homelessness
certainly one of the oddball projects—being a successful homeless person. here are some ideas and references for the bozeman, montana area.why homelessness?
as i posted on the winged leopard web log (version two) in july 2005, “for me, it's about the bankroll, the simplicity, and the solitude.” i wanted to save money by not paying any rent, i wanted to minimalize my possessions, and i wanted to be alone.“Well I don't care, all I want is to be alone up there this summer.”
“You're sayin that now but you'll change your tune soon enough. They all talk brave. But then you get to talkin to yourself. That ain't so bad but don't start answerin yourself, son.” kerouac, the dharma bums, 227
of course, i'm doing this in the gallatin valley while going to school, so i don't run the risk of writing in the manner that jack did on desolation peak.
Up in the valley
and down by the mountain,
The bird—
Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake
Wake Wake Wake A W A K E N
A K A K E N A W A K E N
A W A K E N
N O W
This is the wisdom
of the millennial rat
—Theriomorphous, highest perfect
Rat kerouac, desolation angels, 58
that is, unless i'd write similar things anyway. i fantasized about living life without a home for two years. and i finally decided to give it a try beginning october 2007.
of course, there are drawbacks. it's cold, and it will be getting colder. i'm in school, so my time is limited and costly. i started two whole years after my wildest fantasies, so i'm not appreciating it as much as i would have then, but i'm much more capable now (having taken a trip to alaska alone for two weeks).
i originally planned to use my fixed gear bicycle to get around town, sleep in city parks or close to campus, and never use my car. i figured that this would be my contribution: a minimal environmental impact as a human being. i wouldn't require the continual heating or cooling of a living space, nor would i require fossil fuels for transportation. unfortunately, the city parks didn't yield much cover for urban camping, so i had to venture a few miles from campus to some state trust land. because my bike is a fixed gear, the terrain is hilly, and my time is limited, i have to drive to my camp site nightly.
gear
my gear isn't ideal, but i get by. luckily i have an office where i do all of my cooking, and where i keep some bathroom supplies and contingency clothing (if i want to go out for a drink and look decent). my arc'teryx bora 80 (liter) backpack contains:- black diamond firstlight tent with footprint
- thermarest matress pad
- down sleeping bag
- jetboil stove with french press
- two 8oz fuel canisters
- msr water filter
- 1.8L platypus and 1L nalgene
- petzl headlamp
- msr packtowel
- tops: 1 silk-wt poly, 3 mid-wt poly, 1 mid-wt merino
- bottoms: 2 mid-wt poly, 2 mid-wt merino
- socks: 3 merino
- shetland wool sweater
- coat, jeans, belt
- magellan explorist 210 gps unit
land use
i have identified a variety of public lands that can be used:- city parks can be used if a suitable place is found, but you're at the mercy of police because overnight camping violates city of bozeman code 12.26.030.P.
- msu campus could potentially be used, especially a remote area managed by the university. unfortunately campus is well-patrolled by msu police, and you would be violating msu policy and procedures 230.00.F.
- the closest public land that may be used to camp legally is montana state trust land. you have to purchase a general recreation permit from montana fish, wildlife, and parks for $10. but you can then camp on any state trust land for two consecutive nights within 200 feet of a customary access point.
- of course, dispersed camping is allowed on u.s. forest service land; fish, wildlife, and parks land; and bureau of land management land. the closest of these is forest service land.
the best site for finding eligible camping sites is montana's GIS website.
my favorite place to camp near the msu campus is a parcel of state trust land at 45.64575°, -110.99157°.