It was even colder on this morning. I overslept again. There is something about the cold and the peacefulness of the woods that lulls me back to sleep over and over again in the morning. But, I resisted and got packed up, then made my way out of the woods unseen...
A utility box in mosaic.
I'd seen this slogan around town. It refers to the what the late former Carolina Panthers
player and coach Sam Mills used to rally the team with. Now it is the team mantra,
and immediately after the coin toss at home games, an honorary drummer walks out on to
the field and pounds the six foot drum four times--one for each quarter.
When I reached Starbucks there was a lot on my mind. The night before, I had an unusual idea about the way I was living. For a couple of weeks now, I've been identifying strongly with the pre-White, Native North American nomadism. They would stay on land just long enough to hunt, gather, raid, or go to battle with other tribes...whatever. When they moved on, everything went with them.
They found the best places to camp; presumably high ground if possible, sheltered by short pines in the winter and many other trees in the summer. Likely, a water source was nearby. There was game available. The right kinds of plants could be found and utilized for building materials to supplement supplies, to fabricate tools, and to use as food and/or medicine. For Native Americans, nature was a kind of urbanity. They didn't see their world as "wild."
Maybe, just maybe, we have reached the most unusual time in history--one with a technology that allows for staying in touch with our friends, and literally viewing the world around us with tools like Google's information, while at the same time having the lightweight supplies needed to live or stay outside in relative comfort.
I have shown how one can work (have a job--though mine requires begging for a paycheck) and survive without having a permanent shelter. Like a nomad, I move from place to place just long enough to hunt, bag a story, shoot a picture, and have a personal experience in each area I pass through.
It is my way of hunting and gathering. Like the Native American brave of centuries past, I can be alone and survive in nature outside my tribal region, but unlike him I also stay in touch with it. My wilderness is at the edges of urban centers. As tribal members would go on a vision quest, so have I gone in search of personal spiritual enlightenment, but a kind that can be shared with my friends in real time. I can think of no better Real way of learning about one's self, while also learning about society.
It was with all of this in mind that I had a kind of self-revealed vision. Here is what is was...
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I could see young people who have just graduated from high school deciding to take the summer and travel around their state, region, or country as urban campers--in the same way that students backpack around Europe or other overseas destinations, for example. If they wanted they could participate in the regular activities of the town or city they are passing through, but would find places to camp each night, just like I do.
They could hold jobs or use a talent to fund their travels (carving, knitting, playing an instrument, making a craft, painting pictures, etc., even being a blogging journalist). This would be for a set amount of time--say three months. The extra money they haven't spent on an apartment or staying in hostels, could be saved toward college or any other financial goal. Using their smartphones and tablets, they would be able to locate sleep spots, communicate with friends, do online banking and all the other things available to the Wi-Fi-connected.
Then, I thought that maybe - simply for the adventure and challenge of it - anyone might decide to take a car-less trip (air, train, bus, or walk) to anywhere that interested them and have a vacation; doing all the things there that any visitor would, except that they would sleep in a camp spot outside. Some might do it to save money, but many people might be interested in the sheer challenge of it. The excitement of camping somewhere stealthily, the adventure of being out in nature, the completeness of having everything they need with them, the lack of waste, the absence of utility bills, the general simplicity of the lifestyle... these are all very attractive to some types of people.
And, they certainly wouldn't need to be young, or students. They could be professional folks who really want something different in their lives. I could see someone (let's say, a man) saying, "I'm gonna spend the weekend in _______________ !" Then on Friday he takes a bus there, finds a camp spot, and in the daytime walks around, goes to the movies, goes out to eat, sees historic sites, and generally does anything someone might do for recreation in any town or city. On Sunday night he catches the bus home. Cost of accommodations: $0. Cost to him of gasoline: $0. Exercise: great! Fresh air: great! Impact on the environment: minimum. Unique memory: priceless.
Now, a lot of you are probably have the notion that this is wacky and unrealistic, and I agree that under the conventional way of thinking that may be so. However, for a single person who doesn't have a lot of money this could be a very interesting thing to do. It could become trendy. The temporary nomad could impress his friends with pictures and his camping skills (even compete with them--as I will discuss in the next post), and there's always a new adventure waiting. So much more can be seen when walking than when driving. This just happens. For some reason I can see Millennials getting into this kind of thing.
Part of the experience would be the interaction with other people who live and work at street level. He would genuinely understand the way society views street people--possibly facing some of the same treatment, but with the luxury of knowing that he won't be there permanently. As you know, that has been a fascinating part of my Journeying. Being around animals and plants one doesn't see on a regular basis could be edifying as well.
If the system and method for doing such a thing were easy to understand and afford, I could see any adult doing this. One of the most interesting things from a sociological stance, is that if people did this and it became a popular pastime, it might change the assumptions about homelessness in general. Instead of just assuming that a person walking down the street with a backpack is a bum, a vagrant, jobless, dirt poor, a drain on society, and all the rest of it, people wouldn't really know anymore. It could just be an urban camping nomad getting back to nature, but mixing it in with plenty of human contact, here in the digital age. It would be much harder to stereotype by appearance. It would also be a simultaneous protest against these stereotypes, while making the lifestyle itself more socially acceptable.
Instead of escaping--running away from society -- digital age nomads would be entering into a very different aspect of the world they think they know, with a unique perspective.
If you've ever wished you could just become invisible for a day and night to see what the human world is like from another person's point of view (someone in another social class), you could become a digital age nomad anytime you wanted.
Because this was so hypothetical and has little chance of actually happening, I could let my imagination really fly with it. What if people, rich and poor, young and old, male and female (and in between); people of any color, religion, political disposition, philosophical bent, or scientific viewpoint began actually doing this? It is a thought experiment worthy of actual contemplation.
Let's say there is a manufacturing industry specifically for supporting urban camping. The digital age nomad would buy supplies specially designed to fit his camping and hiking needs. That would also mean internet devices that were inexpensive, super-tough, easy to use, waterproof, and able to function in extreme heat or cold. It might push companies to offer better data plans, or communities to offer city-wide free Wi-Fi.
Outdoor suppliers now are geared toward hiking and trail camping. Extended camping in the wilderness requires a large, rigid pack, a tent strapped to it, a sleeping bag and pad, Camelback canteen, fire-making supplies, etc. But the urban camper would not want to stick out in the crowd. He (I'll stick with the male pronoun though women should be just as interested) would be supplied with a new kind of equipment better suited to his needs.
The backpack would be small. The tent and sleeping bag would fit within it--not on it, there would be no need for a canteen if the camping was close to town, and no fires would be likely (they would attract attention, probably be illegal and risk getting out of control in a relatively populated area). Clothing would be made of the most efficient fabrics (light, waterproof, warm and cool when needed--respectively).
Once this stuff was really flying around in my mind, a sobering fact about my own Journeys hit me. I am physically alone out here. I answer to no one. There is no committee debating each thing I do every day. I need not discuss my decisions with anyone before following through on them. I can't imagine how many more things could go wrong if I had a friend with me.
That doesn't mean it isn't possible. But, I am not the one to guide a couple or pair of friends or lovers in the ways of urban camping. I have no idea whether it would even work. I know - from some very practical experience being in relationships - that consensus decisionmaking has its good days and bad days. I would suggest that any couple who wanted to try digital age nomadism make certain they find themselves on the same page in just about every other way, first.
And, the path to group urban camping certainly seems fraught with obstacles. If they are going to sleep together, they'll need a bigger tent. Who will carry it? How will that fit the small-pack paradigm above? Surely, they will look more like "hikers." Can they stand each other's quirks and temperaments? If one is the agreed-upon decision maker it might be easier, but a follower is quick to abandon the ideas of a weak or inadequate leader--even between only two people.
I've seen homeless couples who weren't married, both young and old, and they've hooked up on the street for companionship (and/or romantic reasons). They are very visible. Unless they have a city-sanctioned camp site, they must split up to sleep in shelters or missions. It is not an ideal nomadic scenario. I guess that is one thing we've lost since the archaic days; the ability to be voluntarily nomadic as a family or pair-bonded institution.
Perhaps there is a way to do it, but I am not qualified to advise in that capacity. In my present view--from the experience I have, I would advise against it unless there is a damned good plan in place to deal with appearance, agreement, and the practical aspects of survival. I would like to be wrong about this, because traveling as a couple seems like it would be a very gratifying activity. It is up to some pair of energetic people out there to work on the details of how this could be done. For now though, I would suggest that digital age nomadism is for single folks.
* * * * * * *
In the next post, as I implied above, I should be proposing another interesting idea; one for a new kind of competition involving this nomadism. Please let me know what you think of the digital age nomad idea. I will continue to develop it as time goes by and am anxious to hear other ideas.
I published my post for the day, went back to my own urban camping spot, and set up my tent as the digital age nomad that I have become.
I have no fear, no apprehension, no questions about what I'm doing. It is pretty automatic now, as long as I'm also careful. Any unresolved issues that I face are simply dealt with and remembered as they occur; a "best practices" set of lessons. I have a system that works for me, and I believe is easy enough to work for anyone. You have to be tough. You have to be focused. You have to have a goal and a plan for how to reach that goal. Some of the things you do will require you to not make mistakes. It is like launching a space shuttle. Some aspects of the life must be done correctly every time.
I paced around the tent thinking and communing with the Spark before climbing in and bundling up for the night. Sleep came as quickly and soundly as the last few night here in Charlotte.
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