Ok, I've been stuck in Phoenix, Arizona for the last 11 years, going to school, getting a job, having a few friends. But I'm bored. Terribly, horribly, bored. I need to get out of here, I don't know where I want to go, only that I want to start walking in a direction, compass and map in hand, and not look back. How do I do this? I'd love to just drop everything I'm doing and walk across the country. But how do I escape these obligations?

How much money would I need to backpack across the US? What kind of equipment? How cheaply can I do this and still get by?

This is almost Forrest Gump-esque, but it really is spontaneous. I want to walk the entire way.

you want to walk all the way to the east coast??

You need a good cash reserve, because:

• you might want your trip to last longer than you intended
• you might have some stuff to pay for (medicine, fines, who knows what might happen when you hit the road)
• you might want to sleep outside, but some regions are wilder (or maybe some times it'll just be too cold/rainy) so you might need to spend a few nights at motels
• food. think well about how many times you think you're going, you'll need to eat during this whole period with little to no income

You see, you need a little bit of a plan. Maybe not where your trip ends, but when it should end. Because you'll have a different preparation depending on that.

As for stuff to bring... well, the whole survival kit: compass, maps, something to carry water, emergency rations, medikit (with bandaids, alcohol, etc), a new, sturdy pair of shoes (one that goes up your ankle), stuff to keep you clean (soap, razorblades, and the like), a sleeping bag...

Sounds good. I was thinking I could start by walking to San Diego, then make my way up the Pacific Coast, San Francisco and such, then I could maybe walk through some scenic area like Yosemite and make my way south again, trying to avoid as much desert as possible.

I do want to make a point to use the Colorado Plateau.

Real life is not a movie, OP. The world is dangerous.

>>8
yeah. buy a spear or something, so if you find yourself without fire you can go to a village and steal their fire.

Go watch "Into the Wild". It'll be pretty instructive for you,...

>>8

You're more than welcome to stay glued to your monitor, I'm still intent on traveling across the US via backpacking.

>>11

Backpacking is for Europe, chief.
In the USA, you ride stowaway on freight trains.
Just make sure not to get yourself locked in a boxcar for a month or stabbed by a hobo.