Wanting to head out 15 years; finally quit the job last year and not looking back

[AnotherNerd]

Hey y'all. Back at an old summer job, people called me Moose and that's a good a name as any, so, "Hi, I'm Moose."

I've been living in Raleigh, NC for a while now but have always been in NC. About 15 years ago, I dropped out of college after years of trying and planned to hit the road. Before I could, I ended up accepting an IT job where I already worked and have regretted it every day since then. I never did fit in either place and it made me miserable the whole time. It was a non-profit, so I didn't even end up making a bunch of money out of it; enough to keep up and ensure I would stay put.

Finally, about 2 years ago I decided to quit. It took months for them to try to replace me, and I stuck around with reduced hours. The new free time made me start to feel like I woke up from a decade of sleep. I was remembering the old days and by a little over a year ago, I knew what I wanted to do and that it wasn't to try to work in another place that I couldn't stand. When I left, the only personal item from my desk I kept was my 4-way water key (that seemed like it could be useful).

It's been a year since I finished it and at this point, I'm not looking back. I've been trying to get in better shape and learn the things that will help before I head out (I was lazy for a long time and almost fell out from a 1 mile walk when I started, now miles with a pack are fine). Over the last year, the more I learn, the more I'm noticing things I haven't before, and I can't stop now. I've noticed so much more when just wandering around, listening to music or movies, and even learning things about my family that the people telling me the stories didn't realize. I wish I had started sooner, but better late than never and I don't want to waste any more time moping about things (I'm 40, so over the 35-year-old threshold someone mentioned in another thread 😂).

I've been learning all I can about the rails too and getting better at finding what I'm looking for. To have an excuse to hang around the tracks, I've been putting railfan-style videos on YouTube which has given me the chance to learn a lot and I've gotten better at it (I won't post anything other than standard railfan videos... I'm not trying to be an influencer, make money or share info that really shouldn't be too widespread. I don't even watch the types of videos that got my attention initially since there are too many showoffs around and I don't want to encourage the irresponsible ones). While I feel confident in what I've learned already, I'm still hoping to meet up with some more experienced folks before I try on my own to make sure of what I learned and so I don't do something stupid to raise the heat for others.

I'm wrapping up my apartment in the next few days (if you're in Raleigh and want some clothes, cheap bedroom furnishings or some random electronics or have a good suggestion on where to donate, let me know). If I head out solo, I figure I'll want to make sure I can hitch a ride and get around, eat and sleep on my own before I move on to other methods of travel. I have a car right now, but it's worth a bit more than I owe, so it's getting sold for some expense money. I'm not against using it to start out somewhere else or to go pick up someone and then sell it wherever, but it's a hatchback so not something I want to keep.

I've been wanting to see as much of the country (or continent) as I can before it burns up, dries out, fills up with assholes or gets leveled to build condos [for assholes]. I've always hated wastefulness, so I want to try to be as light as I can and hopefully find things I can use that would have gone to waste. I hadn't had much free time before so I'm still developing new interests, but music has been big for me lately and I'd love to see more live shows and maybe learn to play something. I've always liked abandoned places and any kind of infrastructure, and I love learning, so I'm sure I'll be curious along the way for more too.

So, if you want to ask questions, add something, tell me hello or just to fuck off, I'll be around. If somebody thinks that hanging out and helping get me started on the road sounds fun, I'm pretty laid back and don't think you'll need to babysit me much, and I'm sure I can be handy for you to have around too. I like to lend a hand whenever I can, am generally friendly and often wind up in the right place and time to be useful.

See y'all around and thanks for everything so far! (and sorry for the novel, I get wordy in text)

 

[lazerskull]

I'm an ex railroader. If you are ever nomading around the Sierra Nevada in CA. Hit me up.

 

[AnotherNerd]

I'm an ex railroader. If you are ever nomading around the Sierra Nevada in CA. Hit me up.

Will do. I though about applying for the railroad at one point (I've seen plenty of their training videos), but I smoke too much weed. I quit driving a bus in college for the same reason.

 

[lazerskull]

Will do. I though about applying for the railroad at one point (I've seen plenty of their training videos), but I smoke too much weed. I quit driving a bus in college for the same reason.

Shoulda said "freight hopper" not "railroader," though I have friends who work for the rails now, makes hopping a lot easier.

 

[AnotherNerd]

Hey y'all. Thanks for all of the support you've given me so far, but I want to say sorry for posting my message above too soon. I was still figuring shit out and still early in my process. I've had some time since then to think, so I wanted to post some updates.

First, while my nickname at camp was Moose (and I worked there long enough for tons of people to know it), most people these days just call me Ray. Hi.

Second, ignore all the stuff about trains in my first posts. At the time, I was seeing a lot of train hopping stuff and it just reminded me of my half-forgotten desires to roam. I'm not out just to ride and it kinda came off like I was just looking for some quick fun which even pissed me off a bit. I don't have anywhere I gotta get to or from in a hurry so I wouldn't want to make it any harder for folks who do. One good thing is that looking into it led me to Reddit which then got me here (where I learned more than I thought I would about myself, that many of my thoughts aren't unique to me and how to get started on my own journey instead of someone else's).

So, what do I want to do then? Well, really just getting through the day in peace is enough to keep me happy lately, but having some fun along the way would be nice too. I like lending a hand and problem solving when I can and just trying to figure out and learn new things. I also don't mind putting in work when needed and sharing what I've got (although I don't really want to work to make someone wealthier or to fund shit to blow things up).

I love nature and want to see what I can before it's polluted, burnt or torn down to build a 'lifestyle center.' I feel like I should have started traveling back in 2008 when I first wanted to since it seems the pace is increasing on the general level of selfishness, corruption, waste and environmental destruction (which is probably why I posted too soon). I like cities too, especially infrastructure like power, water, transportation, buildings, parks and such. (I used to drive a bus since I liked them, and I worked security in a large building just so I could get on the roofs and in all the crawlspaces.)

I've visited a few places over the years (I always had a couch/floor/hostel to stay in though) and I always enjoyed just wandering around, trying not to look like a tourist and seeing what the place is actually like. Now I figure I want to do more, longer and also find some other things to get into (not looking for trouble, unless it's good or necessary, but I know it happens). I'm looking forward to meeting some cool folks along the way, too, even though I've not been great at it in the past (trying to get over my old ways).

I've already sold my car and I'm selling off my excess shit online now. It feels a bit like I'm moving out one backpack full of priority mail at a time, which feels pretty good. Now at least my former stuff is spread across the country even if I don't make it out to any of those places.

Taking the bus everyday has gotten me in better shape too and I'm getting better at my social skills (which seem dangerously slow for me). I think I overheard some homebums downtown and they may recognize me from my days of manically driving around listening to music. I figure that's even more incentive to go ahead and get the hell out of town.

At first, I wanted to start out in the warmer weather but the thoughts of staying put and just getting through the winter again are enough to get me moving. I'm thinking I should head somewhere warmer and while I haven't figured out where yet, I'll get to it. I've got no real destinations in mind (I do want to eventually get to the Pacific Ocean since I haven't been that far before), so I should be open to good ideas or rides to places that come along (I would even bathe 😀).

I thought about getting a Rail Pass, but the thoughts of getting stuck next to someone for 2-3 days at a time with minimal chances to smoke or get stoned sounds like hell to me. Just to get things started when I'm ready, I'll probably get an Amtrak/bus ticket to somewhere out of state since I don't want to hang around here, but if someone is heading somewhere and wants food/gas money, I would probably put it there instead.

I'm wanting to leave town before Thanksgiving (I don't really celebrate holidays, so just being somewhere else even if it's alone in some woods somewhere sounds pretty nice). I figure 3 weeks should be enough time to get the rest of this stuff sold and figure out just what stuff is coming with me, so that's my goal but I have the whole month if necessary.

There's still a ton I need to learn since my social skills were on hold for so long (didn't do much else but the job for years, probably why I wanted to run away from it regularly). I learn well, although it takes me a minute sometimes in new situations, so while I may have some troubles, I think I'll be fine in the long run. If I do ever run into any of ya, I'm not going to be the guy that pesters you with tons of questions, btw. It seems like everyone these days just wants the answers given to them, but I find learning, even through trial and error, fun anyway. I certainly won't turn down advice and tips though.

Anyway, so that's where I am right now. Who knows what another 3 months will bring, but I'm excited to see. Hopefully, I like this post better than the first or I'll be back to it again, lol. In the meantime, it's good to finally say "Hi!"

Ray

 

[Deadfast40]

I feel you on the job. I work as a CNA. I can't stand the medical field and what it's become.

 

[AnotherNerd]

I feel you on the job. I work as a CNA. I can't stand the medical field and what it's become.

I can see that. I worked in a hospital kitchen in HS and saw what the work was like then and when I had to have surgery last year it seems like everything everyone did took a lot more work. I guess folks everywhere are being asked to give a bit more of their time and effort to make sure the CEO gets to keep going somewhere extravagant for their vacation!