I guess the best example I can think of is Chris McCandless
Then there’s the North Pond Hermit of Maine but I suppose people would not classify him as free of mental illness.
Just wondering how many people are out there living in caves, walking around, hiking trails, hopping trains, or living in National Forests full time who really aren’t mentally ill and just choose that lifestyle. What do you think?
That’s the vagabond lifestyle, and yes there’s a modest number of them. It’s apparently a hard life, but at least you’re pretty much completely free.
They’re basically hippies, they mostly bum rides. Dumpster diving is popular. People give them stuff too. You meet more in places where winter isn’t really a thing, just cuz winter gets kinda cold, and they can go where they want, so they don’t really stay there.
Winter is not just kinda cold in many places, it’s downright fatal.
squattheplanet.com has a long running forum if you want a bit of insight into the culture
Edit although rereading OP I feel 90% of the vagabond / dirty kid / oogle folks I’ve known have all had on and off hard drug and mental health issues at a way higher percentage than the normal population.