What a year 2020 was. The uncertainty dumped on us from multiple directions — uncertainty that is far from over — is, from a historical aspect, absolutely unprecedented for the United States of America. From COVID-19 to the lockdowns to the presidential election to protestors in the streets, our way of life has been upended. I’m regularly thankful to not live in an incorporated urban area. We live among a group of neighbors we can trust if civil unrest erupts. But what if you live in an urban or suburban area and you don’t have or can’t afford a second home to retreat to? Maybe the Fortitude Ranch Survival Community is for you.
It’s a great idea that I would stand in line to ‘pay to play’ if there were standards and requirements for membership. Can you fix or make stuff, can you fix people, can you pull a calf or quarter a steer, can you break shit, whatever.
It was a rhetorical. I was merely saying I like the idea as long as the community members have some skill(s) necessary to contribute to the communities survival.
I would prefer to be with a farmer, a mechanic, and a doctor rather than an actress, a loan processor, and a trust fund baby.
I was reading as my wife says “like a guy” and couldn’t understand. Yes, you would be REQUIRED to have a useful skill set. I have, as one of the tabs in my spreadsheet, “Personnel”, with columns of what I know to be their skill sets. There are a handful of even my own family that would not be welcome to our ranch based on the lack of any beneficial skills as well as the lack of ability or will to even learn or try.
There are some who have been Red-lined even though they have a HUGE amount of skills, based on their attitude. The worst thing you could have would be a socially broken person.
This sounds like a nice idea but I wouldn’t want to go to a place that has been well advertised. Too easy for outsiders to figure out where it is. I would also prefer my retreat to be filled with people I already knew well and could trust to have my families back.
All great points, us as well not going where we don’t know everyone.
But, for the families who have NO rural friends or family, it maybe this solution or try and survive in the city or a suburb.
Prior to us living way out on our ranch, we always said “yeah… if something happens we’re going to Pedernales River State Park and grab a camp site.” We really didn’t realize that this wasn’t even close to being safe. Only 25 miles out from the city (Austin) on a major evac state route. How naive?!
I’m helping a few nephew’s around the US find redoubt land as we speak. They are young, early 30’s and can’t afford acreage on their own so they are going in with other family members or best friends.
Agree that hiding out at a campground or in the woods alone with your family is not an ideal situation in a crisis even though that is the only Plan B I can afford right now. I am fortunate to live in a rural community full of good independent people. The couple of neighbors I had who weren’t overly prepared before 2020 have been very motivated to catch up. So I hope to not need plan B.
You mean like President U.S. Grant, an alcoholic and a brawler (according to his fellow officers)? Maybe Bowie or Crockett? Social skill paradigms also shift with the circumstances. I don’t want to surround myself with the compliant or those in need of approval of a group to distinguish right from wrong or pluck up the moral courage to act upon their convictions. On the other hand, I don’t want very many thieves, no rapists, and no one who takes undo pleasure from violence or domination of others. Just food for thought…
In my experience, success vs failure in life is quite frequently determined by the quality of one’s Plan B. Plan A’s usually don’t survive “first contact” with the adversary. As a result, I have spent the past 2 decades concentrating on improving my Plan B’s and Plan C’s, while just doing “maintenance” on my Plan A’s.
I brought this topic up for great discussion on another forum, maybe in the first part of 2020, prior to the wuhan.
It was basically a consensus that the most important qualities that were required, regardless of ones skill set or the lack there of, were honesty, trustworthiness and loyalty. Virtually everything else can be taught or accepted.
Yep. These were the core attributes (in additon to courage…which I would not leave off your list) older men used to imply when they used words like “honor” and “integrity” back when I was a young man. As things get tougher going forward, old school will come back in demand and fashion.
Have enough life experience and historical knowledge to know that to be the truth! If I had the resources I would definitely have multiple pre staged backup locations. What I do have is a lot more experience wandering around and living in the backcountry with limited resources than most people do. My plan B has a healthy list of off the beaten path destinations and ways of getting there throughout the Southwest and beyond.
I will say though that being part of a community full of people who can take care of themselves has some significant potential advantages over going it alone or in a very small group.
You can basically go it near totally alone, or you’d have to be part of a large group otherwise you’ll be overrun by marauders.
The smallest “Functioning” group is about 20 able bodied (infants, toddlers, the infirm, don’t count). The thing that makes this number the minimum is this is what it takes to have the bare minimum of a security watch.
About two infantry squads or so. Pretty easy command and control wise and nimble on the move. Two more of those and you could have a very good rifle company.
I wanted to post this anonymously as to not be sued for slander.
I have personal experience with retired colonel from air force reserves. He likes to leave that part out.
He openly promotes using other people’s stored items for personal use, but more importantly he sales the same slots to different people. I think his idea is that by the time anyone knows that they were scammed it will be too late. Heaven forbid we do have a destabilization of government he know nobody will find him. It’s a Ponzi scheme. He uses the money to get more properties and put up one building on each site and a small above ground bunker that houses let’s say 10. Then sales those 10 slots to 100 people. As his workers figure out what he’s doing they leave because they don’t want to get caught up as being a part of his scams.
All I’m saying is before you give him anything do your own research. I recommend creating a community online that people join. Take a picture of your bunk with your stuff and see if anyone else has this bunk. I waited in silence figuring he would be caught, but looks like he has stayed under radar. Now I feel I would be responsible for not warning anyone.
I agree, anonymous. It’s amazing how prosperous that Ret. Colonel is considering how little membership money trickles down to the ranches for construction . . . . . .Ranch Managers are told to use unsafe construction methods (the same methods that the Col. uses) just to throw ■■■■ together and get it done. If a RM wants to follow code (the law) and crosses the Ret. Col., he is ‘blackballed’. . . . . . .
The last newsletter sent out by the Admin of Fortitude Ranch had a picture of the garden beds and it looks great. Except that was last year. This year we were planning to expand the beds and put fencing around the whole gardens as we have problems with the deer in the area. We did not receive any funding to expand the beds nor fence it. There was no room to plant all of the stuff that I had bought (without asking for reimbursement) and what I did plant was eaten by the deer. If we had to survive on that garden and the “meal bars” that are FR’s promised “2000 calories per day”,we would be a lot thinner by spring!
