new kid hitting the streets

[busynesses]

hey, i'm will. got a decent lil sleeping bag and a comfy pack and i'll be hitchhiking outta here pretty soon. don't have a huge plan or nothin, just figure i'll head up the coast toward the bay and go wherever the wind takes me from there.

i don't gotta whole lot to say about myself lol. just lookin to see some places, meet good folk, and go on some adventures. no particular reason to stay around and be a miserable ol thing here.

i'm sort of a young ass kid, not turning 18 til next month. i got my diploma squared away (cali lets u get an equivalent at 16) and not much holding me down. kinda debating whether to wait til i'm 18 to ditch out or just goin sooner. it ain't that long a time so it's no big fuss either way. just thinkin i don't wanna get sent home by some cop or get any of u guys in trouble just cuz i'm days away from bein a legal adult ykno. ah well, i'll play it by ear.

i feel obligated to say i'm not some testosterone pumped manly man or nothin lol. i have a bit of an aversion to that shit, haven't had too many great experiences w/ masculinity. not too into the relationship shit either, i guess u could say i'm asexual or whatever.

one last thing is i'm honestly not the most stable of folk. i won't go into detail but i got w/ some mental health issues goin on. some personality disorder or another. not to say i can't control my actions or am gonna go nuts on anyone, and i usually would not mention this. it's not severe enough that i won't be able to handle the road or nothin. just some of this site seems to be about meetin people that's all n i thought it fair for that to be out in the open cuz i do get a bit stuck in my own head at times.

that's also partly why i'll b travelling solo for a lil while at least to start off. i wanna get some independence goin and get familiar w/ handling my shit on the road before imposing that on others.

i think this whole post was a bit of a rant and scatter brained, but that's how i am man. i'm excited to get out n go and i hope to talk to and meet some of you awesome people! happy travelin!

 

[Multifaceted]

Hey man- I'm Colbie. I hope you're enjoying the site thus far!

I understand having mental issues- I have 'em, too, and can say they're actually a part of why I went on the road in the first place. I've found that getting up in the morning with no cash and no food helps me rather than beats me down. If I'm hungry my mind will focus on how to cure that hunger, thus I can't think about how depressed I am, or how manic I am, etc. At the end of the day I'm so tired from walking with my pack that I immediately fall asleep rather than lay awake overthinking..

Don't get me wrong- I'm still depressed, still bipolar... still suffering from massive anxiety and dissociation, etc. The difference now is that I don't lay around my home thinking, "What should I do? Nothing sounds appealing..."

Now I have to think, "Where do I go for food? How will I make money today? I guess I'm going to try to groundscore some cigarette butts while I walk to the gas station." There's a sense of accomplishment with each task being finished, rather than going to the kitchen to get food you knew was there.. I feel accomplished when I start the day with nothing and go to bed with a full stomach..

I never got that sense of accomplishment off the road...

I'm ranting now, too. It's infectious.

Anyway- I've had my name run three times by cops in the past two months. Two times were because I was sitting in front of a gas station/Subway. Because of this I'd suggest waiting until you're 18. It would be awful to start your journey only to be sent back like you said.

Good luck! Send me a PM sometime if you'd like to chat! We all need friends in this world.

 

[sd40chef]

Enjoy the ride.

 

[Shwhiskey Gumimaci]

I'd wait the extra month if I were you. You'll save yourself a lot of trouble! Have fun!

 

[THE REAL SCAVENGER]

welcome! have fun and be safe.

 

[EphemeralStick]

Hmmmm, an asexual, solo traveler with mental health issues you say? Yup, you'll fit in just fine around these parts.

That being said, don't focus too much on said mental health issues. I find it easy to get stuck in my own head and then I end up over analyzing damn near everything I do in painfully critical ways. Living on the road can either be a way to alleviate your symptoms or it can sometimes exacerbate them depending on what you use to cope. Take it a day at a time and don't be afraid to ask for help from time to time.

Like the others said, waiting the little extra time until you're 18 can save you a massive headache should you get stopped but of course, you're gonna do what you're gonna do. Stay safe, good luck, and welcome to StP.

 

[somn]

being told your mentally ill when your 18 can fuck with you. if the personality traits of the majority of kids our age are the standard to be measured by, then im down for some personality disorder. so long as you aren't hearing voices, feeling homicidal or something you've at least got functional sanity.

you have to be delusional not to be depressed, paranoid and antisocial growing up in the united states right now.

our society has bipolar disorder and it can be hard to not catch it!

 

[PriusFuck]

Welcome aboard and wait till your 18.

 

[Billy Cougar White]

Welcome to StP! Many of us on here have mental health issues of one kind or another. And many find that traveling helps work out the kinks in the brain, and allows us to work out issues. Enjoy traveling, stay safe, and smile every day.

 

[Beegod Santana]

Just wait till you're 18, it's not so much a liability for you as it is for anyone who associates with you. Contributing to the delinquency of a minor and what not. As a lot of people have already mentioned, MOST people on the road are a little off in the head, it's nothing new.

 

[busynesses]

ya, i'll wait the extra few weeks til i'm 18 to go. i was only considering because i have finished highschool and wouldn't be a runaway, but i know it could still come back to bite me or others if i get in a shitty situation. i'd prefer to be legally responsible for myself and my actions on the road anyways, so it'll be better since i'l probly get into some trouble sooner or later.

thanks for the welcome and advice everyone! i'll definitely not overthink any of the mental shit the best i can, nothin's worse than someone who bitches and moans about that stuff endlessly. i'm definitely gonna have to be ready for the first few nights out and how i handle it, but i got it! there will definitely be a lot of learning n shit but hey, when isn't there.

 

[frigerator]

I'm 16 and I feel you with the mental health issues. I wanna travel and play music when I turn 18. That's all I want, really. Good luck!!

 

[PatchTwist]

Hey there, and welcome aboard.
Yeah, my suggestion is wait until you're 18 and a legal adult. That way you don't have to deal with minor (pun intended) complications.
From what I understand, many of us here - myself included - deal and cope with mental health problems in some form or another. If you need to reach out for some support, at least you got this site.
In the meantime, the best of luck to you and you'll get your situation figured out. You got this!

 

[Robie]

If mental health is based upon the normal in society, looking around, we are all in a heap of shit.

 

[Lilac]

Hi I'm Lilac and I'm leaving too ><

 

[spectacular]

one time i was hitching and some dicks called the cops on me thinking i was a kid hitchiking. i was 28. lmao. so i guess add me to the pile of people advising you to reach legal adulthood.

 

[Shaggy Rogers]

Hell, I'm looking for a group of people that wouldn't mind being nomadic with me. I don't know of any nomadic groups known to the government. Itd be cool to have a family for once.

 

[VikingAdventurer]

Don't wait - the time to test your mettle is now. Life is trouble - best to learn how to deal right away; the sooner you pick your path, the better. You seem bright and honest enough - that's a start. Take care and good luck!

This is not good advice.

The reason I advocate people waiting until they're at least 18 to get out on the road is for EVERYONE'S safety.

Our lifestyle is borderline illegal enough as it is without adding the extra possible complication of a goddamn KIDNAPPING charge if things get all fucky and people end up on the wrong side of the county jail.

 

[PriusFuck]

Exactly why i down-voted that horrible advice

 

[PriusFuck]

That advice is just like saying "yeah, totally do that heroine man, you only live once in life!"