I was in NYC yesterday, as I often am. As I was walking to the hotel to visit a friend that was in town, I saw several homeless people as I usually do near Port Authority. Today, however, I took particular attention to them, noted what they were wearing, how they were carrying their gear, etc. A couple of them had bags that they fashioned into backpacks, some of them had a couple of bags they were carrying with their belongings, and others had bags of their belongings, etc. What struck me, is that how much “stuff” some of them seemed to have, and how little stuff others had with them. I thought about how they might find food, shelter, stay warm, etc. It prompted me to do a Google search for “Homeless as survivalists.” You would be surprised how much content is out there on the subject. Everything from foraging to dumpster diving, to shelter in urban and rural areas, why they may wear multiple layers of clothing, etc. It was an interesting search. It also struck me that these are people who are intelligent, dynamic, resourceful, cunning, and ultimately driven to survive (even if it is just survival on the street).
That said, I came across a compelling and rather informative story of a man who was homeless for about a year in 1992. I wanted to share it with everyone because it epitomizes both wilderness, rural, and urban survival. It gives detail about how this man hunted in an alley with a home made rabbit stick, built traps to catch raccoons, birds, etc. just to have a meal. It was an interesting read, and I hope you enjoy it and learn something from it as well. I know I did.
It is called “The Joy (?) of Being Homeless:” http://www.donrearic.com/homeless.htm
