Fortitude Ranch: a Fort-Based Ranch of Particles, Shocks, and Exploding Nuggets in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests

The 50-acre property is situated on a rise above the lush valley cradling the Lost River in eastern West Virginia, two hours from Washington D.C., and against the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. A guesthouse built of timber slats is the anchor of the property. Two large, boxy dormitories, also timber but more rustic, as well as a bare-bones bunker, are designed to house more than 100 members. They are each expected to pay $2,000 to $20,000 (depending on the level of accommodation) to join Fortitude Ranch, and another $1,000 per year per person in dues to call this their “home fort,” meaning they will head there when catastrophe strikes.

There are plastic bins and duffel bags in some of the rooms, which are different in size and luxury, as if waiting for a college student. But there is a more serious purpose at work here: survival. There is a huge underground shelter protected by layers of concrete, steel, and wood and it connects two residential buildings with enormous buckets of ready-to- eat meals. There are also underground living and meeting rooms. Inside a locked armory, assault rifles and crossbows repose on wall pegs. A 50- caliber rifle is sitting on a table, which could be used to take out the engine block of a vehicle. An inert radiation detector is positioned nearby. There are two compounds. Guard towers ring the property. The dormitories have balconies with clear, continuous sightlines along the edge of the forest.