There has been a lot of buzz lately about Mick Dodge, a man who has left civilization to live in the Hoh rainforest. While some people might be familiar with him most probably don't know much about Mick and what he is really up to.
Who is Mick Dodge?
Apparently, Mick is a guy that has been living in the wild for the past 25 years. While he is said to have left civilization for good for many years, he admits to occasionally making a visit to the city walls. He also spends some time in a special cabin built deep within the woods. Mick's great grandfather owned land in the Hoh rainforest in Washington State. It is here that Mick learned from about the land and how to live with what you find.
This bearded fellow is full of life even at his 62 years of age, and he tries to spread the word about what living with the Earth is like. Back when he constantly lived in the cities, he did some amazing things, among which he spent 6 years in the Marines, and he is also a Vietnam veteran. He has also worked as a mechanic for several years, fixing heavy machinery. Now he just enjoys connecting with nature and goofing around with people while teaching, in his own interesting way, about the outdoors and his past adventures.
The Barefoot Sensei
Mick says that the best way to connect to the earth is to walk barefoot. He usually walks barefoot in the wild woods, regardless of the terrain. He claims that, besides connecting better with the land, walking barefoot allows you to be more aware of the environment. The fact that he walks mostly barefoot has earned him the name “The Barefoot Sensei”. The Sensei part comes from his teachings where he tries to make people aware of how rewarding it is to spend time in the land, in addition to preaching practicing physical fitness in the wild and not in conventional gyms.
The fact that he also uses Yoish! Most of the time also has to do with the Sensei title, a word he used when he was in Okinawa. He says that uttering the word allows him to focus better and to feel more connected to what he is doing. Mick Dodge also runs the Earth Gym where he teaches people to use the terrain when working out.
While he does walk barefoot most of the time, he has admitted to have learned of the importance of rubber boots back when he almost lost his toes when walking shoeless in the Hoh highlands in winter.
This character is full of personality and in his spare time you might find him teaching survival tricks or just goofing around to make people laugh. So where ever you may find him and get to hear what the Barefoot Sensei has to say about living in the wild it's certain you'll enjoy him.
