18:17
- Hey guys, I have a little story that I wanna start with today. The other day I had my grandparents visiting me here at camp and my grandpa when he saw the setup, was like amazed. He was like, this is magical, this is incredible. You're so lucky. And then my grandma on the other hand was like, this is terrifying, this is so uncomfortable. I could never live here if you paid me like a million dollars. And it was really interesting to kind of see that difference between them. And then this morning I woke up and I looked up at the wall of my tent and I realized that this guy is here.
Just a little daddy long legs, nothing special. I mean, not so little. He's pretty big. And then the other day I had a lizard here in my clothes. And last night I had a grasshopper in my hair. So I can see how this life would feel kind of extreme and uncomfortable to a lot of people, but to some others, myself included, it feels pretty magical. So I wanna explore that with you guys today a little bit because it's a really interesting point of difference. And we also have a couple of missions for today. First of all, we need to chop some wood, which I'm not very good at, which I need to keep practicing 'cause the days are really nice and warm right now. But they're gonna start getting cold really soon. And then we're gonna go see Shaman.
Oh yeah, you know, I have a fricking horse now I have a horse. So we have to go see Shaman. So that's what we're gonna be doing today. And I wanna tell you a little bit about some of the discomforts and fears and all the like unusual things that I kind of take for granted when I'm out here. But that probably might come across as really shocking to some of you. So yes, let's go chop up some wood. This has quickly become like my favorite ever tool. I love it so much. I can't believe I used to live without a chainsaw in my life.
How did I do it? I don't know, oh. (upbeat music) And to anyone who says that Vilk doesn't like riding in the side by side, let me just show you one thing real quick and close your eyes if you're underage. Vilk, why do you have your lipstick out? I mean, looks like a happy boy to me, but I guess I could be wrong. (upbeat music) I love you so much. Football. So I guess chopping wood is a very good example of like one simple discomfort.
I mean, for the vast majority of human existence we've had to chop wood to make it warm for ourselves, right? But now we've got like aircon, we've got central heating, we never have to think about things like this. And so to kind of come in and start doing it all over again like humans used to, for the vast majority of human existence, it's kind of new. It's kind of different and it actually takes a lot of time. This is what we're gonna be chopping today. One, two, three, four, five, six trees. We can do it. (upbeat country music)
Oh. Oh, I hate that sound. It's so much better. (gentle music) This looks like I've cut down two trees, but this looks like I haven't even made a dent in the pile. This took me like over an hour and I don't know how long this fire would will last me, but probably like a week in the tent maybe a little less and that is hard work. But you know what? Like in a way, I love being out here because I will never ever run out of like sources of warmth. This is something that I realized the other day that like there's so many trees here and there's so many fallen dead trees
that I like I could heat up my life for years, decades probably with all of this wood. So like on the one hand it looks like hard work, which it is. But on the other hand, this gives you like a lot of freedom and independence. It gives me a lot of peace of mind to know that at least I'll be warm if everything goes to shit. (gentle music) Yeah, I am gonna say something controversial that some people may not agree with, but what the heck? So I honestly believe that in an era where like AI dominates our lives we're basically spending, you know, a third of our lives
inside cubicles, in front of screens. We are starved of something profound and ancestral and primal. We're starved of the simplicity of being connected to nature, connected to mother Earth, dependent on her for things like food and nutrition and shelter. Like we're starved of being part of a simple community and thinking about the day to day rather than obsessing over what's to come and what has been. I really feel like we all have a deep and perhaps sometimes unacknowledged yearning for a simpler way of being. I do, I'll be the first to admit that.
You know, I love traveling and making travel shows. I love working with "National Geographic," but I don't know what I love more. Perhaps I love this more, you know, deep down. (upbeat music) So we're gonna go and see Shaman now. In order to get to him though, I have to run across a couple of mountains. Okay, let's go.
(upbeat music) So this is a kind of routine that I've made up. Every time I go see Shaman, which is a few times a week, I actually go on foot. So I go running across the mountains, I do a bit of a, yeah, it's a pretty heavy run, pretty solid, exhausting run. And I get to see him and then I come back on foot. So I run back the same way that I came from. So I get in, I work out and spend time with the horse, win-win. (gentle music)
So Shaman is staying at my friend's private stable with their four mares and they have this giant pasture over there that they can roam. But because there's been a new hay delivery, they just spend the whole day right here. Hey buddy. Chilling and munching and chilling and munching. Yes, good boy. Hi buddies. Hello friends. (gentle music) Hi buddy. Hello. How's it going? This whole getting a horse adventure comes with a lot of learning. I've ridden horses my whole life, but having your own horse is a different proposition entirely. As an owner, you are responsible for everything.
Your horse's, diet, wellbeing, health, behavior, everything falls on your shoulders. And I don't mind that pressure because I know that the reward is having a companion that you can go on amazing adventures with. As you can see, he is a very good boy. He is gentle friendly, like it's, he doesn't mind it if you clean him, his hooves, he's so well behaved except he's just incredibly lazy. Whatcha doing? What you up to? You enjoying this? Yeah, good. Gimme the second one.
Thank you. Oh my God. Did you see that? He just gave me his leg. I didn't even have to like touch it. He was just like, okay, here you go. He's a very good boy. (upbeat music) But with a horse like Shaman who isn't exactly the best trained or most motivated horse in the world, I'm having to start slow. This for example, is groundwork. I won't bore you with the details, but it basically involves working with your horse from the ground as opposed to from their back.
A lot of training and bonding happens this way. So that's what we're doing for now. (gentle music) As it turns out, I need to buy quite a few more things for the horse, which I guess when I got the horse I knew that I would have to get some gear and some tack, but I didn't realize that there's so many different kinds and that like one rope could be too heavy and that one halter could be too something. Oh God, and there's just so much to learn. So I'm gonna have to go to a horse riding website and order the stuff.
Well this is a pretty great opportunity to introduce you guys to the sponsor of today's video and my longtime partner Surf Shark VPN. Before I embark on any online shopping spree, before I access my online banking, before I send any sensitive files over the internet, I always, always turn on Surf Shark VPN. So A VPN is kind of like an added layer of security. It's a service that basically encrypts your online activity. Basically it kind of blurs it so that nobody can see what you're doing, what your activities are.
Nobody can access your private information online, which I think in today's world is really extremely important because cyber crime is rampant. So you wanna find ways to protect yourself. There is another really surprising advantage to using a VPN, which is to avoid price discrimination. For example, I'm currently looking for some airplane tickets for a trip that I'm planning in a couple of months from now. And using A VPN is definitely, definitely making a difference in helping me find the cheapest possible tickets because ticket prices change based on your location isn't that crazy? With Surf Shark VPN, you get access to over 3,200 servers
in a 100 plus different countries and 24/7 customer service. So in case something goes wrong or you dunno how to use something, you can always get assistance. I'll just reveal that in my new online identity. My first name is Wolf and my middle name is Pup. Yes, I am Wolf Pup (laughs) don't judge. There is literally zero risk in trying out Surf Shark VPN because they offer a 30 day money back guarantee. And I got you guys a special offer.
Just go to surf shark.com/evazubeck or use the code EVAZUBECK at checkout to get four extra months of Surf Shark VPN. Happy browsing. Okay, I got a really nice halter for Shaman, which I'm very excited about. And now we're gonna go and wash my hair because I have been sweaty today and I feel like it's time for a little upgrade. Hey Vilk, do you agree? I think Vilk wants to play. You wanna play? Do you wanna play? Yeah. (quirky music)
A very common question that I get about being here is like, aren't you scared? And frankly the answer is no I'm not really scared here ever. I think I'm more scared when I'm like walking through a city at night. That's when I get really, really scared. But out here, it's just so peaceful. There are wild animals here of course, here are like wolves. There's in fact a wolf pack that roams the forests nearby. There are bears, but they don't really approach people.
They are scared of humans. So they never really come through here. Except that one time when a wolf did pass through my land last year, that was fun. You know, I think a lot of people are scared of things like, you know, bugs and ticks. You don't really get ticks much here at all. And in terms of bugs, you kind of get used to them. They're not out here to hurt you. They're just doing their own thing, you know, they're just minding their own business.
Okay, one, two, three, this is gonna be cold. It is cold. Ooh. Oh, hello refreshing. That is refreshing, whoo ha (chuckles). Once in a while Vilk will like start randomly barking at 2:00, 3:00 or 4:00 AM. And that definitely feels a little bit scary in the moment. But I know that if he's barking and growling at something outside the tent, it is most likely just a wild animal passing through. Maybe even like the village cat, I don't know. But generally nothing serious. And you know, if the animal leaves, he stops barking, he stops growling. But I love having Vilk
because he is my personal alarm system out here. And if he spots people passing by, then he will alert me, which is amazing. Ooh, oh my God, my hair's gonna be so clean. I'm so excited. So if I had to choose like one thing that makes me feel quite uncomfortable, one thing that I am potentially scared of, it's like accidents I guess. Oh, for example, you know, when I was using the chainsaw earlier, like if I cut my leg, that would be really unfortunate. And then I would have like trouble getting down from here.
Yeah, that thought is a little scary. The idea that something can happen that debilitates you, that renders you, you know, immovable and nobody notices for a while. I guess that's like the biggest fear that I have. It's not something that I think about very much, but if I had to choose then that's why I'm scared of being out here. (gentle music)
What? Want me to brush the other side? Okay. Please tell me you share a brush with your dog or your cat, please tell me I'm not the only one. Don't judge, because have you seen that study which found that there is more germs and bacteria in men's beards than there is in dogs fur? Fact, it's a thing. (upbeat music)
Are we gonna make a fire? Oh yeah, we're gonna make a fire. The best thing about living outdoors, excuse me, can you not eat my butter? Thank you very much. The best thing about living outdoors is cooking over the fire. Every time you cook over a fire, everything tastes delicious. You know, in the end, I think that's it. It's the difficulties and the discomforts that make me love this outdoorsy life so much.
You know, just outta principle, I will never ever have a microwave or a dishwasher in my house. I'm guessing at some point I'll move into a house at some point in my life, maybe even not too distant future, but I will not have a dishwasher or a microwave and I am gonna cook over a fire as much as I possibly can. That is my promise to my future self. 'Cause this is just too satisfying. And maybe that in itself is a very luxurious and privileged choice to be able to make. Because when I'm out here, I worry slightly less about all the modern inconveniences of our 21st century life. I worry less about deadlines and meetings and projects and money and all the anxieties that the world is dealing with today.
Here's one thing I really hate about living here, and I think this is like the only thing that really annoys me and that really makes it difficult for me to be here sometimes. It's the weather and this is the one thing or one of the few things that I cannot control, the weather. When it rains here for like several days at a time, which sometimes it does, it's the mountains, then everything becomes a bit more difficult. It gets cold, the tent starts to feel really claustrophobic. I can't really go outside, I can't take Vilk out. I can't really make a fire.
Everything just becomes harder and less pleasant. So I just dunno if I can be here that much in like springtime because that's when it rains the most. I've been thinking about staying here over the winter this year, but I don't really know if it'll be possible because it really just depends on the kind of winter that it will be. If it's snowy and beautiful and crisp and cold, it's probably manageable to live in a tent. But if it's rainy and wet, it might just be a little bit too much. Always the weather, isn't it? And instead I am forced to think more about the immediate concerns, the tiny little frivolous,
trivial things that help me survive out here. Like getting my water and spending an afternoon washing my hair and chopping wood in the forest. I love being out here despite the discomforts and difficulties because in a way this lifestyle is an antidote to the modern world. It's a form of escape, I guess you could say. Okay, check this out. This looks beautiful. Gonna add some cream cheese to this mix of potatoes, onions, garlic, and carrots.
I have a feeling it's gonna be a glorious, and you know why? 'Cause it was cooked over a fire, mm-hmm. This may just be the best thing I have ever cooked in my entire life. Here it is. Vilk, isn't it glorious? I know you want to eat it, but it's mine. You've already had dinner, buddy. You've already had dinner. This is like one of the most delicious things in the entire world. And of course I'm gonna share it with you, yeah.
Just hang on a minute. Here we go. Little cheese, little cheese for you. Happy. What? So tasty. It's mine. You've already had dinner, dude, you had like breakfast and you had dinner today. You had much more than you normally have. A place where my mind gets to expand and open up. A place where I don't get crushed by the weight of the existential dread of the entire world around me. This place is where I can actually breathe right here. And once in a while, we all need to be able to take a deep breath.
I need to show you something. There's like bits of grass in this dish. There's all sorts of things in this dish. I wouldn't be surprised to find ants or a grasshopper inside this pan honestly. But I think this is like one of my favorite things that's come out of all the like discomfort and out of living outdoors is that I've become a lot less like squeamish, a lot less bothered about the little things, a lot less like spoiled in a way. I think I can just at this point eat anything, do anything, and be quite content. And that's a really huge life win, if you know what I mean.
Yep. The grass. Ooh, quite a lot of gras (chuckles). Mm. Doesn't make it any less tasty. (gentle music)
