Traveling in the New World

Hello World. This is Jack, I'm hi-jacking Jon's little Journal here to get a message out. Its a directed message, but it'll have some good information in it for anyone looking to get a change of scenery.

Ok. Travel. First off, in the northern climes - anywhere it freezes consistantly, or you get snow that sticks around for any amount of time there are specific times when Travel is something you might consider, and Travel should *not* be considered.

Winter is one of those times when you should *not* consider travel. Unless you have a vehicle, and every drop of fuel you'll need to get you from point A to point B, and a guarentee of decent roads, traveling in the winter is for emergencys only. And even if you have the above, I'd wait for spring if at all possible. The human body does not take kindly to cold. You burn my calories in the winter and thus need to eat more just to keep moving. Things that we take for granted, like staying dry, maybe scrounging for food, or hell, just *walking* are made exponentially harder in the winter. More over, shelter and warmth are extremely hard to carry with you during the winter. If you've never experienced near hypothermia, its very easy to get yourself in a place where you 'feel' warm and comfortable, and then go to sleep and never wake up at all. Winter is for staying Warm. First, foremost and always.

When I was younger, before the undead rose, staying warm was still important, but there were good roads between everywhere, and the governments kept them clear in the winter and fuel was never a problem, so winter travel wasn't just a possibility, it was a norm.

Today, none of that is the case.

So, lets talk about long distance travel. First, you need to know where you're going, and you need *multiple* maps, and practice using them, and a compass. Sure, an old highway map and some tenacity will get you going, but the highways, and the cities on them are still crawling with those damned beasties. Some of em fresh, some not so much, but all it takes is a scratch or a bite and your trip ends. So avoiding those things is rule one.

That means side roads, or offroad whenever possible if you're not driving. Which, brings up another point. If you're going to walk a long distance, you need to set some realistic goals. In theory, a person could walk an average four miles per hour for ten hours a day. Thats a whole forty miles. The trip from Maine to North Dakota - much less an actual location would take you at *best* around twenty five days - of nothing but walking - and thats assuming you stayed on course, and could ignore terrain features like oh, the Great Lakes, for example.

The reality is you need to carry everything you need on your back, or the back of an animal. A horse would make this trek a lot easier on a person, but it also increases the difficulty because yes, a horse can forage, but they can't forage everywhere, and they need a lot more water to keep going then you do. It also makes you a bigger target for opportunists.

And since weather is always a factor, even in the warmth of spring summer and fall, you'd have to carry a few layers of clothes, and would need to stop to make shelter and gather calories fairly frequently. So, you're looking at eight hours of travel, at best, with four hours or more setting up shelter and looking for food, and another eight of sleep, and then four of packing back up and moving again. Now in our hypothetical journey of a thousand miles, it'll take you thirty two days to reach your destination. Again, ignoring terrain.

But terrain is important. Some of it, like rivers and lakes, if you find boats and helpful people, might speed your journey. Most of it will slow it. Worse, there are going to be people between here and there that make the way your little town is governed look like *heaven*.

So, you've got a map or three, and a compass. Now you need to *plan* your route. Best option is to go south from where you are, and then head west. How far is really up to you, but be aware that the farther west you go, the less the landscape is going to be familar. Hills, and trees are going to give way to grassy plains, and the predators are going to change as you head west, and I'm not meaning just the four legged kind.

This is *just* a plan, but its something to start with. Scour the internet and the radio waves for any information you can find about population centers so you can have an idea which ones you might stop at for supplies, and which ones you'll need to avoid. This is not going to be perfect information, but it at least means you're not traveling blindly.

Once you have a route, and some information about the places you'll be going through, you can consider what you're going to take and how.

Can you get a horse? If so, that will make it easier - but it will make you more of a target. Horses are worth their weight in gold, pretty much everywhere. Thieves are thieves. And if you have to *steal* that horse, expect to be hunted down and shot.

If its yours, great - you have at worst a pack animal. This will increase the weight you can carry, but not by a lot if you intend to ride. You need to pack feed for your horse. Yes, he can subsist on grass and shrubs and what not, but like you all this travel is going to take a lot of calories out of him. Pack extra feed. And if you've got extra weight you're not using, make three quarters of it feed for the horse, one quarter extra supplies for you.

Beyond the supplies for the horse, if you have one, the rest is pretty straight foward. You need portable shelter. There are small puptents that can be found that are easy to carry, water proof, and easy to set up. If you can get your hands on one, take it. Practice putting it up a few times so you can do it in the dark, if you must.

You need fire. Matches, flint and steel, and practice making fire out of the worst kinds of fuel. Fire will help you in inumerable ways. It is your friend. *always* have a way to make fire.

Food. As much trail food as you can carry. You're looking for high calorie, low weight. Nuts, dried fruit to stave off scurvy, and dried meats are a good start. You will *not* beable to carry all the food you will need. But pack plenty. On the trail you'll eat what you can find first, and suplement with what you have as much as little as possible.

Water. There is no possible way for you to carry all the water you need with you. But you need to beable to carry as much as possible - a gallon for yourself would be ideal - more for a horse. And you need to beable to collect it, and purify it before drinking. There are purification tablets, and they work great - but they're hard to find. Boiling water works, but its time consuming. Water, as much as food will rule your trip because you need good access to both the whole way.

Clothes. You need at least four layers. Something light and easy to walk in for the warmth of the day. Something a little heavier for the evenings. Much heavier if you get caught in a cold snap - they happen, be ready. And finally a water proof layer because you *are* going to get rained on.

Gear. Minimum you need a light pot or pan that works well directly over fire. Something easy to carry and silence. A set of utinsils would be good, but a good belt knife can suffice for most of that in a pinch. A light hatchet for gathering firewood. Fishing line, and tackle, if you know how to fish. A good pack to haul all of this in that's comfortable on your back. Good boots. You will walk the soles off them. A few pairs of socks.

Weapons. The hatchet makes a good back up, but you need a gun. Preferably a rifle in a decent caliber. You can take a deer with .223 if you have to, but if you're up to humping something in .308 you'd be better off. A lever gun in a larger pistol caliber will work too, and weight is a primary concern here. Have more ammo then you think you could possibly need. A hundred plus rounds. They're better then gold for trading with if you have to, and if you get yourself in a pinch and need to use it to protect yourself, you'll be surprised how fast you'll burn it up.

All of this is *heavy* Practice packing and unpacking, and hauling it around so you understand just *how* heavy it is. These are Necesitys. Not the nice things.

Now, lets talk about traveling. In general, travel armed. Carry your rifle. Have it ready to go if you see a meal, or a threat. When you reach population centers, keep to yourself. Trade *careful* your supplies are meager. Skins of animals you've taken can help, but I wouldn't count on it. Since you're female, you need to decide before you leave just *what* you're willing to trade to get what you need. If you don't understand my meaning, send an email to the address attached to Jon's blog here and I'll be more blunt.

Most people are generally decent, but survival is word one these days. Trust no one until they've earned it. Take charity, and give it, if you can and if you find it - but verify *everything*.

If you can find a group thats like minded and trust worthy, travel together. Avoid cities at all costs. Salvage might be tempting, but this far in, there's nothing to find, and they're all just death traps. Someday, we'll have to re-take them, but thats another post.

All of this is *very* general. But its a start. Stay Warm this Winter, and if you need to, travel in the earliest spring. But if thats the way its going to be, start preparing now.

Its not an easy road, but it can be walked, by someone who understands what they're getting into.

-Jack