Our speaker was Jeffery Coffin. Jeff is originally from from Bar Harbor and grew up in Utah. He became wealthy at a young age by buying and selling companies. He got to a point where he was unhappy and ready to die. The desert called to him so he liquidated assets, sold companies, gave assets away and set out for the desert. After 28 days with very little water or food and a bird “yelling” at him, something clicked. He threw a rock at the bird, hit it. and devoured it. He was 100 miles from civilization and still felt embarrassed by that act. It was a turning point. That night he realized he wanted to live, but was still done with civilization.

As time went on, he discovered beetles were tasty. Stalking wild horses led him to water holes and wildlife. He made it a point to not stay in one place more than two weeks at a time as a way to diminish his impact on the environment. He prepared for the future by grinding dried crickets into powder to save and use for protein.