>>1121630In short:
I bought 15 acres.
Investor bought a farm that had become overgrown with pines after the farmer died 30 years ago. He logged the pines, cut it into parcels and sold it off.
When I bought it, there was nothing but debris. Luckily they didn't just cut down everything, I still have hundreds, if not thousands, of old growth trees around my creek and random groups scattered around. My tallest trees are over 70 feet tall and 3 feet in diameter.
I've had to learn about everything. Set my own service pole, have septic and well installed. Had a prefab cabin dropped off and ran plumbing, wiring, drywall ( I had done some construction so that wasn't a big deal).
Cabin is 12'x32'. With lofted ceiling so it doesn't feel claustrophobic. The small size isn't an issue, I make use of every square foot.
I commute about 35 minutes to work to pay the bills. I prefer to grow trees and roses instead of crops like tomato or corn.
The state of Georgia will actually pay you (yearly) if you grow long leaf pines, because most people will grow slash pine or loblolly because they grow faster so the native long leaf is not common. Iirc its like $200 an acre a year, minimum 15 acres.
The greatest part is that I can do whatever the hell I want.
I have a rifle range range and a skeet range. I can light off $5,000 worth of fireworks for the 4th of July with 50 friends and nobody can stop me. I can hunt (during season of course) from my porch. Or I can watch generations of deer and turkeys grow old. I can start working on my truck, get distracted for a few days and not worry about a notice being left on my windshield by the landlord or HOA.
There's nothing difficult about getting innawoods, you just have to commit to it.
Pic is a 60 foot dead tree we torched in my forest. Those aren't stars above it, those are embers.