Operation: Ground Zero (The ZSC Land)

For those of you who don't know us or what we do, we are 6 guys that came together from different walks of life. We all found each other through the infancy stages of Zombie Survival Camp...a real camp where we all now teach some badass skills useful for any apocalypse. For the last 4 years we've always rented out private properties and other kid's camps in their off-season in order to run our weekend-long zombie camps.

People asks us if we make money from these camps. Is it profitable? Is it worth it? Firstly, we never went into being zombie survival camp instructors as a way to make money. We have always did what we do out of love and pride. Then came our community...our very own "ZSC Army". After running these camps we found that it somehow attracted large volumes of amazing people, many of whom we now call our close friends. So yes, it has always been worth it for us, as we all believe the proverb of choosing a job we love and never working a day in our life.

Never once have we paid ourselves. Any dollar that was made was either squirrelled away or fed back into the business for more gear, marketing, and for running more events. But our ultimate dream has always been to purchase a plot of our own land...a permanent ZSC home. After years of dreams and saving and research and passion and lots of driving around, August 9th 2016, we signed off on our promised land.

25 acres of mixed cedar forest sitting about 30km south of Owen Sound, just pass the appropriately named town of Flesherton. The whole area is spring fed, so the 2 creeks bisecting our property are crystal clear and super cold. I've drank the water and haven't gotten sick yet. Our well was tested and showed zeros across the board.

And it isn't some untouched plot of wilderness; the previous owner actually built a prepper's dream house there. A two-story country house that's literally off-the-grid! There's a few solar panels that charge a battery and runs the water pump and some of the lights. The rest is all run off propane. The genny in one of the sheds takes care of any larger electrical needs. Frogs and fish everywhere. There's an old chicken coop that may one day make us fresh eggs. Bonfire pit, huge storage trailer, it has everything! To quote the Soldier when he first told the rest of the crew about this place, "To say this place is perfect, would be an understatement."

The plan now is to slowly start making upgrades to our power, water, and sanitation systems, while also making the space more hospitable for city folk. That means making cabins and filling them with bunk beds, clearing trails and actually walking the entire plot of land. So far we've only explored a tiny portion of everything we own. It's bizarre to think we paid for all the trees and rocks and frogs and bugs. Every time we've gone up there so far it feels like we're trespassing on someone's land. It's a strange feeling.

Most importantly...without our loyal ZSC Army, we may never have seen the need for our own land. Without our community driving us, who knows what we'd all be doing. One day, perhaps after the whole world has gone to shit, this "Ground Zero" will be a home for both good people and survivalists alike. And us, a beacon of hope to guide them all in.

Until then, it feels good being part of a club in which we get to say, "Gotta pay my mortgage."