Long time, no post!
I've been kicking it at the Slab City Library for a couple months after my crash-landing in Tucson following my exit from three years of commune life. It's been cool to match some real life faces to screen names on this site, and it has been a decent learning experience for gathering more knowledge to live on the road. Now I think I have the next adventure sorted:
I have nearly everything to begin hiking the 2650 mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada some time between March 10th and April depending how prepared I feel. A feat accomplished by a smaller amount of people than have stood atop Mount Everest. I'm missing some bits of gear, but hoping to manifest them or get used to the poor person equivalent (instead of a nice water filter, using bleach drops or iodine tablets/ primal rock or grass filtering). I'm reading five different books about the trail, tales of experience online, and starting to train pretty well. I am walking with a weighted pack (though not nearly as heavy as it will be with 8 liters of water and a week of food) roughly 7-12 miles every other day. While doing weight training/ yoga on between days. I have quit smoking, drinking, and am even on day two of no coffee.
I am putting in whole days of research and reading. Memoir experiences give a gist of the most memorable hard times. I train for those. My journey has a harder edge than the average yuppie though, as they usually to do the trail with $3-10k eating well in towns alongside getting hotels. I’m looking at being in the wilderness for 3-7 months for the majority of the adventure. With the exception of a few hostels that are donation-based or accept work in exchange for amenities. Some towns seem to have free public showers on the trail. Up north the streams become more common, but first is a thirsty 750 mile desert of southern California. I plan to accept all food offered, restock from left behind caches, accept over abundant food from people who can afford to mail their meals ahead at every free package center, and hitchhike to nearest towns that takes grub stamps. I have a list of all the Trail Angels along the way and how to reach them for the free services they offer. I plan to fly signs to exchange work for supplies in the bigger spots. My pack is going to be goddamn heavy, being a military rucksack and pounds over any REI pack. I plan to attempt going an average of 10 miles a day, except when it is relatively cool out.
I think I can do this. I think I’ve secretly always been training for this. My whole life I’ve been walking around with heavy backpacks. The last couple years in communes I practiced, walking 10-20 miles with at least 30 pounds on my back. Always figuring I was going to end up some lone modern ascetic wandering the planet. Something like John Francis, Mark Boyle, Daniel Suelo, or Peace Pilgrim. It’s always what spoke to me the most, I suppose. The PCT is a test run.
It is reclaiming the trail from rich people, for the lower class to enjoy. It is a 2650 mile psychological wall that guarantees I never lose myself in a bottle or spiral of nicotine cravings. I’m beginning on my birthday for that reason. This year is different in that I’ve always been scared to begin such an adventure, as there was always something to cling to. Now there is no family, no commune, no close friends, and all I have is my pack. It’s exhilarating and at the same time terrifying, as even most dirty kids I meet seem to have helpful parents. All I got is a place at the library in Slab City to stash my unneeded pack weight until next season (thanks @VikingAdventurer). I want to become something different and carve my own way through what I've learned from all different kinds of nomads.
I think the deadly edge will keep me cautious and be aware of surroundings.
Death is possible, but that’s okay. Seems only a few people have died on the trail, but most people have emergency funds. I imagine it must kill some authenticity of the adventure to be financially well-off. Don't know if that will be what can kill me. Yet, the PCT seems more like training wheels than going all Christopher McCandless about it.
Either way, I’m reporting in after these last few years of communes, city bohemian subcultures, and now Slab City: I want my own adventures. I am tired of the emotional weight of others, at least for a while. I want my own adventures. I want to stop standing in place and all the fake gestures that comes with people. I just want to live simply and accelerate my health.
I suppose any advice surrounding non-bougie ideas for saving pack weight, desert/ snow survival, or knowledge of the trail itself would be good to hear.
When I hit the trail, I’ll try to update my status (or failure) on this thread along the way.
Later, I’ll compile my notes, journals, and best pics into some articles on here.
Thanks for reading,
SHADOW
I've been kicking it at the Slab City Library for a couple months after my crash-landing in Tucson following my exit from three years of commune life. It's been cool to match some real life faces to screen names on this site, and it has been a decent learning experience for gathering more knowledge to live on the road. Now I think I have the next adventure sorted:
I have nearly everything to begin hiking the 2650 mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada some time between March 10th and April depending how prepared I feel. A feat accomplished by a smaller amount of people than have stood atop Mount Everest. I'm missing some bits of gear, but hoping to manifest them or get used to the poor person equivalent (instead of a nice water filter, using bleach drops or iodine tablets/ primal rock or grass filtering). I'm reading five different books about the trail, tales of experience online, and starting to train pretty well. I am walking with a weighted pack (though not nearly as heavy as it will be with 8 liters of water and a week of food) roughly 7-12 miles every other day. While doing weight training/ yoga on between days. I have quit smoking, drinking, and am even on day two of no coffee.
I am putting in whole days of research and reading. Memoir experiences give a gist of the most memorable hard times. I train for those. My journey has a harder edge than the average yuppie though, as they usually to do the trail with $3-10k eating well in towns alongside getting hotels. I’m looking at being in the wilderness for 3-7 months for the majority of the adventure. With the exception of a few hostels that are donation-based or accept work in exchange for amenities. Some towns seem to have free public showers on the trail. Up north the streams become more common, but first is a thirsty 750 mile desert of southern California. I plan to accept all food offered, restock from left behind caches, accept over abundant food from people who can afford to mail their meals ahead at every free package center, and hitchhike to nearest towns that takes grub stamps. I have a list of all the Trail Angels along the way and how to reach them for the free services they offer. I plan to fly signs to exchange work for supplies in the bigger spots. My pack is going to be goddamn heavy, being a military rucksack and pounds over any REI pack. I plan to attempt going an average of 10 miles a day, except when it is relatively cool out.
I think I can do this. I think I’ve secretly always been training for this. My whole life I’ve been walking around with heavy backpacks. The last couple years in communes I practiced, walking 10-20 miles with at least 30 pounds on my back. Always figuring I was going to end up some lone modern ascetic wandering the planet. Something like John Francis, Mark Boyle, Daniel Suelo, or Peace Pilgrim. It’s always what spoke to me the most, I suppose. The PCT is a test run.
It is reclaiming the trail from rich people, for the lower class to enjoy. It is a 2650 mile psychological wall that guarantees I never lose myself in a bottle or spiral of nicotine cravings. I’m beginning on my birthday for that reason. This year is different in that I’ve always been scared to begin such an adventure, as there was always something to cling to. Now there is no family, no commune, no close friends, and all I have is my pack. It’s exhilarating and at the same time terrifying, as even most dirty kids I meet seem to have helpful parents. All I got is a place at the library in Slab City to stash my unneeded pack weight until next season (thanks @VikingAdventurer). I want to become something different and carve my own way through what I've learned from all different kinds of nomads.
I think the deadly edge will keep me cautious and be aware of surroundings.
Death is possible, but that’s okay. Seems only a few people have died on the trail, but most people have emergency funds. I imagine it must kill some authenticity of the adventure to be financially well-off. Don't know if that will be what can kill me. Yet, the PCT seems more like training wheels than going all Christopher McCandless about it.
Either way, I’m reporting in after these last few years of communes, city bohemian subcultures, and now Slab City: I want my own adventures. I am tired of the emotional weight of others, at least for a while. I want my own adventures. I want to stop standing in place and all the fake gestures that comes with people. I just want to live simply and accelerate my health.
I suppose any advice surrounding non-bougie ideas for saving pack weight, desert/ snow survival, or knowledge of the trail itself would be good to hear.
When I hit the trail, I’ll try to update my status (or failure) on this thread along the way.
Later, I’ll compile my notes, journals, and best pics into some articles on here.
Thanks for reading,
SHADOW
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