Back in my younger days I was heavily into cave exploring and several times a year we would head down to West Virginia around Greenbrier County and we would spend time looking for new caves. This meant going way back in the hills and we would commonly come upon a clearing with a shack and some outhouses and it was usually a family living totally off the grid. Though very clannish we spent quite some time with them as they knew who we were mostly from our dress and the gear we carried though we were now and then greeted with a shotgun. Some very good folk up there.

Amazing how they were able to make anything they needed and deal with just about any emergency that came up. Most rarely came into town, mostly once a year for barter or sell some produce and buy the few things they couldn't make (mostly handtools, kerosene and such) and the few luxuries (to them) they had.

Most would be surprised how many there are like that scattered around the country. I've run into them in these parts.