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This is very sad, and preventable.

Reading the article it sounds like this woman unfortunately just spent too much time on social media reading all the doom and gloom of the media and people amplifying it in places like reddit, Twitter and Facebook.

wanted to live in a land disconnected from the world, which she viewed as chaotic and dangerous

she and her teenage son could be happy and safe away from the news, the viruses, the politics of modern-day America

had been “discouraged with the state of the world”

Rebecca Vance’s fears intensified during the pandemic

Consuming too much of this crap has really affected peoples mental health, from Trump, to BLM riots, racism, covid, it’s broken some people who spend too much time on social media.

So much so that they think the only way out is to hide away from society.

Reminder, friends, to take frequent and extensive breaks from social media for your own mental health.

I hate how people talk about off grid living as something you can pull off alone, that's difficult even if you allow for buying food and installing all kinds of fancy infrastructure in your home.

The truth is that properly sustainable and reliable off-grid living requires a small community, because you need a lot of labour.

I wish people would realize that humans only got to where we are because we are a COMMUNAL species. We developed complex language and tool usage BECAUSE we work together. Being "off the grid" is usually isolationist and therefore extremely dangerous. We need community in order to develop and manage the resources we need to survive.

I feel for the kid, who got dragged down by the hubris of his mom. It's troubling that we've grown so disconnected from the world we've built; we dont feel like we benefit from it at all. We can all sit here and shame this mother for being neglectful and stupid, and yet the feelings she had of a chaotic life with no upside...that's so fucking common right now.

Into the Wild was a cautionary tail that for some reason people romanticize...

What a terrible way to go. They sounded less prepared than even Chris McCandless.

I can't believe I'm recommending reality TV, but Alone is a fairly good representation of being alone in the wilderness with no resources. It is extremely unpleasant.

How did they leave a car at a campsite for months and not have any kind of search and rescue triggered?

My buddy got lost on a trail once and had to do an shitty night out in the woods, the next morning there were forest service personnel out looking for him because they spotted his car parked overnight with no camp permit posted.

I thought this was standard practice at every national and state park. An unattended vehicle is seen as a sure sign that someone is in trouble. I guess I’m never going hiking in Colorado, cause if I get in trouble the CO forest personnel are apparently just going to leave me for dead.

I feel like too many people do not respect nature. They romanticize it, and that’s a very dangerous thing. They forget that you need actual skills to survive in the wild. This didn’t have to happen.

I'd say they increased their distress, they were naive too. Living off the land is a major commitment and requires skill and knowledge. People in the past still used trade and tribes to survive that way. Even back then they didn't try to live in something as flimsy as a tent. Also, going 100% solo was a death sentence. Reminds me of Chris McCandless ("Into the Wild").

Once I watched a season of alone I dropped all illusions about running into the woods to live the naturalist life.

If anyone is thinking "lol I could do that" just watch alone, it is HARD out there in the wilds.

If they had read a few more books on survival, this would have been prevented.

Usually those books tell you that you need provisions through winter and if you don't, you need to get those provisions from someplace.

Nobody typically lives 100% off the grid the first year or more unless they're a super expert.

...the whole family?

Like, one didn't die and the rest of them didn't go "hmm this isn't a good idea..."???

Believe in many stupid trending ideas and you will end up killing yourself and your family. This is not the first time and it will happen again.

First rule of the Rocky's, don't camp / hike outside in the winter, you will not survive.

"How long were they out there, sheriff?"

"I'd say 2... Maybe 3 hours?"

They started out in late summer. In an area with very cold winters. I'm no brainiac, but even to me this seems like poor planning.

Imagine not giving up when out of food and cold

Technically, they’re still off the grid.

I understand many people are frightened in this strange world, but this is outright murder-suicide by stupidity. The kid didn't know what's happening to him. Don't run away, change the world. Or -at least- try to.