I was a filthy hobo and you can too. AMA

in freedom •  7 years ago  (edited)

Howdy steemit!

I saw quite a bit of interest on my time spent homeless and general survival skills on my introduction post. I'm here today to answer any questions you might have.

I spent a year drifting around southern California and Las Vegas. From stairwells to tarp shelters to fleabag motels and doing anything from flying signs to selling perfume on the street to make some money.

Later I spent the fall and winter in a remote area of the ozarks living in a tarp shelter. It was a several mile hilly hike to get to town and was much more solitary that time time as a city hobo.

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Wow. Amazing. I should read the post about it. I have fancied myself with the freest life of all. I see a lot of people in just in the streets in Montevideo, and I cannot help thinking it´s mostly a decision. A way of getting rid of a lot of burden that comes with the territory of being civilized.

Its a good experience but long term I wanted a family and to contribute more to the bigger picture its a tough line to walk.

I was thinking... I heard an interview with @andrarchy. He mentioned a story like yours. I am thinking he was mentioning you! Did you watch it?

what was the most rewarding experience you had while hobo'ing, and what was the most difficult time?

Was food ever a problem? what methods did you use to acquire?

sounds rather life changing.

Most rewarding was probably learning sales. I learned from a guy named Daniel who was very inspirational, almost annoyingly upbeat like a motivational speaker. In sales your attitude determines your success and is a good lesson in life.

Rice, beans, and multivitamins. You can live fairly healthily for a long period on very little money eating like that. In the ozarks I had various nuts(black walnut and acorn) as well as fish, berries, and other wild edibles. It always comes down to more blandless or boringness rather than actual starvation.

Overall it made me a much more resilient person and I know that no matter what happens in life I will be able to handle it.

Excellent, I was wondering if you did any hunting and whatnot.

Keep on truckin. :) <3

Attempted some squirrels with a pellet gun but it was more effective to befriend other remote people who had less sought after deer cuts.

Did you barter for them, offer work or something?

In some cases, generally people don't eat everything on the deer that is edible. If you really want to go all out you can even eat the marrow, I stuck to ribs.

I see. Pretty intense.

wow.jpg

I have sooo many questions!!!

(1) What are some skills you learn being a hobo? I can imagine it being tough to survive on the streets!

(2) What's the greatest joy or fun being one?

(3) Can a hobo be prideful or have strong ego?

Thank you very much for answering!!

follow! pika vote!

(1) Mental skills are high up on the list. Acting comfortable in any scenario means you won't get messed with most of the time. People assume if you don't act scared/suspicious in a bad area then you are probably part of the bad area. In addition to that I learned lots of basic craftsman skills like wittling, various knot tying, and other boy scouty things.

(2) The best part is seeing a different day to day view of the world in general. It forces you to live much more in the moment. You also end up meeting some interesting people you may otherwise never be exposed to. I met a guy who claimed he was insane because the government dosed him with mercury after working on a nuclear arms project and was smart enough to back it up.

(3) Hobos come in all flavors. Some are there by choice, some are too mentally ill to function in normal society, and some are there criminally/avoiding jail.

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

Thanks for the prompt reply! Being a hobo sounds like a good training ground for enlightenment (kind of); especially the point of living in the moment and the ability to grow a strong mind and exude calm under pressure and stress. Good stuff!

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