Just when you think you heard it all....

This summer Spencer Mondshein, Eli Federman and Beny will be leaving their respective urban lifestyles and entering the rugged wilderness. Despite being city dwellers, they will survive for 30 days and nights, divorced from all technological comforts. The purpose of this trip will be to heighten awareness on the current environmental, physical, and mental health crisis this country is facing.

More info here.

They may be testament to the mental health crisis.

When one is "leaving modern society to venture into the unforgiving bowels of Mother Nature" it's good to remember two things. 1)Mother Nature is indeed "unforgiving" and 2)when one goes "into the bowels" one is likely to become sh*# and be spued out on a dung heap.
I wish them well, and hope they have some level of preparation and skills, even if however slight.

sounds like my two week solo canoe trips without the B.S.

LOL. Why don't these folks just go ahead and get on with it with having to tell the whole world about their exploits. And just how are they going to tell everyone that they have left behind their city dwelling habits and how they ventured into the 'unforgiving bowels of Mother Nature', yep, by using an interweb blog. They even think they are making a poltical gesture as well.

Dibs on their...aw, nevermind.

-Blast

I think these three kids are reincarnated members of the Franklin Expedition.

They sound a bit anal.

Gotta love this:



I'd love to know how they're going to get that low fat meat in the wild. I'm sure they will lose quite a bit of weight in 30 days, though.

#2, I'm not so sure the outdoors is such a stress-free environment. Not on some cold, rainy day when you realize you're just a clueless city boy who has no idea where he's going, running low on food and peeing blood because the water you drank a few hours ago contained some hardcore parasites.

I really hope they make it safely - if they do take the trip at all. But once again it shows inexperienced folks take the outdoors way too lightly. It's not exactly the right place to confront one's insecurities and frustrations. If they need something therapeutic it might be better to go see a psychiatrist.

I am willing to bet they either, 1, quit before the 30 days, or 2, cheat. They should do it Les Stroud style; NO modern equipment; nothing metal AT ALL. THATS the way to do it...anything other than that is camping.

PS: how funny would it be to see them arrest by game wardens for poaching?

Well, I certainly hope they bring a good supply of Immodium with them, they are going to need it. They will be experiencing some dis-stress if they change their diet so radically for more than a couple days.

Hope they find a good leaf source while they're at it. Bark is kinda rough.

I prefered alder leaves myself. Just the right size, and nice and smooth, but with just enough gentle ridges to get the job done.

Ouch!

Interesting. One of the participants will be a traditional Jewish man who attended a rabbinical school - I wonder how he will rationalize or address his dietary needs if he follows the kosher diet. Then again, I don't expect it will come up much, as I wouldn't assume alot of food from foraging. If they're dependent on roots and berries I hope they're in an uninhabited area (but not far from a strategic retreat), I hope the frost isn't late and the berries are plentiful, I hope they find them, and don't mind foraging all day for their food. Alexander Supertramp...

30 days is alot longer than a 2 week outdoor camp. 30 days gone walkabout is a helluva lot longer than 28 days, from the perspective of day 28, should they get there. I predict they'll realize within a week they don't want to be there, they don't have to be there, and in all probability run for the nearest Wendy's by first sunday. Its so easy to rationalize that they have enough story and footage for a documentary after that much time.

I hope they do well.

Even if they can't manage to go the full 30 days, it may not be a failure, but instead a success.

Judging by the blog it seems most likely that they will fail, at the very least in some of their lofty goals, but it still may provide some valuable insight for these three and possibly others.

If they go to the right place, people know where they are, and there is some kind of contact it may be no more hazardous than your average camping trip with the exception that should they get hungry enough they may decide to hike to the car and go home.

I'm struck by a couple of things, first they name 3 people as participating but they only have 2 of them talking about themselves, who's "Beny"?
Second, why does anyone need multiple reasons to do what they claim they're going to do? "I want to go to the woods and see if I can survive with my friends for 30 days."

That really sums it up, the rest seems like some sort of post-modern rationalization to me. "We need more reasons dammit..."

They quote from Mr. Thoreau a lot, but I don't think they get the fact that he knew a helluva lot more about living in the woods at Walden then they do about wherever they're going. He also took supplies and tools with him to build his house in the woods if I'm not mistaken. He was living his life deliberately, not stupidly.

I wish them luck but I'm also struck by the fact that they're advertising their adventure months in advance, I'd find it all the more interesting if they simply went and did it, then came home and started their PR campaign.

I too don't quite see the connection to combatting racism, guess they need more reasons after all...


JohnE

We need to bring back the draft. These guys need something useful to do.

I clicked on their pics, and they are some of hiking in 2000. Judging by the captions to the photos, there are at least 2 of them that did SOME hiking time on the AT. However, they encountered some issues, I think healthwise, that caused them to cut a 2 week trip short.
Now, 2 weeks on the AT, IMHO, does NOT equate to outdoors skills. The AT is often referred to as a "moving city". And, MANY, MANY people hike the whole thing, with NO previous experience in the woods at all. The nice part of the AT is that, practically any time of the year, SOMEONE is bound to run across you within a day if SHTF. So, there is a safety net there.
I gave them some things to think about on their blog; however, I am leaning towards them failing. I DO have it marked to watch though. I'd be surprised if they even start on this.
And, every time I go camping now, I am doing it for a noble reason! They have INSPIRED me!!
Ok, just kidding. I do it to get away from people

Hear hear!

In which park are "The Unforgiving Bowels of Mother Nature" located anyhow.
I tried looking them up in my guidebook and...

I don't have an answer to people who ask 'why should the outdoors change people for the better?'.
But it's a fact I've never known of anything being stolen from a rural campsite or hostel (and anyone could walk into a hostel drying room and help themselves to expensive gear). And I've never met a bad person walking or camping.
Maybe those are the people who go, rather than going there that makes them like that. I think these boys certainly won't be any worse for their camping trip.
QJS

Now that I think of it, my camping trips to the mountains are a statement on the decline of American civilization in large metropolitan areas.

Specifically: smog, overcrowding, muggers, gridlock, meter maids and the prohibition on turning right on red before 7:00p.

Any corporate sponsors out there?

There were a couple of outhouses, in a NW Conn State Park, that were about as close to "the bowels of Mother Nature" as you'd ever want to come.

I guess it's literally a sign of the times. In his day, Mr. Thoreau went to live in the woods because as he put it, he "wanted to live his life deliberately...", now people go to the woods, or rather they make plans to go to woods, to make videos and attempt to cure societal ills. I can't help but remember that most adventure sagas are written AFTER the event has taken place, that the stories that I've read about doing similar things, think Blue Highways, On the Road, A walk across America, Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance, etc. were about the process and events of traveling and discovering things about ones self, not about posting a blog and trying to drum up support beforehand.

I wish them luck.

JohnE