but what if society were to collapse? the once great home you called society has just turned into a frying pan and THEN it's survival of the fittest
5 months ago you stated you'd consider adding more videos such as this one.
That would be of great interest to many, considering the 5000+ hits this video has received.
Being of a mechanical mind and not so much a ponderer of evolutionary theory, or a fan of organized religion, I jones for more "how to" videos from you.
"5 months ago you stated you'd consider adding more videos such as this one."
Greetings. I have done a few "Going Feral" videos on the subject, some rather recent. I should probably link them together, or add them to a play list.
Over two and a half years ago, I commented from my old channel: TheDudeJeffLebowski. I just read that you're perhaps returning to the cave. *crowd goes wild* ~*roar*~. Yes, that would nice to see on..."film".
Impressive stuff. More people ought to experience solitude over an extended period of time..but 22 months. My longest take, that I am somewhat proud of, was a 4 weeks stay in the snowy mountains of scandinavia, living in a cottage all alone with only nature around.
Anyone able to pull this off in todays western world deserves respect. Thank you for sharing, and I'd love to read about it once you get to it.
"... a 4 weeks stay in the snowy mountains of Scandinavia, living in a cottage all alone with only nature around."
That sounds far more difficult than being in the deserts of North America. We get snow but not nearly as much as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. It is much colder there! Burr! :-)
Wow, man. Did any of that conjure up any thoughts of the Navajo and Ute Natives that have lived there on that very land for THOUSANDS of years like that up to about 100 short years ago, and the psychological and physical anguish in the process of being "removed"? It shure did for me. And for some reason, that song at the end was kinda depressing, like lonely. But great stuff,man. You are truly an extraordinary one. Remarkable.
"There's some good caves up by Steamwell as well. Good story-telling! I hope we don't wind up fighting for a cave in the desert. haha..."
Hee! Considering how Fort Irwin has been illegally grabbing up public land, we might end up fighting THEM for cave space. They already grabbed Cave Spring and Gold Stone, damn them.
Thanks for sharing. I feel a bit more -normal- after watching your video. :P
I did the "hermit thing" for only fifty days on a mountain next to river so my surrounding experience was different. My tent kept out the small critters, except mice kept trying to bite their way in at night.
Forty days of it was spent only drinking river water which I purified through a hand pump ceramic camping filter. Not to mention I had the luxury of taking a bath every day -quite cold but refreshing. =)
@Desertphile Im 17 and I already want to be a hermit. In fact I found your video trying to find facts out about living in the Mojave, and well I think I'll pass on it now. I think I'll try the mountains or some forest instead.
AwakeAgainAtLast 1 week ago
You did not just play drifter. LOL My mom use to listen to this song when i was a kid.
krapptacular 1 month ago in playlist More videos from Desertphile
@krapptacular ; I still have Sylvia's LP, but no longer have a turn table to play it. Gods.... so fucking old!!!!
Desertphile 1 month ago
@Desertphile yeah well I'm not all that young anymore that's why it's old.
krapptacular 1 month ago
@krapptacular ; One of the many reasons I don't like looking at my own videos is because I have aged decades in just the past two years. It sucks being 50.
Desertphile 1 month ago
@Desertphile Yeah well it creep up on yah, don't it. It slowly drifts by. It's hard for me to listen to my voice on cam. I found out i have a lisp and it freaked me out. :P
krapptacular 1 month ago
You picked the worst place in the world, other than the Sahara, to be a Hermit.
magprob 2 months ago
!! ATT !! !! ATT !! THE ONLY , I REPEAT....THE ONLY 1% IN THE WORLD IS WITHIN THE OUTLAW MOTORCYCLE WORLD...ONLY, NOT A BUNCH OF SPOILED UPPER MIDDLE CLASS FOOLS, LOOSE THE WORD, GO BACK HOME TO MOMIES TEET, YOU NAZI!
hop21537 2 months ago
Did you ever wish for a nuculear winter out there?
Xchaos5673X 3 months ago
Thanks for making this video.
andwhatfire 3 months ago
Did you ever write a book?
bigdanbear 4 months ago
@bigdanbear ; I have not written the book, but I plan on doing so. I hope I do not die first. :-)
Desertphile 4 months ago
@Desertphile write the book and don't let the knowledge you have earned die with you.
sihanling 1 month ago
Hey d00d, did you ever write about this experience? You probably write a blog...but you should write it into a fanzine format. That would be cool.
vadermask 5 months ago
You seem like a kindred spirit, I'm looking forward to seeing more of your videos.
asubjectiveopinion 5 months ago
always thought bout doin that,, but those rattlers would bin in that pot. they are very tastee, just wunderin,,how much supplies could take, lbs. ??
TheVictor6951 6 months ago
hey DPhile better go help some african villages....there you even can sleep in a house made out of shit :]
SniperMod90 6 months ago
im sure ude love fallout new vegas
rebel9568 6 months ago
Oh whatever, in Niland Ca (Mojave desert) there's an old army base, nothing left but the cement slabs, but there are allot of people who live around there, in trailers, tents, or just under mesquite trees. There's people who live along the chocolate Mts, Just not within the current army base, BLM land (government land) can be your if you file a claim & do $22 improvement a yr, There's crazy hermits, scabber families, weekenders & their dune buggies & old people in their RV's everywhere!!
greendaypic 6 months ago
@greendaypic That's good to know. I wonder how they keep track of $22 a year.
johnlvs2run 3 months ago
@johnlvs2run You have to turn in receipts. Plus they inspect once a year. I grew up in Winterhaven Ca & my family took ever a claim out on sidewinder road that was in default. there was already electric and a well & septic tank. My parents added a Mobile home. We lived out in the desert for 8 years.
greendaypic 2 months ago
Heavy. This is one brave rugged man if what he did is true and I believe it too be so. I'm a bit disappointed that he didn't say what he ate..only how he cooked it. Even so. Heavy!
Fireye69 7 months ago
@Fireye69 I'm guessing he probably a lot of rabbit, bird, etc. That's all that's really out there
beachfeet1000 7 months ago
Where can you legally stay in the Mojave Desert?
williamsonmj 8 months ago
I'm considering doing this myself however I'm taking a handgun or two so I'm staying the fuck out of California. Just one strange question, what do you wipe your ass with?
OfCourseImNormal 8 months ago
For his part-time job he does voice-overs for The Muppets.
gohuckyourself21 9 months ago 2
wow you really did what many want to do but dont have enough fortitude and strong will to do it. Just great that u did it, and great that u went all the way to share it in youtube. I know congratulations sounds a bit corny, but thats all i can think of saying to u. Congrats and thank u. Nice music too drifter.loooool.
otirudam 9 months ago
lol fag
DavidChingPow 10 months ago
Desertphile simply DID what many just TALK about. And that is; successfully leaving civilization with all of its dubious trappings, behind for a while.
Some say that this isn't "reality". But, what can be more real than the far away places?
thenemo56 10 months ago
Why so many thumbs down? Desertphile is one of the most interesting characters in youtube, and one of the most erudite and clear thinkers.
Why would anyone thumbs down this particular video? There's nothing controversial about it.
AThagoras 11 months ago
how the hell can almost half the people who watched this voted it down? the second i realized this guy actually did i was like thats bad ass and subscribed. i would like to know more about this... what did you eat? did you make any attempt to cultivate food?i would did up some large trees or bushes and try to transplant them near by to get more shade. also you gotta collect brush and make a compost pile so you can start mulching and trying to build up soil.... permaculture is key... was it hot?
truthisouttheir 11 months ago
did you do any peyote cactus out there man like in Young Guns movie lol?
willsk8zero 1 year ago
good on you for getting through the first month, it definitely seemed to be the most daunting, cheers!
kingcollie 1 year ago
You'd be pro at Fallout : New Vegas
Dstock8106 1 year ago 3
What do you eat in when you're living in the desert?
chunkyfecalbreakfast 1 year ago
@chunkyfecalbreakfast All of the foods that Desertphile had in that 22 months had to be brought in, purchased elsewhere since there is nothing suitable for human consumption out there. One can't grow crops to any degree not only because the soil is bad but because rains come seasonally, it's not conducive to planting crops unless one brings in soil and water.
NotSoOldHippy 1 year ago
@NotSoOldHippy Cheers buddy, I had a feeling this might be the case but was interested in knowing if there was something I hadn't thought of. Thanks a lot!
chunkyfecalbreakfast 1 year ago
22 months eating... what?
ManuelHung 1 year ago
@ManuelHung shit chips, they are loose pieces of shit whith small vegges on them, quite tasty, i had them at a democratic party in 08! they are grand! extremy hard to get, see you must clip them off the ass of people like this man, only the hairy ass bum shit chips taste the best.
hop21537 1 year ago
@hop21537 Is that some form of humor you are trying to convey? Hilarious stuff.
ManuelHung 1 year ago
@ManuelHung not just, i am baby..oh! i am! you.
hop21537 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@ManuelHung All of the foods that Desertphile had in that 22 months had to be brought in, purchased elsewhere since there is nothing suitable for human consumption out there. One can't grow crops to any degree not only because the soil is bad but because rains come seasonally, it's not conducive to planting crops unless one brings in soil and water.
NotSoOldHippy 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
just another cheep bum that has no wants to pay his lame ass way, now i say go live in irac for a week, he will come home kiss the grownd and PAY his way, nothing more than a bum, a fucking bum.
hop21537 1 year ago
@hop21537 ; Your poetry needs work.
Desertphile 1 year ago 29
@Desertphile ive work with so many folks whom have the feeling of "you owe me" or" why should i pay" i tell ya, when your boy in washington gets booted out in 012, go camp with him and polosi. you will be able to chip off some of that grime on your hands....my god! whom is jeasus christ..fyi...MERRY CHRISTMASS! if they look like obamas face...what about his lower course? yeeek! he is what american people would look like if barry was re-elected. good luck lucey brown.
hop21537 1 year ago
@Desertphile
Just another inconsiderate man who can't tolerate other people's lives. I think what you did was amazing and I wish to someday be able to do the same.
Society IS tiring.
MrActivatedCharcoal 1 year ago
@MrActivatedCharcoal There are a number of people squatting out in the Mojave Desert illegally, people who drag trailors out there and then pretend that they have mining claims on public lands, and the BLM leaves them alone because they're violent, right wing Christian extremists. It's a problem because some times hikers stumble across them and these domestic right wing extremists squatting in the desert kill people, then the Feds finally go in and clean them up.
NotSoOldHippy 1 year ago
@hop21537 Are you a fucking right wing Christian idiot by any chance?
NotSoOldHippy 1 year ago
@NotSoOldHippy no! im that ugly crack you slid out of on you loving b-day, you left winged muslim wigger.
hop21537 1 year ago
@hop21537 you probably dont know what an ad hominem argument is, but your employment of the tactic is brilliant. Also better a bum than a slave. Go back to to work and tell the man I said hi.
mrgalikanookis 1 year ago
@hop21537 Hes a bum for living a much harder life than you? NICE
Dstock8106 1 year ago
@hop21537 Hey now! I lived in Iraq for a year, I can still appreciate his need to live in isolation. By living on his own and providing for himself, he is paying his way and consuming far less resources than you - just like your forefathers did! Don't get pissed off because his insights into society make you feel uncomfortable!
sborowsky 9 months ago 12
@hop21537 The 1% thanks you for your unquestioning support of the never ending oil wars....now get back to work.
TheTradingOutpost 2 months ago
Dude, you're awesome. This whole thing reminded me of fallout.
ItsaUFOduh 1 year ago
Interesting. I too am a hermit, but inside a condo I leave but 2 or 3 times a month for errans and supplies. I don't have snakes but instead a cat to keep me company. I also enjoy the internet.
I agree that society is overrated but I think it's really finding the right society that would be better than complete isolation. I'm looking at the eskimos and Amish as societies I may be interested in joining.
I love the desert. No doubt your snake friends were looking for some warmth.
1971SuperLead 1 year ago 2
Thanks for the post!! I've always played with the idea of becoming a hermit and living like this- am researching it in the present time in fact.
Thanks for your relevant, clear and honest insight.
AliveNside 1 year ago
wow it is against the law to spend that much time on public land???? last time i checked we are all the public ????? i would love to see that policy in writing.
swoop1111 1 year ago
@swoop1111 The law usually stipulates that 21 days is the maximum that one can camp on public lands however the law also says that if you pack up and move 25 miles, you then can legally camp for another 21 days.
Desertphile parked in locations where humans were non-existent or so infrequent that the only people who could conceivably notice him were in fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. The helicopters in that region only patrol near the power lines running through the desert.
NotSoOldHippy 1 year ago
I found your cave also. It has an amazing view. I am a shopping mall developer and I am going to build on your cave. Beautiful spot. Thank you very much. You cave is going to be the final hole on our putt putt golf course.
evencode 1 year ago
Fake.
justanotherbum007 1 year ago
@justanotherbum007 LOL. Dude, just google "Desertphile" and see who he is. He's famous around the world for his desert treks and world sailing travels and stuff. He also is known for what's called "desertphile hats" -- hats he used to own that are sold at auction.
NotSoOldHippy 1 year ago
I call bullshit.
justanotherbum007 1 year ago
HAHAHA
NovaScotiaRivers 1 year ago
@BestCatEvaDontHateMe
ROFL... if desertphile is the craziest guy you've seen on YouTube you haven't seen YouTube...
I can show you were the CrAzY people hang out.
DeathofSpeech 1 year ago
this man doesnt even know how to camp
suicidebypolice 1 year ago
@suicidebypolice LOL. Um, wrong. Desertphile is famous for his desert travels and his world-wide sailing, among other things. He works on a ranch on the edge of the Big Rez Indian reservation, working as a cowboy. A Google search will turn up details about his history around the world.
NotSoOldHippy 1 year ago
I love tarantulas...
I am raising one :-D
TimJMorrison 1 year ago
I saw your photos on wunderground.
wrght9185 1 year ago
Question: Do you do this on public lands? Where can you do this without getting in trouble if you are found by authorities/someone?
WizzleThump 1 year ago
@WizzleThump ; Yes indeed, it is against the law to spend that much time on public land. One must hide, which is not too hard to do when on foot. The toughest part is hiding one's car.
Desertphile 1 year ago
Comment removed
mistermateriel 1 year ago
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@Desertphile
DUDE I FEEL THE SAME WAY! I wish I could take a break from society, but I need to learn how to live in the desert.
mistermateriel 1 year ago
@Desertphile If you did this with a bike and trailer you could have made longer trips for water and wood. I personally would have chosen territory other than desert but I live in La where we are surrounded by water and insects. I would have rather been in a place where I could have used a Metal detector to locate things like meterorites and lost things never know what went through an area.
cdltpx 1 year ago
@Desertphile
When you were living away from people in the cave near Death Valley did you come into contact with any Extraterrestrials, see any UFO's, spirits or any other paranormal phenomena?
mistermateriel 1 year ago
@WizzleThump You can stay on public land for as long as you want. Most regulations say you can't stay in one location for more than 14 continues days. So BLM land is pretty much open for your living just about anywhere as long as you do not make a permanent structure and you do not stay for more that 14 days in one place. You can go to a different place for day and then come back to the original for another 14 days.
jrwilson98 8 months ago
I'm sorry but this sounds too staged and i think it is fake .
Puterdad 1 year ago
I can't, for the life of me, understand why you received so many thumbs down on your video. I hope you are able to go back to your desert retreat one day!
MindAndMarzipan 1 year ago
when you are alone you really are in good company. even people you like as Thoreau said can't be tolerated very long as they will erode your happiness.
learn to be alone and quiet and calm in your mind. hold no conversations with yourself which is a norm stupid and harmfull as it is with people. enjoy the enviroment of the peace and quiet of solitude existing in a beautiful forest or in the ever quiet desert.
atfatw 1 year ago
How much rent did you pay?
homertalk 1 year ago
Desertphile, thanks for the video and for showing us all that it is still possible
for us to live at least a temporary hermitic life, free from what "Chatsworth 1966" correctly calls the "birdcage of society". Good luck and may the "Divine Force" be with you.
fineartist 1 year ago
very interesting - thanks for sharing your experiences
goldcreekfilms 1 year ago
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so, where is the book this is a really interesting story and very funny. I think you have gotten some military training though.
ouivalerie 1 year ago
so, where is the book this is a really interesting story and very funny. I think you have gotten some military training though.
ouivalerie 1 year ago
so, where is the book this is a really interesting story and very funny. I think you have gotten some military training though.
ouivalerie 1 year ago
that sun fried ur brain
skillLoc90 1 year ago
Wow, you are serioulsy hardcore! What would happen if the BLM or who ever own that land finds you?
Adawg4008 1 year ago
If caught I would have been arrested for trespassing. I do not know what the fine would have been.
Desertphile 1 year ago
@Desertphile Trespassing on public lands? Man, only in America.
cffnmkr13 1 year ago
@cffnmkr13 funny terminology, isn't it? Living off the grid is trespassing because no one's collecting rent from you...we'll never be truly free.
threepercenter03 1 year ago
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@Adawg4008 you are another stupid fucking american coward.
dfsgdfgad 1 year ago
Brings back memories. Your setup was PURE LUXURY compared to what I had--no bath, anyhow... :)
GetMeThere1 2 years ago
Man! You had water, shelter and food. You were better off than millions of others, who have less than that, and rampaging armed militias or pirates, to boot. Even in that situation, you were still in the top 20% or so, for living standards, and when you had enough, you returned to civilization with all your limbs and facalties intact.
Snurdgerbly 2 years ago
Should have eaten the rattlesnakes and tarantulas..
Syrinx69 2 years ago
the spider on 3:09 looks like having a smiling human face O_o
Daiuzarneim 2 years ago
what is the legal status of doing such living on wild land...(the land must belong to somebody, government?) Will they evict you, or arrest you for vagabond? Trespassing?
stargen5 2 years ago
Howdy! It is against the law to live on public land in the USA. Some places are limited to a four-day stay; other places allow twenty-one days. Staying longer is trespassing.
Desertphile 2 years ago
@Desertphile Did you ever notice a UFO during the night?
hrbear 1 year ago
Howdy! I have seen thousands of UFOs. None of them were space aliens, however.
Desertphile 1 year ago
@Desertphile How do you know? Can you expand a little? I'm interested.
z31man 1 year ago
You are one hardcore dude, if I saw either the snake or tarantula I would have ran out of that cave screaming like a little girl.(;_;)
zxvc1 2 years ago
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what the hell is this? it is the sadest attempt of humour ive seen LOL
BlackBird10111 2 years ago
i have always been mystified by the desert out there. been thru it a few times. 1 day i will come bk. hope 2 c u. split a case a beer. then go bk to minnesota and freeze lol
RAZOR2177 2 years ago 3
No videos of you surviving in the cave?
hellokitty2007 2 years ago 2
I did not have a video camera during my cave life. I am considering visiting the cave, and Desertphile Spring, in December; if I do I will bring a camera.
Desertphile 2 years ago
We are waiting for the December footage...
hellokitty2007 2 years ago
I have already found your cave!! I am currently setting up for a long stay now.Please do not attempt to come back! It is now my cave. Thankyou
SAMMY32323232 2 years ago 23
Go ahead and eat the crackers I left there. :-) They're probably stale by now.
Desertphile 2 years ago
@SAMMY32323232 with an internet hookup?
andyjarhead666 1 year ago
@SAMMY32323232
CAVE FIGHT!
alikill 9 months ago
I'm going to deathvalley,you don't want to fight me if i''m in your cave,I am well armed
verdemanthe1 2 years ago 2
Great video and song thanks for sharing your experience!
Carlsarv 2 years ago
excellent vid, hats off to ya
yukseleyy 2 years ago
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I'm so attached to society that one week in a hermit's shoes would drive me to suicide.
Unless they've got a Starbucks there. Then I've safe forever.
AnimalNitrates 2 years ago
You're right, you could never live outside a city in that sort of condition.
Solechnaya 2 years ago
and how was your daily routine and what did you eat there? snakes? some say rattlesnakes are tasty.
puddingkatapult 2 years ago 3
I truly admire you.
GrandMasterSloth 2 years ago 6
interesting, but you're startin' to talk like yosemite sam!
aogilmor 2 years ago 4
I think the wilderness has touched his mind, he is kind of different, from what i am accustomed to...
rossjadon 2 years ago
Would you get angry if I ran up on your shack and rushed in? Cause I might journey through the desert. Who knows...we might run into eachother. You wont try to eat me?
TyteTyson 2 years ago
"Would you get angry if I ran up on your shack and rushed in?"
Hopefully I am so well hidden that nobody will ever find me. :-)
Desertphile 2 years ago
I'm still baffled by this guy. You gotta be tough to live there with snakes and tarantula's. I would have at least brought way more supplies.
FreedomFromAllFear 2 years ago
You started talking to yourself, didn't you?
tanerofies 2 years ago
tanerofies: "You started talking to yourself, didn't you?"
Well, who knows as much as you do, and, would be interested in the same subjects, and during a discussion could add something new without re-covering old ground?
uploadJ 2 years ago
Another great video. 5 stars.
Thanks for shareing.
RHEAD100 3 years ago
Wow it's amazing you did this, I always wanted to do something like this but I don't think I could last more than two days, lol.
SilensSomnium 3 years ago
Being that a year ago on Christmas Day I was on the Mojave Rd, I just had to revisit this video. Still hard to believe that you spent 22 months out there. 4 days is enough for me at one time LOL... Happy Yule DP!
mobiltec 3 years ago
30 months, with a break. I don't know if I can make it to the East Mojave in April, but I am considering it. I want to do a video documentry about the Mojave Road and its history.
Desertphile 3 years ago
DesertPhile: whats wrong with a tent?
LimpLoser 3 years ago
"DesertPhile: whats wrong with a tent?"
Tents are good to have, but they do not last long in the desert; they also provide no insulating.
Desertphile 3 years ago
Tarantulas. AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
LimpLoser 3 years ago
If I had a water filter, solar cooker, and a small tent to keep the locals from crawling on me i wouldnt mind that kind of living at all. I have worked security in distant places away from everything! It is so peaceful! Now i need to get a shipment of medical supplies monthly so i cant wonder too far! I will do it again! Nice Video!
toobroke2fight 3 years ago
do you know phil garlington?
josephdupont 3 years ago
I do not know Garlington, though he has done some similar living skills. He is located far to the south-south-east (Smoke Tree Valley) from my cave near Death Valley.
Desertphile 3 years ago
Hmm. Atascadero has a vacancy if you want to check out for a while.
kirkmach32 3 years ago
If you took a solar oven you would have saved yourself the trouble of looking for wood 80% of the time.
sculptor1965 3 years ago
Desert Pile thanks for sharing all your homey stories. Now stay out there and leave us alone. LOL.
johnknoefler 3 years ago
Say this is the music for "Drifter Dyke"!
mobiltec 3 years ago
This is the first Desertphile video that I ever saw. I was attracted to the fact that you spent almost two years in the Mojave. Took me a while to find it. Glad they didn't delete all your files.
mobiltec 3 years ago
Keep writing!
Seclusion & Peace is so important!
Tweety2U2 3 years ago
Howdy again! Yes indeed, coyotes eat the Juniper berries here in New Mexico as well; they also eat "coyote gourds" (Cucurbita palmata) which one finds in the Mojave Desert--- some American Indians eat and ate these "melons."
Desertphile 3 years ago
Howdy! As far as I know nothing on juniper is safe to eat: the berries make gin, if I recall correctly. The Mojave has Indian Rice Grass and Mesquite beans, and young Yucca roots; there is "prickly pears" (also called "cactus apples") on some of the cactus. I do not have any knowledge of the subject, so I can't say just what is out there one may eat.
Desertphile 3 years ago
when i was little i made my fort under a juniper berry bush.that is my favorite smell.i have agoraphobia.the desert is home.i writhe wih jealousy seeing this.i am trapped across the country.ill make it back if i have to crawl.tell too many though and they will invade.keep us secret
zombieowl 3 years ago
That sounds like a really good book, how is it going?
supersummersalts 3 years ago
"That sounds like a really good book, how is it going?"
Tentative publish date is October of this year, but the editor wants me to remove the "culturally sensitive" parts; I object to that removal request.
Desertphile 3 years ago
I was just in Red Rock Canyon this past weekend sleeping in a truck in the middle of nowhere, but got some awesome pictures of the beautiful rock walls. There's some people around, but you can find places that no one else goes, if you have a powerful enough vehicle.
Relyt22 3 years ago
"... but you can find places that no one else goes, if you have a powerful enough vehicle."
There are also a few dude ranches there where one may get a horse to ride. I've wanted to do that but haven't done so. Thank you for =reminding me--- I'll add it to my list of things to do.
Desertphile 3 years ago
I love this video, I've talked with DesertPhile, and he's given me some excellent advice, so when I resign my Commission I can go ahead and take a few months in a nice mountain retreat. I think it'll be wonderful.
CW2Austin 3 years ago
You're living my dream..
anon1001110101 3 years ago
I cant believe this! For sometimes now, our government & other things that have been going on..have made me think about taking my whole family & running for the mountains/caves. Except I want to go to the ones in Chihuahua. Nice to see that it is possible. Thanx for sharing*
lilkrikit 3 years ago
"For sometimes now, our government & other things that have been going on...."
The Bush2 Regime will try very hard to destroy what's left of America in their last days--- so that President Hilary Clinton will have an extremely difficult time trying to repair the damage. Bush1 did the same thing.
Desertphile 3 years ago
I'll bet someone could learn everything there is to know about themselves if they did this.
RinEdition 3 years ago
this is like beverly hillbillies
lovemetender1231 3 years ago
Did you consider a solar cooker? A good box cooker built with glare reducing flaps could help with the firewood problem. With several, you could pasteurize your water easily.
MortimerTuesday 4 years ago 3
"Did you consider a solar cooker?"
Yes indeed. My web site at desertphile dot org shows the solar oven I made. What I would love to have is a parabolic mirror instead--- much more heat. But I cannot find one that I can afford to buy.
Desertphile 4 years ago
Desertphile, have you ever visited Barker Ranch down in the Southern end of Death Valley?
Chatsworth1966 4 years ago
"Desertphile, have you ever visited Barker Ranch down in the Southern end of Death Valley?"
No, I have never been there. I tended to wander the mid-eastern edge of Death Valley.
Desertphile 4 years ago
Your story is an interesting one because living on the land is something that people have forgotten how to do and most people couldn't survive outside of the birdcage we call society.
Chatsworth1966 4 years ago 9
I agree. We have become TOO DEPENDENT on technology that it's not funny!! When this world goes Mad Max, we are going to be fucked up because NOBODY will know how to start a fire with two sticks or something like that!!
LordShadrach 3 years ago
@Chatsworth1966 yes but what if society were to collapse? the once great home you called society has just turned into a frying pan and THEN it's survival of the fittest
Vlaxerman343 1 year ago
you're funny. I like the quote at 04:33 - that bit does it for me. xD
quincentenary 4 years ago
5 months ago you stated you'd consider adding more videos such as this one.
That would be of great interest to many, considering the 5000+ hits this video has received.
Being of a mechanical mind and not so much a ponderer of evolutionary theory, or a fan of organized religion, I jones for more "how to" videos from you.
All the best in the new year and thanks.
TheDudeJeffLebowski 4 years ago
"5 months ago you stated you'd consider adding more videos such as this one."
Greetings. I have done a few "Going Feral" videos on the subject, some rather recent. I should probably link them together, or add them to a play list.
Desertphile 4 years ago
A play list would be a good idea. It takes some considerable amount of clicking if one wants to see your earlier videos.
Also, it kind of sucks if you have to look for the next video every 3 to 5 minutes... that goes for all of youtube, of course.
romanoskar 4 years ago 2
Over two and a half years ago, I commented from my old channel: TheDudeJeffLebowski. I just read that you're perhaps returning to the cave. *crowd goes wild* ~*roar*~. Yes, that would nice to see on..."film".
PS: Glad you didn't die this year.
That was a close one though! *yikes*
Cheers DP, ~JTC.
JeffTheCanuck2 2 years ago
Impressive stuff. More people ought to experience solitude over an extended period of time..but 22 months. My longest take, that I am somewhat proud of, was a 4 weeks stay in the snowy mountains of scandinavia, living in a cottage all alone with only nature around.
Anyone able to pull this off in todays western world deserves respect. Thank you for sharing, and I'd love to read about it once you get to it.
GermanExceptionalism 4 years ago
"... a 4 weeks stay in the snowy mountains of Scandinavia, living in a cottage all alone with only nature around."
That sounds far more difficult than being in the deserts of North America. We get snow but not nearly as much as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. It is much colder there! Burr! :-)
Desertphile 4 years ago
Wow, man. Did any of that conjure up any thoughts of the Navajo and Ute Natives that have lived there on that very land for THOUSANDS of years like that up to about 100 short years ago, and the psychological and physical anguish in the process of being "removed"? It shure did for me. And for some reason, that song at the end was kinda depressing, like lonely. But great stuff,man. You are truly an extraordinary one. Remarkable.
Machetazo1 4 years ago
Great go along with tune
desertblbuesman 4 years ago
Hey man. I love almost all of your videos. One question- was squatting where you did illegal? You'd be surprised, in some places it isn't..
Just wondering.
ubernerd35 4 years ago
"One question- was squatting where you did illegal?"
I take the Fifth Amendment on that question.
Desertphile 4 years ago
haha. I understand. :)
ubernerd35 4 years ago
There's some good caves up by Steamwell as well. Good story-telling! I hope we don't wind up fighting for a cave in the desert. haha...
redchango 4 years ago
"There's some good caves up by Steamwell as well. Good story-telling! I hope we don't wind up fighting for a cave in the desert. haha..."
Hee! Considering how Fort Irwin has been illegally grabbing up public land, we might end up fighting THEM for cave space. They already grabbed Cave Spring and Gold Stone, damn them.
Desertphile 4 years ago
wow you are amazing man im so happy i found you i love all your stuff im now subscribed :D
Morton1994 4 years ago
"wow you are amazing man im so happy i found you i love all your stuff im now subscribed :D"
Thank you very much! :-) I am not amazing: I'm crazy---- there's a huge difference. Now and then I dream of being back in my cave.
Desertphile 4 years ago
Thanks for sharing. I feel a bit more -normal- after watching your video. :P
I did the "hermit thing" for only fifty days on a mountain next to river so my surrounding experience was different. My tent kept out the small critters, except mice kept trying to bite their way in at night.
Forty days of it was spent only drinking river water which I purified through a hand pump ceramic camping filter. Not to mention I had the luxury of taking a bath every day -quite cold but refreshing. =)
STlMPY 4 years ago
"Not to mention I had the luxury of taking a bath every day -quite cold but refreshing. =)"
Gods, that must have been so much nicer than a sponge bath every week with dirty water. :-) I hope there are more hermits out there.
Desertphile 4 years ago