Navigating to Mark Pitzer’s campsite on a rugged stretch of forest land east of Redmond requires a vehicle with four-wheel drive and an exceptional sense of the territory.

Pitzer, 55, has lived in the area known by residents as “The Junipers” for four years, only making the meandering trip to town to get supplies when necessary. He lives alone in a motorhome with his 3-year-old cat, Iddy, and that’s how he prefers it. It’s a solitary life, and not everyone has what it takes to survive out there, but Pitzer is resilient and makes it work.

“I’d stay out here the whole month if I didn’t have to (go to town),” Pitzer said. “I just don’t like people. I think people are mean. I think they are getting meaner by the day.”

Pitzer started living in the forest after a debilitating mountain biking injury in 2009 rendered him disabled. Because he could no longer work, he left his job as the head meat cutter at Cinder Butte Meat Co. in Redmond.

The accident broke his neck and his skull in five places, which over time, developed into a form of degenerative nerve disease. Today, his body is in constant pain, and he finds it difficult to fall asleep at night.

“I messed myself up pretty good,” Pitzer said.

After leaving his job, he started his own hauling business. But when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, his life took a turn for the worse.

“It never did get better for me,” Pitzer said.”And I tried.”

Pitzer used his stimulus checks to keep his business going, using the money to buy equipment and vehicles. Eventually, he had to sell his trailers and a truck to keep going. Things got increasingly difficult for Pitzer, who routinely sought odd jobs to stay afloat. Eventually, as the world settled into lockdowns, those opportunities dried up as well.

Now, he lives in his motorhome parked at his campsite near Redmond in the junipers. He said his only income source is his Social Security check, which is automatically wired into his account each month. While he only scrapes by, he is unable to access other forms of assistance because he makes just enough to not qualify, he said.

“I pretty much lost it all, and this is where I’ve ended up, and with no way out, once you don’t have a good income,” Pitzer said. “Just on my disability. I barely get by.”

Pitzer, who was born and raised on a farm in Albany, is uniquely equipped to handle the rough lifestyle he lives, he said. Growing up hunting, fishing and camping prepared him to live in a way that most people could not handle.

“Luckily, I did know some stuff because there are some people out here who don’t,” Pitzer said. “I like it for the freedom. And the peace and quiet. But the rest of it I really don’t, there’s a lot out here.”

He said his disability along with his getting older, has him thinking of getting out of the junipers and moving into town.

He said it is simply not safe anymore, as people routinely drive through the area and harass residents like himself.

Despite his difficult circumstance, Pitzer still dreams of a brighter future, even honing his skills as a salesman with hopes of eventually getting into the field. He also pictures himself living out in the country someday where he can build a small house with a couple of bedrooms. His plan is to hand that home down to his children.

“I got to leave them something when I go. I don’t want to leave them nothing. Because that is what they think of me anyways, and I want to prove that wrong,” Pitzer said. “I have goals, see? It’s amazing that I still have them.”