Quiet, secluded, off the grid — all important elements that survivalist communities search for.
"I'm pretty darn confident I'll survive," said CEO of Fortitude Ranch, Drew Miller.
Hidden within towering pines, Fortitude Ranch fits the profile.
"We can withstand any kind of collapse, whatever the cause is — a pandemic, loss of the electric system, massive food losses worldwide. Whatever the trigger event is, we can survive a collapse and keep our members alive for years," said Miller.
Miller runs the ranch and the labyrinth of tunnels beneath it.
"We’re basically three feet underground so it’s metal above us and three feet of earth above that," said Miller.
Scattered throughout the ranch, you’ll find common rooms, a bar and bedrooms ranging from private to plywood bunk beds, which cost about $1,000 a year. Not to mention, there are countless supplies.
But what good is having it all when you can’t defend it?
"12-gauge pump shotgun, it’s reliable," Miller said, holding up the firearm. "Most of our shooting, if we are harassed by marauders, is going to be short range."
Having a myriad of ammo isn’t only good for protection either.
"So, all these people have left the Front Range and other big cities and they’re up in the mountains and they want to do some bartering and trade with us, the most valuable thing we can trade with is ammo," said Miller of the hypothetical.
In good times, they serve members as a vacation spot. In the event of a catastrophe, they kick into high gear.
"The reality is we'll be able to go as long as we need to. We grow food, we hunt, we fish and then we've got so much stockpiled food that we'd be able to survive," said Miller.
Miller says membership is on the rise. Because of that, he’s expanding and building more rooms.
"The vast majority of people just assume, you know, day-to-day things to be functioning just fine. Preppers for decades have been aware of this and have been preparing. We're not fearful, I mean, we don't have to worry," said Miller.
Whether people who buy-in to survivalist communities are paranoid or overly prepared, only the future really knows.
