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The begining of the rest of my life.


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Home Forums Campfire Trip Planning The begining of the rest of my life.

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  • #1955356
    Hiking Malto
    BPL Member

    @gg-man

    If you are really heading south on the AT in March your life long journey will come to a quick end. I would do a bit more homework on the trail and a bit less on the philosophy.

    #1955372
    Peter Evans
    Member

    @nlslacker

    " And how exactly is picking leftovers out of a restaurant dumpster not "living with the land?" "

    Well, here you would be living off the waste of modern society, not living off the land as the aboriginals did.

    In my opinion, living off the land means getting all your resources from natural and local materials (in the wilderness).

    If you really want to stretch your definition then I am "living off the land" here in my living room…
    be right back, gone to "forage" in the fridge.

    #1955376
    Raquel Rascal
    Spectator

    @flutingaround

    I think it's an admirable goal. I find this video about a nomad piano tuner in England inspiring. I like the model of developing a needed skill and living around a city while saving money.

    http://vimeo.com/56135940

    Let us know how it goes?

    #1955393
    HkNewman
    BPL Member

    @hknewman

    Locale: The West is (still) the Best

    Looking at your current bio, here's a guy who worked while trading up to travel the world with no money … why reinvent the wheel?

    http://www.howtotraveltheworldforfree.com

    Add in your interest in native practices (the technical term is ethnobotany) and who knows? Just make sure you keep a journal for that eventual book.

    #1955762
    Nick Gatel
    BPL Member

    @ngatel

    Locale: Southern California

    "The Chemical Engineers just want to be Chemists. The Chemists just want to be Physicists. The Physicists just want to be Mathematicians. The Mathematicians just want to be Philosophers. The Philosophers just want to be God."

    Gosh, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

    #1955790
    Paul Magnanti
    BPL Member

    @paulmags

    Locale: Colorado Plateau

    xkcd.com

    On a more serious note, you may want to start FROM the south and head north if doing the AT.

    Gonna be a hard to trail to live off the land on the heavily populated East Coast, however.

    Perhaps it is better to live simply and take it from there.

    #1955814
    Jim Colten
    BPL Member

    @jcolten

    Locale: MN

    Gosh, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

    WHAT? Growing up isn't optional??? Say it ain't so!

    #1955825
    BlackHatGuy
    Spectator

    @sleeping

    Locale: The Cascades

    "WHAT? Growing up isn't optional??? Say it ain't so!"

    One of the other directors at my agency says I never acquired any ego or superego, that i'm pure id. What, exactly, does he mean by that? Is it bad?

    #1955853
    Dondo .
    BPL Member

    @dondo

    Locale: Colorado Rockies

    Living on the road my friend,
    Was gonna keep you free and clean.
    Now you wear your skin like iron,
    Your breath's as hard as kerosene.

    Townes Van Zandt

    Thaddeus, as someone who has traveled a similar path and eventually embraced the full catastrophe, I wish you all the best.

    More inspiration:

    Matthew 6:25-26

    25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

    26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

    Just remember to take care of your teeth.

    #1955935
    Brad Rogers
    BPL Member

    @mocs123

    Locale: Southeast Tennessee

    It sounds like you are going to be a bum to me. Hiking the AT is hardly living off the land, it is a hiker highway where most hikers resupply every few days in town.

    If you want to live off the land you need to go west to wide remote places like Alaska or the Yukon. Of course it is odd to ask for advice about this on an internet forum. Before you try this just realize everything you will be giving up, everything you are used to. You will be hungry, cold, hot, wet, stinky. People 100 years ago had hard lives and short life expectancies. You will have it much harder too as most property is private and you are probably not supposed to "live" on public land either so things will be vastly different than the way they were 100 years ago.

    Also, if you want to live off the land, good luck to you, but don't be a bum and collect unemployment, welfare, etc (not saying you are) when you have no intention of being a productive member of society. I have no problems with these programs when people are actively looking for employment and trying to help themselves, but they are not intended to finace your own "into the wild" adventure.

    #1955944
    Jerry Adams
    BPL Member

    @retiredjerry

    Locale: Oregon and Washington

    "but don't be a bum and collect unemployment, welfare, etc"

    unemployment is for a limited time, when you're laid off, limited amount, you have to be looking for a job (but you don't have to try very hard)

    welfare "as we know it" has ended. To start, you have to have children.

    there aren't a lot of programs you can abuse any more

    #1956155
    Mobile Calculator
    Spectator

    @mobile-calculator

    #1956156
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    "Just remember to take care of your teeth."

    +1 The heavenly Father can't be everywhere.

    "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose"

    Me and Bobbie McGee by Kris Kristofferson

    #1956317
    obx hiker
    BPL Member

    @obxer

    3 things:

    1. Eugenius: Your avatar is genius.

    2. teeth: My oral hygienist asserts that if you're not going to floss you may as well not brush. I.E. a thorough flossing is key. Several dentist friends concur. Floss is VERY lightweight and also multi-function…. a key attribute amongst this ultralight crowd

    3. Granny Gatewood: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandma_Gatewood

    Maybe she could be your muse, patron saint or guardian angel. A neighbor who lived for a long time just off the AT near Rockfish Gap in VA used to be regularly visited by Granny and thought her engaging personality might have proven a reliable inspiration to the kindness of strangers enabling her to travel lightly assisted by a regular network of friendly acquaintances living along the trail. I would add though that the "society" of travelers moving up and down the trail any current season tends to become acquainted with each other directly or indirectly and of necessity has limits to its tolerance. I'd imagine the PCT is similar in this regard.

    #1956358
    HkNewman
    BPL Member

    @hknewman

    Locale: The West is (still) the Best

    Great sources all.

    In addition to the Foxfire books, learn to identify the plants of an area. Start with some colored pencils and index cards (or "Cambridge notes"), though a weatherproof mini-plant guide of a thousand pages or so is also recommended*.. Basically specialize in a certain area (say the southern Appalachians), get a plant guide, and see if you can id the species in the spring and summer. Having been on a few federal environmental contracts out west, we spent months studying and then quizzing each other on dried specimens. Technically, most "keys" identify primarily by flower but in reality, you can't wait until a plant flowers. Being able to identify a plant in various stages of wilt without a flower is a definite plus (leaf shape, sometimes the stem).

    Is the fruit edible? Is the fruit only edible at certain stages but contains tannins at other stages? What did the natives use the plants for historically? Are there any other uses for the plant (fiber, medicinal, etc..)? Is it or any portion of it, toxic or could give an allergic reaction? Any funny history associated with it? Once you say you are a nature lover, expect quizzing (goes with the territory and can minimize potential poisonings).

    I say the South since there's more biodiversity starting midway through Texas (the Edwards Plateau) and going east. The more southern states have less cold days, so there will be more plants to start identifying, cooking, etc.. (I made the mistake of going west for a college plant identification class, and ended up hauling azz east to grab some specimens before the first freeze … ended up choosing the mountains and deserts of the west over the rich biodiversity of the east, so haven't regretted pursuing that dream).

    *ed:add that's Petersen's Guides

    #1956455
    Pete Anderson
    Member

    @hosaphone

    Locale: Boston-ish, MA

    The Dick Proenneke films are amazing if you haven't seen them, but he had quite a bit of money put away before he went and did that. He had supplies flown in and stuff – I imagine that's pretty expensive. Also Alaska must have a short growing season and limited amount of stuff you can grow there.

    Worth looking into but maybe more for inspiration and entertainment than for a guide on living simply.

    #1956508
    Bean
    BPL Member

    @stupendous-2

    Locale: California

    This thread makes me want to read 'My Side of the Mountain' by Jean Craighead George again. Actually, I never read it myself, had a teacher read it to the whole class when I was in second grade.

    Or maybe I'll watch this movie version that looks unintentionally funny…

    http://youtu.be/AZaXjkgYUEE

    #1956512
    James Castleberry
    Member

    @winterland76

    I'm pretty sure people are still able to abuse Foodstamps and Disability

    Foodstamp, Disability Recipients hit new record

    #1956687
    Pete Anderson
    Member

    @hosaphone

    Locale: Boston-ish, MA

    "This thread makes me want to read 'My Side of the Mountain' by Jean Craighead George again."

    Favorite book of all time. Or at least, from the ages of 5-16.

    Oh, who am I kidding, it's still my favorite book. Some day I'll live in a tree and have a falcon and wear deerskin clothes…

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