Dropping Out: The true story about a family that leaves the world behind for a life in the mountains of Montana <— TODAY’S NEWSLETTER & POST SPONSOR HAS AN INCREDIBLE STORY TO TELL!!! You guys KNOW I love autobiographies, and stories of survival (true & fiction alike, you know I LOVED Yesteryear!!) and shows like “Alone” so this is 100% for me!!!
You know those moments when you fantasize about just… opting out? No traffic. No schedules. No endless bills and errands and notifications. No running to the store because you forgot one ingredient for dinner. Just you, your family, the wilderness—and whatever you can build, grow, find, or figure out for yourself. Except Steffon Dalberg actually did it. And now, 35 years later, he’s telling the story.
DROPPING OUT
The True Story About a Family That Leaves the World Behind for a Life in the Mountains of Montana by Steffon Dalberg
Dropping Out is the true story of Dalberg and his family leaving behind modern comforts for the backwoods of Montana, where they embraced an entirely different kind of existence: living off the land, becoming self-reliant, and experiencing both the freedom and the very real challenges that come with putting distance between yourself and modern society. And one of the things I found most interesting about Steffon’s story is that, at the time, he didn’t think what they were doing was all that extraordinary.
It took decades—and a very different world—for him to see it differently.
Steffon explains:
“When I went through this great experience, I didn’t think it was that big a deal. People my age at the time were much more capable and adventurous than they are now. 35 years later, I started to realize that what I had done would be more interesting now because it is farther from what most people would imagine doing.”
And honestly? I completely understand what he means.
Thirty-five years ago, there was no smartphone in your pocket, no DoorDash arriving at your cabin, no Amazon package appearing tomorrow morning because you ran out of something. But Steffon remembers something else about those mornings in Montana, too—and this may be my favorite thing he told me:
“There were many unique and special things about the dropping-out experience, but one was the immense gratitude I felt every morning when I woke up, saw the cabin ceiling, and realized where I was and the freedom that came with it.”
That got me. Because Dropping Out isn’t simply about roughing it in the wilderness. It’s about what happens when most of the layers between you and simply living disappear. And Steffon describes something fascinating that began happening when life became less predictable:
“While living this story, I was busy doing and experiencing everything, and at times so consumed by what was going on that I didn’t realize the level of the universe I was dancing with.”
He says that when you live closer to the edge of survival—without the safety net we’re accustomed to—the world has a funny way of making itself known.
“When you are living closer to the edge of survival without a net (so to speak), that is when the universe can get involved and make itself known. It’s magical!”
And apparently, 35 years didn’t blur the memories. When Steffon finally decided to write Dropping Out, he says the story was still there in remarkable detail.
“Writing the book was easy because I could play back the movie of the experience in my head, relive it, and write down what I believed was a detailed overview that would be enjoyable without bogging it down with too many mundane details.”
And there was one lasting side effect of the whole adventure: Hot water became AMAZING. 😂 Because after you’ve lived without the conveniences most of us barely notice anymore, you apparently never quite look at them the same way again.
As Steffon puts it:
“After going through something like this, the little things, like hot running water, showers, heating and air conditioning, the ability to buy food or anything else when you want, are never taken for granted again!”
And THAT may be the part of this whole story that intrigues me most.
- How different does ordinary life feel after you’ve deliberately stepped away from it?
- How does your relationship with comfort change?
- And what happens when a family decides not just to imagine leaving everything behind—but actually does it?
That’s the story behind Steffon Dalberg’s Dropping Out.
MEET STEFFON + HEAR MORE ABOUT THE STORY
Steffon talks about Dropping Out, the experience that inspired it, and why he decided—decades later—to finally tell the story.
Dropping Out: The true story about a family that leaves the world behind for a life in the mountains of Montana
