Please, before you attempt to talk me out of it or convince me otherwise, I’m only looking for helpful tips and guides.
I’m a teenager. 17 years old, living in a rich conservative lakeside town. I take it upon myself to follow what my heart intends, rather than my ego. I don’t want to grow up and go through highschool, then college, get a steady job, and live normally. I want to give inspiration for others to break norm and be free, find a part of myself in the woods, and stay out there for awhile. I don’t have much in way of plans, so this is where I start. Im a pretty experienced hiker, have a nice backpack that’s been with me for years, lightweight gear, and an above basic knowledge of nature.
I’m here to look for any tips, tricks, methods, etc. for helping me stay safe and happy out there.
I’d love to hear from others who’ve done this, or people who have extensive experience outdoors.
Right now, my basic starting thoughts are to get down to the Appalachians from SE Michigan.
I’ll leave when spring arrives, and stay for as long as my heart contends.
Thanks a bunch for anyone who responds positively, and I can only hope I’m able to follow through and inspire others.
Anyone have any tips regarding hitchhiking, water purification, and vegetation identification?
My tip to you would be, learn Fly Fishing. With this hobby you will know and learn to understand the nature on an easy way.
Try to live in yours privately life at home as far as possible with the nature.
In addition I give tips in my web page for it too
Took me to half way though uni to decide I need a break. But not having 100% certainty of my wisdom, I took the opportunity to make a formal request to leave so that I could return to studies later if I wanted to. Then got a job for a bit to get some cash together then bought an old car and headed bush. Was living in Australia then so decided it would be nice to just see parts of it that most people didn’t get to see.
OK not going to nature like you intend, but it was sleeping on roadsides and in the open. Lots of hiking and trekking all low key stuff, wilderness off road and really out of the way places.
Best thing I ever did I think, many of those places have now been destroyed by highways and tourism resorts.
But I went back and finished my studies because I decided I wanted to do more than just have fun.
Once qualified volunteered for overseas service [In US I think they have Peace Core?] Loved it, fortunately was posted to a place where I was the only expat within walking distance, no roads, no phones, no TV, power only a couple hours a day. Fantastic experience. So good I stayed, 33 years and several careers later it is time to look for new adventures.
So I say to you, by all means go on your trip, but be careful and don’t burn your bridges behind you. Make sure you have an exit strategy. And if you really want to inspire people, you may need to do more than just carry a lightweight pack made of synthetic materials etc. 6 billion+ people are not going to be able to survive on this planet in a subsistence mode. They need to be a little better organized.
There was a time I built my own back pack, and considered a life where everything I used was to be made from natural materials, unless I was also capable of making those synthetic materials from scratch. So I soon learnt to be resourceful, and to value knowledge. In the end I decided that the back to basics track was not the right track for me. Still very much into appropriate technology, but appropriate need not be primitive.
Take the long term approach. What are you going to do when you are as old and feeble as I am and depending on social security to keep you going? Oh, yeah, you won’t have worked much so the payments will be minimal. Read Thoreau instead.
If, on the other hand, you just want a break, go for it. Get a lightweight tent and plenty of freeze-dried food. You are probably not ready to Siwash it. Suggestion: Carry a notebook and a digital camera with plenty of memory. You might be able to sell the story to a magazine when you are done.