Alright, so everyone has asked me many questions on my intentions, what information I've gathered so far, my plotted equipment, skills, practice and practice thus far: Here goes, I hope this gives you all a better picture of what I'm doing....

Allow me to begin with my intentions- This trip ties very closely into my spiritual views, political standpoints, and eventual aims in life. I won't go into a ton of details at this point, but I see many problems in the world. I see that if they keep moving along at the rate they are, things will end up very badly for all of mankind, not must my own family, kids, and community(No, I have no kids at this time). So basically, you could say that my ultimate goal is to make a change, enough of a shift to divert things from the path they're on right now.... I will not come to terms with any "apocalypse", or otherwise hopeless end. I look at my lifespan, and realize that I have a limited amount of time to make this difference. Being how I am only 22, have no kids, no wife/girlfriend, I believe myself in prime position to take on this task before it's too late. I realize that as people get older they get wiser, but more set in their ways- "Revolutions are meant for the young". I realize what an enormous task this is, but if I don't take it upon myself, who will?

So up until now, my goals have been to make change in the conventional way... Education+Money = Power+voice.... But I have had to come to terms with a few problems within myself that prevent this- Bad habits(smoking, bad procrastination, and others) I've had close to 25 jobs now, spanning all different fields, from food service to telemarketing, door-door sales to website design, landscaping to factory work. However, due to unforeseen chaos and my own habits, none of them have worked out as I'd have liked them to........ I dropped out of high school initially, but later developed the need for school, and have been to technical college for several semesters. I have no problems gripping concepts, and completing the work-However, I find that my habits make it near impossible to conform to the system of school that is set up. Somewhat recently I've come to this realization, and know that I may have to take another route to my objectives in life-

I am currently in the military, only about a year in the ARNG. I work as a logistics specialist for the motorpool. The training that I've recieved from my military service(other than knowledge of several tools I'll be taking, such as an E-tool), include map/compass navigation, on-the-go hygiene, and long road marches(full armor, carrying 50-80 lbs of equipment), the longest being a twelve-mile stretch. Other than that, I've picked up a good bit of other random tactical information that may well come in handy.

I was born in Jersey, moved to SC when i was 2 and a half, spent about 4 years total in Arizona.

I grew up pretty much alone, back in the sticks with little to do but enjoy the outdoors- I've done a good bit of camping, usually anywhere from 1-3 days worth of a trip.

I was in scouts all the way from the beginning of Cub Scouts, made it up to about 2 years in Boy Scouts.

I have a knack for business, especially with the internet- have done a good bit of work on e-bay, and I believe business to be my strongest point right now.

So now, what I hope to accomplish by this trip------

My habits are terrible, as I've said. I have a few problems that have prevented me from keeping jobs in the past, due to things like anxiety attacks, but am pretty sure it comes from a deep root that flipping burgers gets me no closer to my goals than when I started, so I get frustrated. Unfortunately I smoke cigarettes, have wanted to quit for a long time now- Even basic training wasn't enough, didn't even make it out of the Oklahoma airport before I had a cigarette offered to me, and lit it up. Had no issues of withdrawals throughout my 12-13 weeks of training, but I think my mistake was not mentally preparing myself for that first chance of lighting up..... So anyway, I believe that a good month or two in the woods is long enough for me to reset my habits. I've heard that it takes 14 days to break old habits, 16 days to make new ones, and it makes sense to me- Now that might actually be a load of horse-shnap, but don't tell me different. It has the best chance of working if I believe it will.

I do not know exactly WHAT it is yet that I'm to do in order to achieve this change I want to make. However, I know that if I stay in the situation I'm in, working for awhile to afford going to school a semester here and there, I'll get nothing done. I don't want to be 35 and finally in a position to make a move, but too set in my ways to take my chances. And who knows, I might even end up with a child or a wife by then, which won't help matters either. By heading into the woods for awhile, I start at basic survival and work my way up- After that, I plan to travel to different parts of the country where there are people that I've met throughout life, and always thought that I wanted to talk with them again before my time on this world ends. I figure that's a good place to start, and somewhere along the way I will figure out exactly what it is that I'm to do. My happiness and personal outcome is of no importance to me- My life is insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and my mind will not rest until I feel that I've done my best.

I will be starting out near Anderson South Carolina, headed Northwest in the direction of O'Fallon Illinois to begin with. The stretch of woods I'll be looking at is around 60 miles, but I'll be taking my time- Remember, I'm hoping to "reset" myself, and build up new habits by the time I get out- So I have no issues with setting up camp for a day or two in order to figure out my surroundings. I'm not doing this with the objective of covering ground quick as possible, but to get the most experience out of my trip as possible. There are also a few other expanses of forest that I'll be going through on the way to Illinois, but I'd imagine the first leg of the trip will be the most important test of all. Throughout, I will be carrying proper ID and have a home mailing address in case I was stopped by anyone of authority.

My equipment-----------------------------------

Shelter- A one-man tent, an army-issue blow-up mat, and a poncho for rain protection.

Self Defense, Tools--------------------------------------

A high-quality Smith & Wesson survival knife(fixed blade), complete with sheath and sharpener. I also have 2 other knives, another cheap fixed-blade, and a Turkish-made bayonet, with a wire-cutter combination between the blade and sheath. I also have a leatherman for miscellaneous uses. I will be carrying a 4 ounce can of mace, for the purpose of bears and random people with bad intentions. I also just went and picked up a decent wrist-supported slingshot(due to a fantastic suggestion I got already on these forums!). I will have separate bags with a few lighters(Bic, no less!), and backup of flint/steel, and wax-coated matches.

FOOD-------------------------
I will not be taking much food- I plan on being in the woods a good while, and I realize that I won't be able to carry the amount of food that I'd need for the duration of my stay away from civilization. So I will be depending mainly on the methods of foraging, hunting, and the various forms of fishing that I'm researching through this site, and many others... I will have a pot to cook in.

WATER-------------------------------
There are lots and lots of streams throughout the mountains, and I'll have a map of the terrain overlay, and will have to judge how much water I'll have to carry to make it to the next source. As far as purification goes, I'm open to suggestions and still looking into it- but I think I'll primarily be boiling it. I'd rather not depend on being able to change filters, or re-up on purification tablets.....

TRAVEL---------------------
Primarily my tootsies:-) But if I come across someone willing to give me a ride, I may take it- However initially I will not, because the idea is to take my time and work on myself first.



So here it all is....... I may have missed a few things here, but if you guys have any suggestions, questions, concerns, or thoughts on this in general, please feel free to let me know- I'll be leaving in about 2-3 weeks. Thank you all for your help so far, and thank you in advance for any further help you may assist me with. And thanks for sticking with and reading such a long post, didn't mean to write a whole book:-)....(but maybe eventually?)

Dave

Oh yeah, I missed the most important thing of all, that should have been in my "tools" section... My MIND. The one thing that sets humans apart from any other species, is the ability to learn and adapt. I will be pushing it to the test, but I believe with most of the right information, I just might pull it off- And it will be more than worth it if I do:-)

That is a lot to take in, but I can identify with your situation. I dropped out of college after my junior year and worked a variety of jobs for a couple years. I spent a lot of ties hiking and camping alone in the Sierra Nevada mountains hoping to see things more clearly. I also spent a lot of time in the flat country drinking beer and continuing my career of trying unsuccessfully to figure out women.

I am troubled that you would write that your, "happiness and personal outcome is of no importance ...." I don't think you really mean that, but I recognize that you believe it is much more important and worthy to selflessly give the gift of yourself to the world. Dave, from my perspective they are two sides of the same coin.

I'm going to think about this some more and watch to see what the community thinks.

Thanks you for your courage in sharing all this.

"...I'll have a map of the terrain overlay..."

I had wondered how you planned to navigate. I can not even begin to guess how many 7.5 topos it would take to cover your route between SC and IL, but it has to be a bunch. So, what kind of maps are you gonna take along on this little hike? How will you obtain new maps as you run off of your current map???

I will have political maps showing cities, towns, and roads... I will also have a terrain map showing the overlay of the mountains, including rivers, streams, and elevation. I will be taking a small amount of money for purposes of obtaining more maps along the way, should it be necessary. I will be using a military compass, to judge my direction and distance. I realize it won't be pinpoint, but it should suffice:-)

Dweste, my happiness cannot be my goal in life until I feel that I've done all that I'm capable of doing. I hope I do get the chance, I would love to raise a family, and live out the rest of my life in happiness.

When I was 18 I pretty much did what you want to do. I spent 6 weeks at a time in the Blue Ridge Mts. At the end of 6 weeks we would go home for the weekend, then it was back to the woods, but I only took a bowie knife and a blanket. I did this for 2 years. There was a few things I really missed. A good sleeping bag, since it gets cold at night, salt,which I really craved, and extra clothes. Other than that it was the best and most peaceful time of my life. Now when I go camping , salt is the first thing I pack. I also had the benefit of having my husband with me, so we divided up the chores. I really can't recommend doing it the way I did it because it is dangerous but I know it can be done.

"...I realize it won't be pinpoint, but it should suffice:-)..."

I wish you luck...

As long as I can survive wherever I end up, EXACT navigation is not so important to me at this point. That is why I'm here. I will hone in on my goal as I get closer, and gain information on the area.

Ata minimum, DeLorme road atlases. They run about 20 bucks a state, and while the topos are nothing like USGS 7.5s, they are better than what you are descibing. Cut out the tourist stuff, and you'll save half the weight/bulk. Fold it up, stuff it in a large ziplock. And you can get new ones as you go and mail home your old ones.