I would suggest a small psk (personal survival kit) regardless of your skill set, no one plans on being up sh!t creek without a paddle. All too many times we hear of people who were "trained" or "experts" having things go downhill fast and either perish or need extraction. I carry Doug Ritter's psk, mainly because I can NEVER pack that small, being a pack rat. Has most of the basics, lacking only water treatment and storage, knife (a razor blade just will not cut it, pun intended, compared to a decent locking folder or fixed blade) and shelter.
If you can afford it a PLB is strongly recommened by many experts. Make sure to keep the psk on your person, as well as the plb if carried, in case you and your pack have to part ways in an emergency.
Not being an expert, barely a novice actually, I doubt the viability of snares if you are not setting up camp for a few days at a time. It will take a lot of time to set up multiple snares to catch someting (Murphy willing) and may not be worth the expenditure of energy every night to have to take them down in the morning and move on. Good luck.

-Bill Liptak

Those mts. are not someplace you should go alone. Things there can go south really quick. Some of the places back off the trails can be really dangerous and it's impossible to signal for help should you need it. Not only would you be in bear and snake territory but you also would have to watch out for moonshine stills too. Yes, they still have those up there and they are well guarded.

I think a trial run or two or three is a good idea. Trying it for a week and seeing if you can eat would be bettr than committing to it for a few months.

If you're going to walk across country to visit friends, why not use the roads? You'll find that there will be large stretches of territory that are not woods or wilderness nor public land for you to use.

I personally recommend motorcycle camping for this sort of experience. Still somewhat rugged but you get there a LOT faster :-) (I did this very thing to celebrate the end of my Navy career.)

The cross-country walkers I've heard about always have some kind of support crew to bring along food/water and moleskin.

Why not try a 50 mile 3 day weekend and see how it goes before you commit to this?

Even a bicycle allows you to carry more gear and it's a bit faster.

I read your first extraordinary post late yesterday and just re-read it. What strikes me this morning is that perhaps I failed to make clear that you have come to a good place to seek suggestions, that it is great that you are seeking suggestions instead of just rushing into your adventure, and that you are welcome here. Everyone here is focused on helping you succeed.

Trying to figure out what to do with your life, assuming that means more than just trying to get your next job, is something a lot of us are doing. That search-for-meaningful-existence thing is kind of a universal challenge for thoughtful people.

Clearly the search does not necessarily require a cross-country trek, but just as clearly that strategy might work. Why do you think it might work for you?

Have you looked at the info from those who have done long hikes like the Appalachian trail? they are likely to have good advice about gear, planning, food drops, water, first aid and etc.

white blaze

You might want to check into lightweight Snake Guards (http://www.snakeguards.com/snakeguards.htm). I would suspect that most bites to the legs would be below the knee. Don't wear tight pants in snake country. I think the second most 'popular' place for snakebites is on the hands. Use a stick for poking areas you can't see.

Antivenin is used very carefully by doctors, almost always in hospitals. Before they give you any, they test you to see if you're allergic. If you gave it to yourself and went into anaphalatic shock, you wouldn't be able/wouldn't have handy the airway, oxygen, epinephrine and cortisone required to deal with it. Besides, it needs to be refrigerated, and a serious bite could require from 10 to 18 vials of the stuff, at a cost of $250-350 per vial.

OTOH, a set of Snake Guards cost $58 + shipping. Hmmm, a tough decision.

Sue

If you intend to live off the land, I suspect that it's going to be a very loooooooong trip. It's hard enough to find enough to eat when you're staying in one place. Finding food while walking 20 or so miles a day could be very tricky.

I would seem to be a better idea to set up a savings account and ask for two or three debit cards. Keep the cards in various places on your person. Since you're not exactly traveling through uncharted territory, just stop at a grocery store when you need supplies. Nearly every place accepts debit cards.

Eat good food regularly. You're going to be using a lot of calories, and you will need to stay in good shape.

It sounds like fun. But I like the motorcycle idea.

Sue

I would think very carefully about the pepper spray/mace option. It can cause problems in some locales. Bear spray is good (and convincing to local authorities) when you are in bear country. You could just as easily use a small can of aerosol deodorant for the purpose in the "people environment".

My two cents....

I wish you great success on your search.