Seeking help along the way

“Years of planning are slowly coming into focus for a second time. Though on my first attempt I encountered mental obstacles I was not prepared for, I will be much prepared on my second attempt, failure is not an option.

Last April I headed out on my own, just me and my dog Forest, with every intention of exploring the country on foot. I was out there to learn about the country, meet the people and see the sights. It was an amazing experience, but the powerful emotions that came with being alone eventually drove me home. As I prepare mentally and physically for my second attempt, I am finding many things that I wish to change from my first try.

I am currently compiling a list of people that would be willing to help me on my journey. Through my years here on trail talk many of you have offered to help me along the way. I will be willing to offer a service such as: Painting a house, Landscaping, Raking leaves, Mowing grass, or any other household chore in exchange for hospitality, a place to stay - even if it's just a flat area in the backyard for my tent, monetary gain - though I do not ask for any payment, I will accept every little bit along the way that can help me out, and most importantly I just need a friendly face and a nice conversation, I will be happy to share stories of my adventures up to that point.

If you are willing to help me out in any way, I will greatly appreciate it. To begin with I am creating a list of e-mail addresses, from there I will contact you with further information. Feel free to send me a quick e-mail at americanhiker2005@yahoo.com, post an e-mail address to this thread, or direct me to where it can be found.

Information on my first attempt can be found here: My Walk. Thank you for your help and support, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.”

“simer, it goes without saying, that you are always welcome to the treehouse. just tell when your around and you will have a place to sleep and hot food to eat and a cold beer to drink and lots of smiles!”

“You have a place to stay in Marion, AR.”

“Get my email off my profile. If you come through Columbus you can stay at my house and I'll buy ya a dinner. If you end up going through certain parts of WV near my cabin or parents house I'll see about meeting you there. When's this trip starting and what is your intended path?”

“When do I start? sometime in the next 1-2 years, either as soon as i finish school or that fall after I am able to work for the summer and collect some funds.

Intended Path? It's a game of connect the dots, I'll see where the world leads me, I don't want to be stuck to a single route, freedom to go where I want is a big part of the adventure. I was planning on heading towards the East coast first.”

“simer what ever you do, dont go to Dubs cabin. its a slaughter house with dead animals on the wall...

LOL


sorry dub, had to warn him”

“simer, can't offer the house, wife and kiddos very paranoid about the whole ax murderer/internet thing. That said, get ahold of me and I can get you through ABQ with a ride, maybe get you farther than that, certainly deposit you at a good place to camp. email in profile, my website shows why you should come to NM.


Have you read "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat Moon? You should.”

“If you happen to take a wrong turn somewhere and end up near Houston you've got a place to stay here.”

“Also, I will be creating a generic e-mail for anybody that may be willing to send it out. If you do not want this e-mail say so, or if you are not able to help me out but know people that might be willing to, you could forward my e-mail along.

I am not creating a chain letter to reach all kinds of strangers, but the more people i can reach that will be willing to help me out along the way, the better.”

“"Blue Highways" would be excellent reading for someone planning this kind of journey, as would "Walk Across America" although both are pretty old.”

“Your welcome at my homes in Mokena, Illinois just off I-80 and Drummond Wisconsin just off the North Country Trail.”

“Assuming I'm still in Chicago, you can crash here.



I also cook pretty good, too.”

“If you come through Columbus ship some good clothes ahead of you. Then I'll take you out for some Columbus nightlife, which was ranked #1 city for singles...probably has something to do with the fact that there are about 50,000 college aged chicks living in the area. It'll be a nice change from life on the road ;-)”

“ooohhh. come visit me. no one ever wants to come visit me.”

“You have a place to stop at in Indiana! :)”

“You have a place to stop at in Indiana! :)”

“As I said when this came up in your earlier thread, happy to host you whenever. Find my e-mail in my profile. Good luck.”

“"simer, it goes without saying, that you are always welcome to the treehouse. just tell when your around and you will have a place to sleep and hot food to eat and a cold beer to drink and lots of smiles!"
mapleleaf

He's underage!!! I will bust your ass”

“Damn Scorchy, is the codeine good? lol!”

“Underage? Hell, I got a bottle of Everclear for ya then.”

“Codeine.. mmmm (insert homer simpson drool here)”

“It's stove fuel, honest, officer!”

“your on whenever you get to Florida simer, or.,.... whereever I'm living when you come through whereever that is at that time.”

“thank you everyone so far”

“Simer, you're welcome here. LOL!! Soooooooooooo far down the road from where you live. (an hour? 1.5??) phhhhhhhhhht!!! LOL!”

“hey simer,my offer may seem superificial, but it is not. Depending on the date, I could drive you to good places to camp or hitchhike. I envy you.”

“Always welcome Simer. If you're headed this way, we're near Detroit. Add Birch and I to your list for possible places to crash, recoup, get fed and get your gear cleaned up. Email's in the profile.”

“All your base are belong to us.”

“Well there may be crazies here like Artex, the flatlanded flatuence wonder, but if we are in CO at that time you are welcome to stay with us...”

“As Sass said Simer, you've got a place here. If you insist on working I can get really lazy in anticipation of your visit ,LOL! If you just want to chill, that works too. We can ferry you around if needed.

BTW good luck on your trip, I am envious.”

“So what you are saying is that you want to be a homeless person?”

“simer, you're welcome to stay at my place. I'm in NH, near Hanover. The AT goes right through Main Street in Hanover. I'm a little over an hour from the White Mountains in NH. We'll give you a bed, shower facilities, home-cooked meals, a place to clean your gear, laundry facilities and some good conversation. My e-mail is in my profile.”

“I love how friendly this place is, and how willing everybody is to help others out :) just like a big family”

“Yup, we put the "fun" in "dysfunctional"

Main Entry: dys·func·tion
Pronunciation: (")dis-'f&[ng](k)-sh&n
Function: noun
: impaired or abnormal functioning
- dys·func·tion·al /-shn&l, -sh&-n&l/ adjective”

“Servas

I just came across this website from a link in Nat'l Geographic Adventure. I'm not sure exactly what it's all about, but do you think it's something I should look into? Or is this an evil organization that I should avoid.”

“It looks very interesting simer. I'd do some searches and check them out. I bookmarked the site. Good luck.”

“Hospitality Club

I also found this Oline version... seems quite interesting.”

“without checking that link, it sounds uh, kinda adult, at first glance.”

“Huh? It's for travellers - check out the link and see what you think...”

“CIEE Volunteer

I am interested in this organization.”

“TravelHoo

Another similar site, I don't want to rely solely on these types of organizations, but the idea intrigues me. If I have a list of people that have agreed to these sites to be hosts to travelers, it would be nice to know that I have a place to stay in an area if I need it, especially if there are no TT'ers around.”

“yeah simer, those are kinda neat - i had no idea something like that existed. would be nice to have that kind of backup plan available.”

“Tango, CIEE is a pretty cool organization. It has offices near many major universities and publishes a small magazine for student travelers. When I went to China, I got my traveler's insurance through CIEE for $100 for a full year abroad.”