Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I've seen the Waltons and the Beverly Hillbillies, but I came across an area in the Shenandoah area of Virginia, up near the West Virginia border that was almost as bad as the movie Wrong Turn. I'm not much of a traveler or a country person at all, but my ex boyfriend lived up near there and his family were hicks. My life was threatened by these people and I got stranded for awhile.

So suppose there was no one as deranged as those horror movies, would you chose to be a mountain person?

So, what exactly is a mountain person?  My first thought was of a hiker/scrambler/backpacker, and I thought sure, I love that stuff.  Then I read your post and realized you were talking about hillbillies.  Or maybe you are excluding hillbillies.  So I don't know how to answer.

Quote from: KathyLauren on April 05, 2016, 06:50:35 AM
So, what exactly is a mountain person?  My first thought was of a hiker/scrambler/backpacker, and I thought sure, I love that stuff.  Then I read your post and realized you were talking about hillbillies.  Or maybe you are excluding hillbillies.  So I don't know how to answer.

People literally living off the land in an isolated mountain area.

My grandmother really was a mountain person.  She was from Harlan County, Kentucky.


Sapere Aude

Sure would. Most of my family is from a very rural section of VA (Bland and Wythe County), and if I could find a job that paid enough to cover my bills, I'd be down there in a heartbeat. My roommate and I are currently looking at property in WV to build a weekend hunting cabin on.

But I like the quiet, I like those sorts of outdoor activities, and I like self sufficiency. I grew up in a very rural part of Maryland (more river-y than mountain-y, but still full of hillbillies) and for me, that's just an ideal lifestyle in an ideal environment. I'd gladly give up the ease of access I currently have in DC for some genuine solitude and the ability to do whatever I want on my property within reason.

Yep. I like wilderness and dislike urban sprawl.

I live in a farmland area. It's not wilderness but close as can be for about 400 miles, excluding the moors.

Quote from: Deborah on April 05, 2016, 07:46:57 AM
My grandmother really was a mountain person.  She was from Harlan County, Kentucky.


Sapere Aude

Were you fascinating with her lifestyle? Would you live that way?

Quote from: FTMax on April 05, 2016, 09:18:27 AM
Sure would. Most of my family is from a very rural section of VA (Bland and Wythe County), and if I could find a job that paid enough to cover my bills, I'd be down there in a heartbeat. My roommate and I are currently looking at property in WV to build a weekend hunting cabin on.

But I like the quiet, I like those sorts of outdoor activities, and I like self sufficiency. I grew up in a very rural part of Maryland (more river-y than mountain-y, but still full of hillbillies) and for me, that's just an ideal lifestyle in an ideal environment. I'd gladly give up the ease of access I currently have in DC for some genuine solitude and the ability to do whatever I want on my property within reason.

I grew up sort of out in the country in a small town, but prefer the city as an adult and feel cut off in rural areas and get very depressed.

Quote from: alienbodybuilder on April 05, 2016, 02:42:37 PM

Quote from: FTMax on April 05, 2016, 09:18:27 AM
Sure would. Most of my family is from a very rural section of VA (Bland and Wythe County), and if I could find a job that paid enough to cover my bills, I'd be down there in a heartbeat. My roommate and I are currently looking at property in WV to build a weekend hunting cabin on.

But I like the quiet, I like those sorts of outdoor activities, and I like self sufficiency. I grew up in a very rural part of Maryland (more river-y than mountain-y, but still full of hillbillies) and for me, that's just an ideal lifestyle in an ideal environment. I'd gladly give up the ease of access I currently have in DC for some genuine solitude and the ability to do whatever I want on my property within reason.

I grew up sort of out in the country in a small town, but prefer the city as an adult and feel cut off in rural areas and get very depressed.

I live in a city now and I like the conveniences like 24-hour shopping, public transportation, and the like. I think the only thing I'd be concerned about in moving to a rural place as a trans person is finding a good healthcare provider. So for now, my ventures into the mountains will be on the weekends only :)

Quote from: alienbodybuilder on April 05, 2016, 02:41:14 PM
Were you fascinating with her lifestyle? Would you live that way?

My ideal would be to live in an isolated place in Alaska (but near a road).  I did live there for four years and it was my ideal.  With the right clothes even the weather isn't really unpleasant until it gets below around -30F.

I lived on an island for eight years.  Because of exorbitant ferry fares, we learned to limit our trips off-island to once every three weeks.  We grew a lot of our own fruit and veggies, supplemented by organic produce bought from on-island growers.

We learned to keep a good supply of food on hand, and were well equipped to suvive week-long power failures.  We weren't off-grid, but we had neighbours who were.  The same neighbours lived in a 140 square foot house that they built themselves, before "tiny houses" were trendy.  They were building a "big" house when we left: 400 square feet.

There was a surprising amount of stuff to do for an isolated community of 1100 people.  It had the highest percentage of PHD holders of any community in Canada, believe it or not.  Lots of interesting people.  The local electrician had a PHD in marine biology, and there was a potter with a PHD in social sciences.

The best years of my life (so far) were there.  The 1960s were alive and well there.

Quote from: Deborah on April 05, 2016, 03:03:16 PM
My ideal would be to live in an isolated place in Alaska (but near a road).  I did live there for four years and it was my ideal.  With the right clothes even the weather isn't really unpleasant until it gets below around -30F.

I would love to live in Alaska.

Quote from: Deborah on April 05, 2016, 03:03:16 PM
My ideal would be to live in an isolated place in Alaska (but near a road).  I did live there for four years and it was my ideal.  With the right clothes even the weather isn't really unpleasant until it gets below around -30F.

I have dreamed of living in a snowy wasteland like Alaska, but not sure I have the courage. Other dream vacations would include Iceland, Russia, Germany.

The only thing that scares me is my body temperature having to adjust to a person who as lived there all their lives. I'm a native Virginian.

Would you be interested in sharing any memories with me about what it was like to live in Alaska?

Quote from: KathyLauren on April 06, 2016, 08:31:26 AM
I lived on an island for eight years.  Because of exorbitant ferry fares, we learned to limit our trips off-island to once every three weeks.  We grew a lot of our own fruit and veggies, supplemented by organic produce bought from on-island growers.

We learned to keep a good supply of food on hand, and were well equipped to suvive week-long power failures.  We weren't off-grid, but we had neighbours who were.  The same neighbours lived in a 140 square foot house that they built themselves, before "tiny houses" were trendy.  They were building a "big" house when we left: 400 square feet.

There was a surprising amount of stuff to do for an isolated community of 1100 people.  It had the highest percentage of PHD holders of any community in Canada, believe it or not.  Lots of interesting people.  The local electrician had a PHD in marine biology, and there was a potter with a PHD in social sciences.

The best years of my life (so far) were there.  The 1960s were alive and well there.

That sounds great. Thank you for sharing the memory. I'm sure you would have to have your house as small as possible to keep warm and afford the heat.

 I currently live 12 miles from the nearest town, not off grid but on the frayed edges of it.  Been living here 20 years, good things and bad things about living so isolated.
One good thing is I can crank up my amp till I get that glorious power tube distortion and full body immersion where your body literally resonates with the sound that you can only get at high volume.
Bad is that it is not the best environment for raising children that have not only inherited your gender dysphoria, but social anxiety and predisposition for depression as well.
 

I'm a lakeside forest person. Haven't ever even seen a mountain, since there aren't any in my homeland.

Quote from: FreyasRedemption on April 07, 2016, 10:11:58 AM
I'm a lakeside forest person. Haven't ever even seen a mountain, since there aren't any in my homeland.

You sound so interesting. Where are you from, Miss?

Quote from: alienbodybuilder on April 07, 2016, 08:30:56 PM
You sound so interesting. Where are you from, Miss?

Finland, the land of lakes, forests, and lakeside forests.

Erm, I live on a mountain and although my whole paternal family pretty much live around here, I'm pretty damn far from an inbred if that's your first thought of my kind...

Quote from: FreyasRedemption on April 08, 2016, 10:11:33 AM
Finland, the land of lakes, forests, and lakeside forests.

Sounds beautiful.Is it cold much of the year?

Quote from: schwarzwalderkirschtort on April 08, 2016, 06:00:34 PM
Erm, I live on a mountain and although my whole paternal family pretty much live around here, I'm pretty damn far from an inbred if that's your first thought of my kind...

I have no preconceived notions, but I have had some bad experiences in rural areas.

I grew up in the foothills of the appalachians and we went hiking 3 or 4 days a week and when the adults told us to "go play" we went to the woods mostly in the mountains. I've met plenty mountain people who seem like incest victims but their way of life looked super peaceful.

Half my relatives were that kind of hicks anyway, just pretending not to be. Like it didn't cross my mind until my late twenties that bathing in a metal bucket with cold water in the yard isn't normal. We were totally hill trash, and when we weren't we were swamp trash.

I walked away from all that because people in those cultures are mean to people who are different, but I miss it every day. I live in an ultra-liberal city where I'm respected as a person even when people know I'm trans or know I date guys or know I'm a single parent or know I recycle or know I don't go to church or whatever, but they aren't nice if I try to talk about rednecks back home as people worth talking to. Even all them that were cruel to me about how ->-bleeped-<-gy I was or whatever are people with families and jobs and who are probably doing their best to be good humans. People up here let me be gay and trans and poor without penalties but they expect me to be judgy as hell along with them.

I miss the mountains. I've lived outside before and it's way easier than dealing with "modern" life and I'd go back to it in a heartbeat if I didn't have responsibilities. Especially up north where people are chill. The judgy stuff here sucks but it almost never leads to beatings or arrests or deaths.

Quote from: alienbodybuilder on April 09, 2016, 06:31:30 AM
Sounds beautiful.Is it cold much of the year?

The winter definitely is, whether the autumn and the early spring count depends on how one defines "cold".
Then again, there's the whole thing with global warming. The effects are clearly showing here, what with the snow coming three months later than usual and all that.

Quote from: FreyasRedemption on April 09, 2016, 08:41:47 AM
The winter definitely is, whether the autumn and the early spring count depends on how one defines "cold".
Then again, there's the whole thing with global warming. The effects are clearly showing here, what with the snow coming three months later than usual and all that.

There are people who are happy with that :) .

How is daylight, are the days during summer that much longer ?
And do people spend a lot of time in nature during summer ?
Someone said people take their vacation in summer and take off for the woods.


*hugs*

Quote from: Laura_7 on April 09, 2016, 08:45:42 AM
There are people who are happy with that :) .

How is daylight, are the days during summer that much longer ?
And do people spend a lot of time in nature during summer ?
Someone said people take their vacation in summer and take off for the woods.


*hugs*

Well, people don't really have a reason to be happy about the delayed snowfall, least of all me. It's still cold, and since it's not cold enough for snow, it rains instead. A cold rain of water just above the freezing point that is by all means worse than any kind of snowfall. Without snow, everything is also much darker, in a time of the year that is bleak enough to make people depressed for no good reason. Also, the usual effects of winter on our nature still take place. That is, about 90% of all living things go to some form of hibernation. The rest struggle to feed themselves, die, or crawl inside houses to take shelter. I've seen about a dozen different spiders wander around my house during this winter alone.

Daylight at summer? The Finnish midsummer is famous for the "midnight sun", which is exactly what it sounds like!

Yeah, people here are all about moving to their summer cottages for at least a while during the summer. Most of those cottages are lake-or seaside. My family were never big fans of those, we have plenty of nature around us already, and as such we don't need one.

Quote from: Felix on April 09, 2016, 07:14:06 AM
I grew up in the foothills of the appalachians and we went hiking 3 or 4 days a week and when the adults told us to "go play" we went to the woods mostly in the mountains. I've met plenty mountain people who seem like incest victims but their way of life looked super peaceful.

Half my relatives were that kind of hicks anyway, just pretending not to be. Like it didn't cross my mind until my late twenties that bathing in a metal bucket with cold water in the yard isn't normal. We were totally hill trash, and when we weren't we were swamp trash.

I walked away from all that because people in those cultures are mean to people who are different, but I miss it every day. I live in an ultra-liberal city where I'm respected as a person even when people know I'm trans or know I date guys or know I'm a single parent or know I recycle or know I don't go to church or whatever, but they aren't nice if I try to talk about rednecks back home as people worth talking to. Even all them that were cruel to me about how ->-bleeped-<-gy I was or whatever are people with families and jobs and who are probably doing their best to be good humans. People up here let me be gay and trans and poor without penalties but they expect me to be judgy as hell along with them.

I miss the mountains. I've lived outside before and it's way easier than dealing with "modern" life and I'd go back to it in a heartbeat if I didn't have responsibilities. Especially up north where people are chill. The judgy stuff here sucks but it almost never leads to beatings or arrests or deaths.

I don't judge the way someone grew up. I judge how they act/treat towards me and others.

Quote from: FreyasRedemption on April 09, 2016, 02:30:08 PM
Well, people don't really have a reason to be happy about the delayed snowfall, least of all me. It's still cold, and since it's not cold enough for snow, it rains instead. A cold rain of water just above the freezing point that is by all means worse than any kind of snowfall. Without snow, everything is also much darker, in a time of the year that is bleak enough to make people depressed for no good reason. Also, the usual effects of winter on our nature still take place. That is, about 90% of all living things go to some form of hibernation. The rest struggle to feed themselves, die, or crawl inside houses to take shelter. I've seen about a dozen different spiders wander around my house during this winter alone.

Daylight at summer? The Finnish midsummer is famous for the "midnight sun", which is exactly what it sounds like!

Yeah, people here are all about moving to their summer cottages for at least a while during the summer. Most of those cottages are lake-or seaside. My family were never big fans of those, we have plenty of nature around us already, and as such we don't need one.

Those dark cold places look beautiful in pictures but I have a problem with depression and the lack of sunlight would get to me.

Quote from: alienbodybuilder on April 09, 2016, 06:05:32 PM
Those dark cold places look beautiful in pictures but I have a problem with depression and the lack of sunlight would get to me.

Well I asked because in places like finnland it depends on where you are ...
in the south its more moderate up north its like the sun shines almost all day long in summer ... only a few hours night ... people work in the garden at 10 PM ...


*hugs*

Quote from: Laura_7 on April 09, 2016, 06:08:55 PM
Well I asked because in places like finland it depends on where you are ...
in the south its more moderate up north its like the sun shines almost all day long in summer ... only a few hours night ... people work in the garden at 10 PM ...


*hugs*

Where are you from, Laura?

Quote from: alienbodybuilder on April 09, 2016, 06:11:49 PM
Where are you from, Laura?

Not from finnland ... i just talked to a few people ... and from what I heard it can go to extremes the farther up north people are ...

*hugs*