SISTERS — Like a lot of people who come to Central Oregon, Chuck Morse wanted to retire to the High Desert.

So, in February, the 68-year-old father of four and grandfather of nine hitched his small trailer to his silver-blue GMC pickup truck and headed over the mountains from his former home in Coos County.

“I was born on the first day of spring,” he said.

“It’s why my trailer is aquamarine — birthstone stuff.”

His dream: Buy some acreage — preferably 10 acres, but fewer would do — to live out his days with Bro Bro, short for Brother Brother, the large, 2-year-old akita-husky mix dog that is like a sibling to him.

“Money’s the only thing stopping me,” he said.

For now, Morse’s truck and trailer are parked in the ponderosa forest between Black Butte Ranch and Sisters as he works to make the dream a reality by earning and saving the money he’d need.

Morse’s aim is to sell his handmade walking staffs, which he adorns with crystal handles, at an area market. He is also waiting on back wages he said a former employer owes him. He declined to discuss the situation further, but he has a claim with the state in the works.

Wherever the small trailer is parked, “It’s my home. I have everything a home has in this little trailer,” Morse said. “Wherever I go is home. I didn’t always have a trailer. I used to do backpacks.” After backpacks, he graduated to living in a Saturn vehicle for a while.

Morse, who has a 10th-grade education and was married for 12 years, is an avid reader and a self-edifying student of languages including Latin, Greek, Mandarin and a little Spanish, but added that he does not like French. A solar cell set on a sunny patch of forest floor near the trailer powers his phone and allows him to listen to programs and lectures. It also powers the amp for his guitar.

Morse said he’s worked a variety of jobs over the decades, including different types of welding, wildfire fighting, tree trimming, logging, driving, and a recent job as a fire and equipment watcher.

Though they live elsewhere, having a cell phone enables him to stay in touch with his adult children. He characterized his relationship with them as healthy.

“Everybody’s got issues from childhood stuff and all that, but yeah, they love me,” he said. “I love them ferociously myself.”

When asked which area social services he’s benefited from since his arrival, Morse beamed and answered, “David Fox.” Fox is a Deschutes County Health Services case manager who does homeless outreach in Sisters and La Pine.

“I met Chuck on a Wednesday morning this Spring making rounds with the National Forest Service. We often team up for outreach and on that particular morning we noticed Chuck’s trailer and truck parked in the woods,” Fox said via email. “We spent maybe 5 minutes in conversation before Chuck mentioned how he was having difficulty with some electronic paperwork he needed to file regarding his last employer, so we made plans to meet later that week so I could assist him.”

Fox finds Morse wise and remarkable, and he looks forward to visiting him, he said.

“Over the course of a few more meetings, I got to know Chuck as a deeply sympathetic, creative and honest person. I’m always learning something new from our conversations, and I look forward to the time we get to spend together so I can pick up a new gardening or cooking tip.”

Morse said there are other campers farther back in the forest from his current site, including families, but he hasn’t interacted with them much. He said the most common misconception people make about those living outside of traditional housing is “That we’re dangerous — albeit, though, there are those that are,” he said. “Crunch the numbers.”

Who are the real people impacted by skyrocketing housing prices, decisions about homeless shelters or plans to sweep informal camps? The Bulletin wants to offer insight by telling their stories through the series Faces of Homelessness. Every two weeks this year, Bulletin reporters will introduce readers to a different homeless person. We are here to tell their stories.

For suggestions on how to help the region’s residents experiencing homelessness, contact the Homeless Leadership Coalition by email at info@cohomeless.org.