Off Grid Living Story
I remember as a child hearing a story about a family that escaped to the remote wilderness for generations without anyone ever knowing they were there.
And as a boy obsessed with the outdoors and anything wilderness I watched the T.V. documentary in awe. Part of me picturing myself out in the wilderness wearing furs, looking like Grizzly Adams, and living off the land. In case you’re wondering I still have that fantasy!
This family’s struggle wasn’t really what interested me at the time. But I was impressed with their ability to survive in such an unforgiving environment. To me it was the beauty of where they lived – and the natural way of living – that fascinated me most.
The most important details probably went in one ear and out the other until a couple decades later I read a post about bugging out to the wilderness. As I was reading that post and the subsequent comments it started coming back to me …
But the details were really hazy, I couldn’t remember where it went down – or what they were escaping … maybe the Nazis or all the other crazies.
So I commented on that post and someone helped me out by reminding me that it was a Russian family in the 1930s that bugged out to the Siberian Taiga wilderness… and never came back.
Fearing oppression and death at the hands of Stalin the family fled into the Sayan Mountains of siberia in 1936…
There they lived undisturbed for 40 years more than 160 miles from any form of civilization, building a life in an environment where the winter temperatures commonly dip to -30, the summer growing season is short, and bears and wolves roam in abundance.
They never even knew that World War II took place…
The story of the Lykov family is one of true survival and one of real off grid living:
Who Were They?
This family that performed the ultimate bug out are the Lykovs.
The family of six consisted of Karp (the father), Akulina (the mother), Dmitrey and Savin (sons), and Agafia and
Natalia (the daughters). The two youngest were born in the wild! Never knowing civilization until they were discovered.
They belonged to a strong Christian religious sect known as Old Believers , worshipping in a style unchanged since the 1600s.
And to understand why they went to such extreme measures to escape society we need to understand what they were running from.
The Old Believers were commonly persecuted in Russia since the days of Peter the Great 1682-1725 for their strict religious beliefs. During those days Russia was “modernizing” and those who didn’t follow often became outcasts and “enemies of progress”. Any of that sound familiar?
Things only got worse after the atheist Bolsheviks took power.
Under the soviets isolated Old Believer communities were once again targets for persecution essentially being “purged” from soviet society.
Then in 1936 a soviet patrol came to their small village and shot Karp Lykov’s brother while they were working. Karp responded by gathering up his family – of four at that time – and their meager belongings and disappeared into the forest.
Where did they go?
The forest that the Lykovs disappeared into was a vast uncharted wilderness in the Russian taiga . This remote Siberian land is harsh, unforgiving, and beautiful with winters that can last through a majority of the year.
As their isolation became the norm they pushed farther and farther into the wilderness until they wound up at their final homestead in the Abakan mountain ranges near the Yerinat River. The location where they finally settled was 160 miles from any type of settlement. Talk about some peace and quiet!
But they couldn’t stay off the radar forever.
There used to be a time when man could exist solely at his own whim. Go wherever and do whatever he wanted to.
But with the advent of technology and the ever-expanding population sucking up resources it’s virtually impossible to disappear forever.
And in 1978 a helicopter – looking for a site to land geologist – sighted what looked like man-made furrows on a hillside. It was a total surprise to them since this entire area was considered uninhabited.
After the Russian scientists had reached the region and set up camp they took off on a trek to locate the possible human habitation. Maybe they thought they’d discover a long-lost tribe … But regardless in a region that remote they wanted to know who they’re neighbors were. At the time it could be more dangerous to come across a stranger in the wilderness than a bear!
One of the Russian scientists – Galina Pismenskaya – recounted the first encounter with the Lykovs:
“beside a stream there was a dwelling. Blackened by time and rain, the hut was piled up on all sides with taiga rubbish—bark, poles, planks. If it hadn’t been for a window the size of my backpack pocket, it would have been hard to believe that people lived there. But they did, no doubt about it…. Our arrival had been noticed, as we could see.
The low door creaked, and the figure of a very old man emerged into the light of day, straight out of a fairy tale. Barefoot. Wearing a patched and repatched shirt made of sacking. He wore trousers of the same material, also in patches, and had an uncombed beard. His hair was disheveled. He looked frightened and was very attentive…. We had to say something, so I began: ‘Greetings, grandfather! We’ve come to visit!’
The old man did not reply immediately…. Finally, we heard a soft, uncertain voice: ‘Well, since you have traveled this far, you might as well come in.’
Over time the scientists got to know and care for the family that had fled society to live in the wilderness.
Their stories of near starvation, survival, and preservation of their faith are quite enthralling.
For instance in 1961 there was a late snow and they lost their entire crop. That year the mother died of starvation so her children could live. The rest of the family was possibly only saved by a single grain of rye that sprouted and that the family guarded night and day. This solitary grain yielded 18 more grains and eventually they were able to rebuild their rye crop.
What happened to them?
Shortly after regaining contact with mankind the family went into decline and 3 of the 4 children died within a few days of each other in 1981. According to the scientists the deaths weren’t likely from what would be expected – exposure to disease. Two had kidney failure and the other died of pneumonia, which possibly could have been caused by contact.
The father and last remaining daughter, Agafia chose to stay in their wilderness home. The father passed in his sleep in 1988 and the remaining daughter chose to continue living the only life she’d ever known. She did visit civilization a handful of times after their discovery become a national story. The Russian government even sent her on a month long trip across Russia.
Wikipedia states that she returned to her home in the Taiga and remains there and now has a neighbor who moved out there according to Vice journalists to help Lykova. It appears she is still living in the Siberian wilderness to this day. (There is no listed date of death on her Wikipedia page.)
What can we learn from their story of survival?
Bugging out to the remote wilderness could be a viable option for survival. However I’d consider this to be a temporary solution because surviving in those conditions is very difficult.
I also believe this type of isolationist survival is best for extreme circumstances. Since the Lykovs were facing potential genocide then I think they made the right call. However, I believe they might have been better off returning to civilization at the end of WWII (a war they were unaware of even occurring!)››
I know if I need to bug out in that extreme of a manner I’d like to be well prepared. However I also believe that there is strength in numbers. There is a reason that ancient man first banded together in small tribes.
What do you think about their amazing story of bugging out and disappearing from any contact with mankind for 40 years? Would you bug out to the remote wilderness like they did?
Want to know more? Check out these related articles on our site:
- 10 Things to Know Before Going Off Grid
- 7 Key Points to Consider When Living Off the Grid
- 10 Must-Have Tools for Off the Grid Living
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 14, 2014, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
that just shows what the will to LIVE can do
The story of survival is heartwarming. I shows that people who strive to survive can, even without much help. The heroic life of having to live at -40 (note that -40 degrees is the same in centigrade and in fareheit) degrees is inspiring. I do not think I could live in that temperature extreeme. I might survive in a tropical climate. Thank you for relating their story.
Not only was this family courageous but it took a lot of faith to live in such isolation. A truly remarkable story of survival.
A fantastic story! I have always had a fantasy similar to that. I don’t believe that most of my family could handle this kind of situation. And now neither can I, due to age and health. However, in a dire emergency, I would not be adverse to trying.
Good reason to plant half your seed, save half so if there is a crop failure, you have a backup. The saying, “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” is because not diversifying increases risk and makes life more treacherous. Have several sources of equally substantial food supply, not just one or two. I’ve been considering what is abundance and how to have it in ones food’s supply.
These people did not have to bug out at all. It was their choice to life in an “in your face” way that offended the majority of Soviet citizens. All they had to do was keep their belief to themselves and pretend to fit in. Hundreds of millions of Soviet citizens survived Stalin, WW II, and never went to the Gulag. Was something wrong with them?
No, I don’t think Stalin was a “nice guy”, but the number one survival skill is ADAPTING to circumstances. And their circumstance was Stalin. They failed to adapt and ended up suffering horribly.
Seeing that log hut makes me wonder where they got the tools to build it. I suspect that they had some minimal contact with civilization.
Hey Richard, I did research on the purge back then and there wasn’t much they could do to stay under the radar. It was basically a police state back then and people were being killed for looking at other people the wrong way. I think his decision to bug-out was very well founded.
I also didn’t have room for every detail but the family did sneak back a few times to gather more supplies and tools. They even took a spinning wheel and a loom to make clothing! I’m sure they took axes and other wood working tools as well to construct their log cabins. They were also provided with more tools and supplies – courtesy of the Russian gov’t – often after being discovered.
I found this story incredibly fascinating. Like the man in the video said, it appeared both depressing and beautiful. I wonder at the hearts and minds of the family–their ability to survive mentally. How did they view life and did they have a real relationship with God that gave them comfort or was it just disciplined ritual. It appeared that the old man who Agafia helped had raped or tried to rape her which makes the story even sadder. It leaves me with lots of questions that could make the story sadder or happier depending on whether the family was happy or miserable in their isolation. Thank you for sharing the story. It will be food for thought for me for many days.
Incredible story! I can’t imagine what it must have been like–everything from almost completely losing contact with society, to being self-sustaining food, clothing, and shelter-wise, to being able to protect themselves from predators. That’s a lot of learning being put to practice, and I’m sure a lot of learning being done through the trial and error of experience. I came across another SHTF story on shtfplan.com telling the story of someone named Selca who lived through a serious SHTF situation in Bosnia in the mid-1990’s. Fascinating read if you haven’t checked it out yet.
The book is called Lost in the Taiga. It’s an awesome read.
What you ought to do to discover more on women well before you are left behind.