19 yrs old and packin my bags. Best yards in California? (1 Viewer)

[dabtime710]

Hey everybody first let me just thank you for all the information ive already been able to get ahold of just as a lurker. this and the r/vagabond community on reddit have been awesome and i love both communities, so thanks again! now let me apologize beforehand for how friggin long this post is, i didnt mean for it to get like this haha.

but anyways, hi im jack im lookin for some stories and advice from fellow travelers, specifically you trainhoppers, since ill be leaving in a few months to explore the country with my best homie since middle school. After getting out of highschool at 16 (took test similar to GED), ive worked the same shitty minimum wage bottom level jobs ever since. obviously, right? hard to get much else at 16. but unfortunately thats left me trapped.. its really all i qualify for, and since i really cant find anything im passionate about to keep me going through the incredibly frustrating moments of college (i tried a semester, thinking i would do something agriculture/ botany related and use it to grow medical marijuana), i just cant see myself investing all the energy and money that college takes, to get trapped that vicious cycle within a cycle within a cycle.

but its becoming apparent that more education is necessary to get past this minimum wage trap. it drives me crazy, feeling trapped and out of control of my life and the direction its headed. ive noticed throughout my entire life, though, in the small spurts of time where ive been in these kinda places, that i'm calmest and happiest far away from other people, in the mountains, in the trees, just out there with nature. it really just appeals to all my senses. i love the smell of trees and wild flowers and herbs, the feel of the cool earth and a nice breeze, the sound of the breeze stirring leaves and blades of grass and the birds singing above, the sight of the sunrays being scattered by the shadows of foliage and the dust and pollen you see vividly in those rays. i really just love every bit of it. and ive come to the realization that most of the things i dont like in this life almost always gotta do with the intervening and disturbance of someone else, and its something i have no control of but that seriously effects my life.

i realize and fully understand that life on the road is intervened and disturbed by NATURE, instead of MAN. from intense heat to intense cold, from blazing dusty dryness to bone-chilling relentless buckets of rain. but shit... that honestly sounds preferable to me than the monotony of this life ive foolishly let myself get caught up in. ive lived this life for a while with little to no success or even hints of success and im tired of being on the bottom. i know a lot of people are in this situation at 19, with no idea of what theyre gonna do with their life and being trapped in minimum wage jobs, but why does it have to be like that? i dont wanna go through my whole life accepting shitty situation after shitty situation just cause thats "whatcha gotta do."

no. fuck that. its time to go explore my adventurous side for a while and instead of living in these cement blocks we call apartments (and PAYING to do so) go live in the trees amongst the rest of the animals. cause in a sense thats all we are too, right? i feel like out there is where i could really find myself, free from rent and my job and medias pessimistic shadow, free from the expectations and routine were all supposed to follow, free from electronics and free from weed even. free from all those distractions. i cant wait for my mind to clear up, and the new ideas and thoughts that will come up and change my entire outlook on life. even though im not out there yet on the road, the feeling in my heart is undoubtedly telling me that this is what i need to do.

But im not an idiot and want to go about this as wisely as i can with as much pre-planning and even some hands on experience as possible so i can really minimize that learning curve and the possibility of getting hurt or killed and then harming the rep of the train hopping community and making it harder for others travelers in the area to hop safely. i truly feel like this is something i want to do for the long run, although i dont want to say that for fersure yet of course, not until im actually out there. Ive already gained what i feel to be an enormously helpful amount of knowledge from not only these forums but also r/vagabond on reddit. But some of my questions are a little more specific, and would be really nice to have some of em answered.

So for the first year of my travels im considering "training period" where i pretty much just stay in my homestate, california, since weather is the most mild and it really has pretty much every kind of scenery im lookin for (the coast of course but also theres MANY mountains and dense forests and lakes and rivers and deserts and rolling hills and flat stretches of farmland and more) so thats pretty much where my questions come in. any and all stories about your guys's experiences all through out California would be super appreciated. im hoppin out (not planning on catching a moving train our first time dont worry) from somewhere down south since thats where i live. Hows colton these days? havent been able to find any recent posts on the yard. was gonna simply head north outta there i think to roseville? if thats a no go then what are the best and worst yards in california in your experience? thanks in advance and sorry again for writing a friggin novel haha. happiest of travels to all of you

 

[DoctorApocalypse]

Seriously dude, paragraphs...

But aside from that, welcome aboard.

 

[dabtime710]

Seriously dude, paragraphs...

But aside from that, welcome aboard.

Hahaha fixed it. thanks a lot

 

[DoctorApocalypse]

Much appreciated.

Also: sent ya a PM.

 

[Desperado Deluxe]

Might want to just start out hitching first CA is good for it. You sound a little all packed up with no place to go. Not particularly a bad thing but is there somewhere trying to get to? Glad to see you posted an intro and uploaded an avatar tho.

 

[WanderLost Radical]

From what I've read, you wanna cut yourself off the world and live in nature. The first thing that comes to mind is: Have you ever took a bushmanscraft course or something like that? I mean... living off nature sounds romantic and all, but it can be really fucking hard, even when you know what you're doing. Badlucks don't really forgive....

That being said, I highly recommend you to get some sort of training, and then, YES! get the fuck out there, and enjoy that absolute freedom you've been craving

 

[Jet Jaguar]

I agree with Carl, unless you have serious experience do not go off running into the woods. And please don't even attempt unless you can identify every local fauna and flora species without any doubts, know which parts are edible and which aren't. You also need to know how to acquire and process the fauna and flora if it needs, because even eating the wrong part of a mostly safe plant or animal can lead to death.

Death.

I want to emphasize this, because although I agree with you that modern day society is a shell of its former self, and more or less a cancer on humanity. I would rather live than die. No matter what.

And even my first paragraph; that's the tip of the iceberg. You have to constantly worry about your fire which is literally your livelihood, can you stitch a wound shut? Can you reset a broken bone and still manage to meet your daily needs with that wound? Can you do it while in extreme pain and agony? Believe me it's not fun and when I had to it wasn't even a big deal by civilization standards. But even a fairly deep 4inch cut that you are able to stitch yourself like me can seriously lead to your death out there if you aren't extremely careful. If the tiniest wound gets infected when you're out there, if you contact a disease by eating bad food or drinking bad water. You will most likely die out there.

Please don't take this the wrong way, I don't mean to be rude. I would just rather give you a little smack in the head now, then worry about you literally dying out there.

If you are interested in a more back to nature life-style, look into your local/ governments surveying jobs. A lot of the time you're able to specify whether you want to work in the city or out in local/provincial/national parks and stuff. er..state parks, sorry forgot you were from US. That way you can have an opportunity to learn and practice your skills while getting paid to do a pretty easy and awesome job. And also be completely safe (GPS emergency tracker they provide, ect).

I think there are also bushcrafting courses you could take, but that might be costly and be aware that quite a few of them are scams where they take you camping and show you how to pitch a tent make sure to do research before paying for something like this.

 

[Tude]

Whew! That is one hell of an intro - and very welcome aboard here at STP!! And also very glad you are reading and learning from the info we have here - but I also agree with the input here on this thread about learning a bit more on stuff. But I must say you have a LOT to say and your writing is interesting - you should start a blog out there when you travel and keep it up on the things you see and learn. I travel trip form, not monthly or yearly plus travels (my cats would hate me if I did) but rather provide safe haven to travelers as a couch surfing friendly person - and I have had many people and their dogs through here.

Think about a blog to transcript your travels - it sounds like you have a lot and lots more to live

 

[dabtime710]

But I must say you have a LOT to say and your writing is interesting - you should start a blog out there when you travel and keep it up on the things you see and learn.

Ive always been an avid reader and writer but have always kept it to myself. in fact ive already gotten a 4 hundred page notebook for my journey as i plan to do a LOT of writing. might just have to post somethings up on here. thank you for the encouraging words and makin me feel welcome!

 

[dabtime710]

Please don't take this the wrong way, I don't mean to be rude. I would just rather give you a little smack in the head now, then worry about you literally dying out there.

Not at all man thanks so much for such a thought out reply. i need to be aware of and prepared for every possibility. like i read somewhere here or on r/vagabond, if it CAN go wrong, best assume it WILL. i have a healthy fear of everyhting you just described, from dealing with broken bones to stitching wounds to avoiding infection. i will most definitely look as in depth into that sort of thing as much as i can and give it my best effort to be ready for all those terrible possibilities.

i do have a lot of cities i wanna visit as well, so im not planning on escaping into the woods for very long periods of time, maybe just a week or two then movin on. i wanna do a little of everything and see a lot of everywhere. currently studying how to make traps and fishing and cleaning my kill (which will make me so sad as i love animals but ill do my best to respect and honor everything i kill much like the native americans did, and not let any of the animal go to waste) and general bushcraft. have a book on it and just purchased another one on amazon that has excellent reviews. stockin up on as much knowledge as i can, any more you think i can obtain i am absolutely all ears for. thanks again for your reply!

 

[dabtime710]

From what I've read, you wanna cut yourself off the world and live in nature. The first thing that comes to mind is: Have you ever took a bushmanscraft course or something like that? I mean... living off nature sounds romantic and all, but it can be really fucking hard, even when you know what you're doing. Badlucks don't really forgive....

That being said, I highly recommend you to get some sort of training, and then, YES! get the fuck out there, and enjoy that absolute freedom you've been craving

Definitely man thats fersure part of my plan, to leave the business of cities behind and find a home for a couple weeks or so deep in a forest somewhere. im reading as much as i can on bushcraft and watching all sorts of how-to's and documentaries and stuff (have you checked out primitive technology on youtube yet? the shelters he makes will blow your mind). ive got a couple more months and ive got most of my gear so ive started just goin out camping in nearby woods to start gettin myself used to it.

couldnt really afford any classes but im confident in my research skills and the many many resources of the internet. am i wrong in thinking that, no matter how much i study and how many books i get, ill still learn new things everyday, and each day will kinda prepare me for the next for a whole lot of things? im gonna be taking this easy for the first while, practicing extreme caution at all times, and just enjoying my newly obtained freedom while not pushing myself to hard yet.

cause like i mentioned, something in me is saying this is what i wanna do for the long run, so im okay with just easing into it all and really just focusing on learning as much as i can for my first year or more. That way the rest of my journey when i branch out across the whole country will be easier and far more enjoyable since ill have much more of an idea of what im doing. Sound like a good plan? thanks again for your reply man, have you ever hopped around in california?

 

[dabtime710]

Might want to just start out hitching first CA is good for it. You sound a little all packed up with no place to go. Not particularly a bad thing but is there somewhere trying to get to? Glad to see you posted an intro and uploaded an avatar tho.

No set destinations naw, but hoping to stay in cali for a good while. maybe try to be up in humboldt area for the trimming season. definitely wanna walk across the golden gate bridge too. i guess i have places i wanna see but i dont care how long it takes to get there or if we end up goin off track to someplace ive never even heard of. just wanna see new places trainhopping does appeal to me alot more than hitching for many reasons but ive also thought about doing a bit of both. thanks for the reply !

 

[Mankini]

grew up in cali and spent much time haunting the sequoias in marin and elsewhere so if you have questions im here

 

[PotBellyFatGuy]

you don't need college to go past min. wage. u can learn a trade like welding or fixing machines or something. or u can open a business of some kind selling things. college can be a huge scam. if u hate college, don't do it because u will have to get a job doing something u hate (that is if u even make it through - most ppl. can't study something they hate, it just doesn't happen). u know u could setup a travel business or just work doing manual labor and touring the nation. u r so young. i am 40. ur options are closed to me. urs r wide open to get something started in life for u.

 

[Poper]

Hey everybody first let me just thank you for all the information ive already been able to get ahold of just as a lurker. this and the r/vagabond community on reddit have been awesome and i love both communities, so thanks again! now let me apologize beforehand for how friggin long this post is, i didnt mean for it to get like this haha.

but anyways, hi im jack im lookin for some stories and advice from fellow travelers, specifically you trainhoppers, since ill be leaving in a few months to explore the country with my best homie since middle school. After getting out of highschool at 16 (took test similar to GED), ive worked the same shitty minimum wage bottom level jobs ever since. obviously, right? hard to get much else at 16. but unfortunately thats left me trapped.. its really all i qualify for, and since i really cant find anything im passionate about to keep me going through the incredibly frustrating moments of college (i tried a semester, thinking i would do something agriculture/ botany related and use it to grow medical marijuana), i just cant see myself investing all the energy and money that college takes, to get trapped that vicious cycle within a cycle within a cycle.

but its becoming apparent that more education is necessary to get past this minimum wage trap. it drives me crazy, feeling trapped and out of control of my life and the direction its headed. ive noticed throughout my entire life, though, in the small spurts of time where ive been in these kinda places, that i'm calmest and happiest far away from other people, in the mountains, in the trees, just out there with nature. it really just appeals to all my senses. i love the smell of trees and wild flowers and herbs, the feel of the cool earth and a nice breeze, the sound of the breeze stirring leaves and blades of grass and the birds singing above, the sight of the sunrays being scattered by the shadows of foliage and the dust and pollen you see vividly in those rays. i really just love every bit of it. and ive come to the realization that most of the things i dont like in this life almost always gotta do with the intervening and disturbance of someone else, and its something i have no control of but that seriously effects my life.

i realize and fully understand that life on the road is intervened and disturbed by NATURE, instead of MAN. from intense heat to intense cold, from blazing dusty dryness to bone-chilling relentless buckets of rain. but shit... that honestly sounds preferable to me than the monotony of this life ive foolishly let myself get caught up in. ive lived this life for a while with little to no success or even hints of success and im tired of being on the bottom. i know a lot of people are in this situation at 19, with no idea of what theyre gonna do with their life and being trapped in minimum wage jobs, but why does it have to be like that? i dont wanna go through my whole life accepting shitty situation after shitty situation just cause thats "whatcha gotta do."

no. fuck that. its time to go explore my adventurous side for a while and instead of living in these cement blocks we call apartments (and PAYING to do so) go live in the trees amongst the rest of the animals. cause in a sense thats all we are too, right? i feel like out there is where i could really find myself, free from rent and my job and medias pessimistic shadow, free from the expectations and routine were all supposed to follow, free from electronics and free from weed even. free from all those distractions. i cant wait for my mind to clear up, and the new ideas and thoughts that will come up and change my entire outlook on life. even though im not out there yet on the road, the feeling in my heart is undoubtedly telling me that this is what i need to do.

But im not an idiot and want to go about this as wisely as i can with as much pre-planning and even some hands on experience as possible so i can really minimize that learning curve and the possibility of getting hurt or killed and then harming the rep of the train hopping community and making it harder for others travelers in the area to hop safely. i truly feel like this is something i want to do for the long run, although i dont want to say that for fersure yet of course, not until im actually out there. Ive already gained what i feel to be an enormously helpful amount of knowledge from not only these forums but also r/vagabond on reddit. But some of my questions are a little more specific, and would be really nice to have some of em answered.

So for the first year of my travels im considering "training period" where i pretty much just stay in my homestate, california, since weather is the most mild and it really has pretty much every kind of scenery im lookin for (the coast of course but also theres MANY mountains and dense forests and lakes and rivers and deserts and rolling hills and flat stretches of farmland and more) so thats pretty much where my questions come in. any and all stories about your guys's experiences all through out California would be super appreciated. im hoppin out (not planning on catching a moving train our first time dont worry) from somewhere down south since thats where i live. Hows colton these days? havent been able to find any recent posts on the yard. was gonna simply head north outta there i think to roseville? if thats a no go then what are the best and worst yards in california in your experience? thanks in advance and sorry again for writing a friggin novel haha. happiest of travels to all of you

Try Humbolt CO just follow the nutrient grow signs/shops ,brewand grows....People come from all over USA to clip grow and camp they want people and will help you get the med card so they can grow beyond their legal limit legally also mite get a delivery job out of it they let you camp on the co ,op

 

[Poper]

Try Humbolt CO just follow the nutrient grow signs/shops ,brewand grows....People come from all over USA to clip grow and camp they want people and will help you get the med card so they can grow beyond their legal limit legally also mite get a delivery job out of it they let you camp on the co ,op

Try Humbolt CO just follow the nutrient grow signs/shops ,brewand grows....People come from all over USA to clip grow and camp they want people and will help you get the med card so they can grow beyond their legal limit legally also mite get a delivery job out of it they let you camp on the co ,op

I met some people here in Chicago last summer @ Greatfull Dead show at Soldier Field who live out their and do that , make free bud and money... !!!!

 

[dabtime710]

you know u could setup a travel business or just work doing manual labor and touring the nation.

My parents own a window cleaning business (since the 80s) so the plan is im bringing along some of their gear and squeegee trampin ill go around to family owned restaurants and stuff and offer to clean their windows for a hot meal or a few bucks or somethin.
Also a decent musician/ lyricist, enough to get me a few bucks anyway. bringin along my ukulele and my homie a harmonica. plan on busking for money often in addition.

 

[dabtime710]

Try Humbolt CO just follow the nutrient grow signs/shops ,brewand grows....People come from all over USA to clip grow and camp they want people and will help you get the med card so they can grow beyond their legal limit legally also mite get a delivery job out of it they let you camp on the co ,op

Haha already a delivery driver with my med card, and i have some trimming experience and love it. i think thatd be a cool opportunity for my homie and i. especially if we got paid in herb! and yep thats why im saying itd be nice to get up there for harvest is there a humbolt in colorado? i was talking about Humboldt, CA.

 

[Jet Jaguar]

i have a healthy fear of everyhting you just described, from dealing with broken bones to stitching wounds to avoiding infection

I was using those as extreme examples; even just getting your daily clean water is a challenge. But it seems like you have a good head on your shoulders so that's good. Stay safe and I'll be rooting for you.

 

[WanderLost Radical]

Definitely man thats fersure part of my plan, to leave the business of cities behind and find a home for a couple weeks or so deep in a forest somewhere. im reading as much as i can on bushcraft and watching all sorts of how-to's and documentaries and stuff (have you checked out primitive technology on youtube yet? the shelters he makes will blow your mind).

thanks again for your reply man, have you ever hopped around in california?

Man, one thing I know is that bushmanscraft is 99% practice and 1% theory. Im in the same situation than you. I read a lot about it, and know my fair share. But I would NEVER NEVER consider myself able to survive in the wilderness. Because I never really practiced. So please make me (and yourself) a favor, and don't venture too far for at least the first months. At least to make sure that if you end up going wrong, you actually have a way out.

And no, I've never hopped out of cali. Never been to Cali, actually.