Tara R. Shumer-Decker

The dads are not representative of fatherhood, per se. I think of dads as being attached to society, or the people around them, whether they mean to be or not. No matter how far a dad flees into a forest, or up a mountain, or into himself, he has a kid out there somewhere, and at one time a partner of a kind. This could be said differently: no matter how far a dad wanders or how long he may be lost, he has at least that: a kid out there somewhere, and at one time, a partner.

I have been skeptical of the notion of “getting off the grid” for a long time. It seems to me that some of the sacrifices are very great and often misunderstood. I am skeptical of the person who isolates themselves in order to commune with nature (and perhaps with God). But I am also sympathetic to the person who finds themselves unable to understand others and unable to be understood by others as well.

Said differently, this could be called a crisis of loneliness, or a lack of sanity.

The forest dads rarely congregate in groups larger than five.
The dads rarely congregate.
The dads enjoy a nap after reading.
The dads enjoy a walk after eating.
The dads do not enjoy the noise of jackhammers.
The dads do not like to find roadkill on their walk.
The dads like authors who mention small wild animals, like chipmunks.