GrumpyGord,

That is a great book. "Planetwalker" is also another good book. I wouldn't have minded if you put it under my posts as it is a good observation.

No matter how many times I take a roadwalk, I've never had it paint my house. True, that's a physical problem, but long treks usually won't solve emotional problems either.

Nate is still wandering, although now he is staying at a house in Maine his grandfather owns. I sometimes exchange emails with him and he is an upbeat person.

Nate's books are making about $900 a month, so that helps solve his problems. He is working on another book now. The royalties from the books have probably paid for his trips by now. I think he will have more adventures and write more books that sell well. Many writers have been long road walkers. It seems to be a common mentality.

Once a person gets over the fear of stealth camping, I don't consider a walk across the country to be extreme. It should only take four or five months, which is no longer than the Appalachian Trail. People who haven't done it worry about water in the Nevada desert. Nate said that was an enjoyable part of the walk and also an easy part of the walk. All you have to do learn is how to walk 75 miles between water availability. The cart solves this problem. The heat isn't as bad as people think except from mid-June to late August.

The United States has always had wanderers and I feel they are an important part of society for reasons we don't understand. Europe has had them for centuries. Even the Jews became wanderers for 40 years. Many of the prophets in the Bible were wanderers.