SEE IT, OUR FIRST REPORT IS ON
THE WEBSITE, BUT WE INTRODUCED
YOU TO PREPPERS.
PEOPLE WHO ARE INTO THIS
LIFESTYLE JUST LOVED.
JENNIFER: WE HAVE THE STORY OF A
WASHINGTON FAMILY GETTING AWAY
FROM IT ALL AND TEACHING OTHER
HOW TO DO THE SAME.
NOT TOO MANY PEOPLE LIVING
THIS LIFESTYLE WILL LET YOU
ANYWHERE NEAR THEIR PROPERTY.
THIS COUPLE, THOUGH, IS
DIFFERENT.
THEY'RE HOPING TO DEBUNK SOME OF
THE MYTHS SURROUNDING WHAT'S
GOING ON UP THERE AND TO DO
THAT, THEY ARE TAKING A VERY
UNIQUE APPROACH.
WE'RE BUILDING SOMETHING HERE
THAT LASTS.
SO THERE'S AN ACTUAL LEGACY
HERE.
TUCKED AWAY IN THE MOUNTAINS
BONNER COUNTY, IDAHO --
IT'S A TOTALLY DIFFERENT WAY
OF TRYING TO LOOK AT OUR
ENVIRONMENT.
MONICA AND SHAUN MITZEL.
THESE LITTLE GUYS SNUCK IN
BUT WE'RE OK WITH THAT.
ARE WHAT YOU CALLED CALL THE
NEW AGE HOMESTEADER.
WE'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO
THIS.
FLST A LITTLE BIT OF GETTING
BACK TO THE OLD DAYS.
WE DON'T WEAR BONNETS.
RECAPTURING LOST KNOWLEDGE.
WE TRY AND LOOK AT EVERYTHING
AS A RESOURCE IF POSSIBLE.
LIVING OFF OF THEIR LAND, THE
SOVEREIGN SUNRISE PERMAFARM.
OUR TEACHERS ARE OUR
ROTATORS.
WE PLANTED TOMATOES AND
PEPPERS IN HERE.
THEY TRADED IN THE CITY LIFE
OF SEATTLE FOR SOMETHING A
LITTLE MORE SIMPLE.
HOMESCHOOLING THEIR KIDS IN MITT
RALLY THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE FOR
THE LAST TWO YEARS, STILL
HEARING ABOUT IT FROM FRIENDS
AND FAMILY.
THEY STILL THINK WE'RE CRAZY.
YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY BUT IF
SOMETHING HAPPENS, WE'RE COMING
OUT THERE.
WHEN OUR CITY RELATIVES COME
OVER, IT'S LIKE, THIS IS OUR
BATHROOM.
IT'S SAWDUST.
OK.
IN A BUCKET.
THAT'S IT.
SHAWN A FORMER MARINE, 24
YEARS WORTH OF SERVICE, TELLS ME
THE DECISION TO PACK UP WAS AN
EASY ONE.
OBVIOUSLY THERE'S AN
IDEOLOGICAL BENT UP HERE FOR
SURE.
A CHANCE TO BE SOMEWHERE WITH
MORE FAVORABLE LAWS, WIDE OPEN
SPACES, GROWING THEIR OWN FOOD.
IN ORDER FOR US TO BE MORE
SELF-SUFFICIENT I WANTED TO BE
ABLE TO WALK OUT MY FRONT DOOR
AND GRAB WHAT WE NEEDED.
A GROWING NUMBER OF PEOPLE
MAKING THAT VERY MOVE.
THERE'S SOME FEAR IN A LOT OF
PEOPLE THAT COME UP HERE AND WE
TRY TO HELP TALK PEOPLE OFF THE
LEDGE A LITTLE BIT.
I DON'T WANT YOU TO SURVIVE, I
WANT YOU TO THRIVE.
THERE'S A LOT GOING ON HERE.
IT HASN'T BEEN EASY.
THEY'LL BE THE FIRST TO TELL YOU
THAT.
WITH SO MANY PEOPLE FLOCKING TO
THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY,
THEY'RE NOW MAKING IT A POINT TO
SHARE WHAT THEY'VE LEARNED.
WHEN WE CAME UP HERE, WE
KNEW, WE FOUND OUT QUICKLY WHAT
WE DON'T KNOW.
AND WE WENT, HUH.
SO THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF
PEOPLE LIKE US.
UNLIKE A LOT OF THEIR PREPPER
COUNTERPARTS, THEY'RE STILL ON
THE GRID, USING THE INTERNET AND
THEIR WEBSITE, THE PREPARED
HOMESTEAD, THEY'RE OFFERING
ONLINE COURSES, BLOGGING,
TEACHING PEOPLE NOT ONLY WHAT
THE READOUT IS ALL ABOUT BUT HOW
TO LIVE THIS LIFESTYLE AND LIVE
IT SUCCESSFULLY.
TEACHING PEOPLE BECAME VERY
IMPORTANT TO US.
THERE WERE PEOPLE COME US AT OUT
OF THE CITY WHO HAVE NEVER EVEN
GROWN A TOMATO.
THE DEGREE TO WHICH WE CAN
MEET OUR OWN NEEDS IS THE DEGREE
TO WHICH WE ARE FREE.
I REALLY BELIEVE THAT.
AND THAT'S WHAT THIS COUPLE
SAYS IT'S ALL ABOUT.
THE PEOPLE LIVING HERE, THEY'RE
OFTEN LABELED AS RACIST OR
UNACCEPTING TO MINORITIES AND
LIBERALS.
MONICA ACKNOWLEDGING THAT
PROBABLY DOES EXIST BUT THAT
IT'S NOTHING WIDESPREAD.
I WILL SAY, YES, THAT IS UP
HERE IN SMALL AMOUNTS.
THEY'LL TELL YOU THEY ARE NOT
SOME WILD SURVIVALISTS, HIDING
FROM SILLIZATION.
RATHER, JUST GETTING AWAY FROM
TOO MUCH GOVERNMENT.
WE COME HERE AND IT'S OUR
PLAN.
WE GET TO DO WHAT WE LOVE AND
GET TO LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AND
SEE OUR ACTUAL HARD WORK.
DO YOU SEE THIS MOVEMENT
CONTINUING TO GROW?
ABSOLUTELY.
IT'S BLOWING UP
THAT COUPLE TELL ME THEY'VE
SEEN PEOPLE COME THERE AND THEN
LEAVE, POSSIBLY GETTING IN OVER
THEIR HEAD.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW THEY
LIVE, WE HAVE A LINK TO THEIR
WEBSITE ON OURS, KOIN.COM,
THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATIVE AND
INTERESTING ITEMS TO CHECK OUT
THERE.
COLE MILLER, KOIN 6 NEWS.
JENNIFER: AND YOU CAN GO THERE
AND SEE BOTH OF COLE'S TWO-PART
SERIES THERE.