Driving south from the town of Creston in British Columbia, Canada, along a seldom traveled lonely road into the forest, one can reach the home of Doug Oberacher. This road does not lead to the town, nor does it lead to any practical destination. In the summer, the scorching heat and steep valleys make it daunting, and the mosquitoes are relentless.
“When people look at that road, they say, ‘I don’t think I want to go in there,'” the 65-year-old Oberacher told The Epoch Times, “It doesn’t attract much attention.”
However, this is exactly where Oberacher – a former oil pipeline engineer from Calgary – chose to settle in 2010. Living in a cabin in the woods, off the grid, he has managed to establish heating, electricity, hot water showers, and other amenities through solar panels, batteries, self-harvested firewood, and most importantly – resourcefulness.
“When I bought this place, it was a dead-end road, and no one was living here,” he recalled his “off-the-grid” homestead in the Kootenay Mountains, “There were some small farms around, but no one was doing what I was doing.”
The 20 acres of land that Oberacher purchased 15 years ago was initially an undeveloped forest in a steep valley without even a road (which he later built). He remembers having to navigate fallen trees in pouring rain when he first arrived to survey the terrain.
From that moment on, “I fell in love with this place.”
Since then, he has built a tool shed for his chainsaw, hired Mennonite craftsmen to build a garage, and constructed a wooden residential cabin. Everything meets building codes, equipped with electricity and plumbing, enabling him to enjoy the conveniences of city life today and prepare for a relatively comfortable living in his old age.
The entire concept may deter the faint-hearted, but Oberacher, in his forties, serving as an engineer, had overseen pipeline projects in the South American jungle, managing a remote station where people lived with “nothing yet content,” an experience that led to his epiphany.
“They had the basics of life,” he said, realizing he wanted to escape the rat race lifestyle in Calgary, “I thought to myself… ‘When I go back, I want to simplify everything and come up with a plan that truly changes life.'”
And he did just that.
He knew exactly where to go to realize this dream.
His father had once bought an orchard in Erickson – a small community east of Creston – during his childhood, which was like paradise for him. “I always remembered Creston,” he said, “If I ever have some money, that’s where I want to settle down.”
Upon returning to Canada, Oberacher liquidated his assets, sold all his toys – three snowmobiles, a Zodiac rubber boat, and a Harley motorcycle – and began searching for land.
“I wasn’t impulsive. I studied maps, drove around, lived in town motels,” he said. He mentioned that the surrounding forest had to be a cedar forest as it was the most water-resistant wood.
Some tasks he intended to do himself, while others required hiring workers. Initially, he needed professionals to saw timber and lay gravel roads. The undeveloped “jungle” – he could clear it manually or by machinery.
“It was very primitive back then,” he said, “I had a four-wheeler, a trailer, a lawnmower, and I had to cut a path into the jungle myself. There were too many bugs, and the weather was scarily hot.”
During the road-building process, Oberacher discovered something unexpected – relics from the war period. He learned that this land used to be a rehabilitation colony for World War I veterans.
“Finding stuff like snuff boxes and bottles from the 1930s was really interesting,” he said, “It completely fascinated me.”
A few years later, his cedar cabin stood proudly, and the following year, a carport was added. Initially, he relied on water delivery for sustenance, later started collecting rainwater underground. At first, he used a cheap diesel generator for power, and now relies on independent solar panels to maintain indoor lighting and equipment operation. Wood is used for heating, which is why he keeps on sawing and transporting dead wood.
Living off the grid is extremely challenging. “You have to constantly manage the power system, batteries, and regularly check them,” he said. During the interview, a cold wave hit, and he had to go check on the garage heated by firewood three times that night.
“You have to be careful not to freeze the batteries, as the repair costs are very expensive. If the batteries freeze, the house may ice up, and the pipes may burst, everything will be over.”
Neighbors occasionally offer help, such as metalworking or raising free-range chickens, and friendly bartering can lend a helping hand.
Although this lifestyle is labor-intensive, Oberacher insists on one thing: he never wants to resort to using candles for lighting or lack heating like some “off-the-grid” livers.
“You have to do it right the first time,” he said.
He had an electrician wire the cabin, install plumbing, and electric heating (although he doesn’t use electric heating), considering that in the future, he might sell the house and someone might want to reconnect to the grid.
Oberacher’s homestead has been so successful that it has even attracted his current girlfriend, Chantel. He met her in Creston a few years ago, and she now lives with him. “She is a newcomer,” he said, “but she learns quickly.”
Their “off-the-grid” life has borne fruit.
Inspired by his father’s orchard in Erickson, Oberacher has planted organic fruit trees on his property – peaches, cherries, nectarines, various apple varieties, pear trees, and a variety of organic vegetables. The hot Kurtenay summers ensure a bountiful harvest of various fruits, and whenever there is surplus yield, Oberacher contacts locals, inviting them to enjoy the fruit feast.
“I advertise on Facebook,” he said, “‘Organic fruit, welcome to help yourself.’ The tree will be picked clean that night. I usually explicitly mention welcoming young families to come and experience it.”