How to Survive a Year in the Woods

Spending a year alone in the woods can test your ability to keep your head screwed on straight. But if you've decided to go the Thoreau route, there are a few steps you can take to make sure you don't devolve irretrievably. While you might not emerge with a chronicle of your adventures to rival "Walden," you may find the experience has been immeasurably enriching.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Prepare a comfortable home wherever you intend to stay throughout your year in the woods. The romantic appeal of an overly rustic dwelling quickly diminishes when the first cold snap hits.
2. Stock an interesting and diverse library. Reading material can help you pull through long periods of isolation.
3. Consider the merits of adopting a puppy from the pound and taking it along for the expedition. Besides companionship, a canine's alertness can prove to be invaluable when trying to survive a year alone in the woods.
4. Keep a regular journal of your effort to survive a year in the woods. Writing down your emotional response to such an extreme situation might offer an excellent chance for introspection.
5. Stay on a regular chore schedule so that your daily routine retains some kind of meaning. Lapsing into long periods of idleness guarantees struggles with depression.
6. Maintain mail correspondence with those outside of your attempt to survive alone in the woods. The permanence of outside human connections helps lift your spirits in difficult times.