Sam Friend!
Clothes- Total, four shirts (two button-down, two T-shirts), two pairs of pants (tough jeans for the train and nice pants for town) one sweater, favorite flannel, wool long underwear, two pairs of socks, underwear, hat, hobo gloves, two hankies, suspenders. (and yes, those are gold suspender buttons on my town pants.) Two pairs of shoes- fancy town pair and ugly pair for the train (not pictured).
Food- Almond butter, celery, avocado (in avocado holder), apple, dried pea soup (yum!), chamomile, emergenC (delicious train beverage), and yes, I now travel with a pound of coconut oil. (What?!) Food not pictured that I have to pick up on the way out of town- small purple cabbage, cans of beans, dense brown rice bread, delicious prunes.
Supplements and shit I have to take for my protozoa friend- Heckofexpensive probiotic, broad spectrum anti-bacterial (berberis, ginko, etc.), wormwood tincture, oil of oregano, digestive enzymes, calciumandmagnesium (for me, not protafriend).
Hobo Hotel- My sleeping bag (zero degree down), ridgerest (I fucking love this thing), tarp, and down travel pillow.
The crap I bring along- book, atlas, notebook, train directions, sunglasses, multi-tool, cellphone, playing cards, bandaids, camera cord, headlamp, Free Winona, fork, batteries, sardines (forgot to put them in the food photo), earplugs, pens, Pstyle (this thing has changed my fucking life), article on inflammatory foods I tore from a hippie magazine.
And now for some of Sam’s things, which are, admittedly, infinitely more interesting than mine. He’s a whittler, for one, and carries all sorts of cool whittling tools and pieces of wood. Also firestarters made from wax poured into egg cartons, real life stitches needles, bits of waxed twine, and two giant markers for making hitchhiking signs.
Sam whittles, among other things, beautiful spoons like this, and knife handles (to the left).
First aid kit. Real needles for stitches.
Travel well and safely.
And last but not least, a picture of Katie Mae’s sister’s dog, for Adrienne. It’s a jack-russel pug, if you can believe it. I promise to never take you on a train.
Good to be reading your blog. I’m glad to hear you’re not afraid of winter; it’ll probably be keeping me inside a bit more than I’d like, but I’ll head out for some hitchhiking in the next couple of weeks and maybe make it down to Alabama.
How do the clothes do when wet? I’ve got to agree about the RidgeRest. When I first started backpacking, I used to use this self-inflating pad which was quite comfy and _quite_ heavy. The RidgeRest is incredible (and cheap!). I’ve used garbage bags for extra warmth in the past, but find they trap condensation and this makes me cold. Yay for tarps.
Hello there
what it almond butter? Seems to be a favourite of yours! Ever heard of Kendal mint cake??
Coconut oil, almond butter, and suture kit: me too!!!
And wow, your sleeping bag is so small to be so warm. It must be very fancy.
Wow … awesome adventure!
I like your minimal kit. The bare essentials without being too bulky. A 0 degree bag and a single tarp may be a little light for winter, at least in the north. (Because some air will get into the bag, it will probably not actually keep you warm down to 0 degrees. Without a tent, adding 15 degrees to the rating is a general rule of thumb.) Anyway, good luck with it all! I will be following along.
Hello Sam Friend!!! will you tell him hi for me? and that he and lark should come visit portland again some time cause they rock.
i wish i could see his crazy hair….
Travel well, and safely. that’s my new mantra.
I HEARTS YOU!!!!
the inventor of the Pstyle should get a nobel prize.
that camera has really revolutionized your blog…be careful though. i often have to battle between the picture telling the whole story and my words telling the whole story. you have such pretty words…
i am quitting school after this semester and i think i am going to do exactly what you are doing. except maybe i will take a bicycle, with me, because i plan on half-touring, half train-hopping. i think this is lovely. i wish you luck my friend.
After looking over your gear list it seems like you have a fair amount of items that you could go without and you load would be lighter.
Maybe ill make a post about what I pack on a train trip.
I really love that wooden spoon in that one photo!
Happy trails & rails!!!
~ “Shoestring” ~