Off Grid and Free: My Path to the Wilderness

Off Grid and Free follows Ron Melchiore's path to the wilderness, which led him to building an off-grid, sustainable homestead with his wife Johanna. Here you will find true stories of survival, determination, and adventure. Ron's years of experience make this book an essential guide for all audiences wanting to learn more about living off grid and surviving in the wilderness. But more than a guide, Off Grid and Free reveals Ron's candid humor and welcoming style, which will make you feel like you're right there with him along the way.

The book includes Ron's hiking of the 2,100 + mile Appalachian Trail in winter, bicycling from coast to coast, the terror of being surrounded by a wildfire, surprise encounters with bears, and more. For readers with an outdoor spirit, people with an off grid and self-sufficiency bent, and dreamers who want to take an adventure, Ron hopes to inspire others to “take the road less traveled.”

Published in Backhome Magazine, Small Farmer's Journal, and Countryside and Small Stock Journal, Ron and his wife also appear in Life Off Grid, a film and book about people living off grid throughout Canada. Life Off Grid is produced by Phillip Vannini and Jonathan Taggard. See for more information. Life Off Grid aired on British Columbia’s Knowledge Network.