The Greyhound: May 13

We printed off a Crew Change Guide but quickly realized we wouldn't be able to hop out of the small town we were in in Georgia. Instead, we bought a couple Greyhound tickets to Denver, CO and decided to begin our backpacking on the American Discovery Trail. We left on May 13th of 2009 and spent the next two days on crowded, noisy buses. I don't advocate drug use at all, but if you want a clever spot to hide your weed, zip it up in your sleeping bag. No really, it's a horrible idea, I was terrified. But it did work. Anyway, after arriving in Denver, we had the unfortunate realization that our backpacks had gotten soaking wet. I guess they just don't make those buses like they used to! What were once 25 lb packs were now more in the 35-40 lb range. We threw away our bus clothes and changed into our traveling apparel, washed up a bit, and hit the streets of Denver. First things first, a trip to REI. I'd never been to one and needed a compression sack pretty badly.

We got a cab, and within an hour of being in Denver, I lost our cell phone charger. Great. We moved on, got our bags at REI and I called my 'uncle' whom I was under the impression would be thrilled to take us out to Mt. Falcon Park where we would begin hiking. Wrong...

The Beginning

Our journey began long before we actually left. I moved to Georgia from the Midwest a couple of years ago. I met my soul mate and fellow traveler on Craigslist of all places. I knew he was the one the first time we met. We sat on my apartment patio smoking a blunt and soon he was telling me how he was taking off on a backpacking trip. I was in love. “Are you serious?! Oh my god, that’s my dream.” We talked and talked of hitchhiking, train hopping, and walking across the country. After I made the decision to go with him, we began planning.


There were backpacks, shoes, sleeping bags, cooking stoves and any number of things we needed to research and buy. We didn’t originally plan on hitchhiking. In fact, what we really wanted was to train hop across the country. We were of the opinion that it was impossible to get a ride in America. Surely, no one would pick us up. How wrong we were.

Jansport Access 40

Jansport Access 40

The Jansport Access 40 was my pack. It was a great backpack but it wasn’t right for me. I failed to realize I needed a pack made specifically for a woman. Even though it was considerably smaller than Chuck’s Big Bear, it still just didn’t fit me right. This is not to say it’s a bad choice! What I loved about the Access 40 were the many pockets and compartments. It has two front loading pockets that I carried all the soap, toothpaste, brushes, etc in and a front stash pocket I actually managed to stuff our entire tent into. (The actual tent, not the poles or ground cloth) If that doesn’t sell it I don’t know what will! It has great side pockets, one of which carried our cooking pan, cup, and utensils. It’s got a little pocket up top that’s great for change, carrying numbers, id’s, or anything else that you don’t want to dig through your pack for. The waist straps could have been a little bigger in my opinion but what really sold me on the Access 40 were the Aircore shoulder straps. They were very comfortable and Chuck was always jealous of them. This pack also has a hydration sleeve. I never used it so I can’t comment on it.

Now for the cons: this pack compresses very well on the sides, but what I hated about it is how wide it gets when it’s full. It was extremely difficult to take on buses or hold in a car. The Big Bear was very long and slim when full while the Access was thick and bulky and would constantly cause me to bump into things. I compare it to driving a truck versus a car; when driving a truck you have to be constantly aware of the back end. Also, the two front loading pockets tore in my pack. However, I’m not 100% sure if this was the pack’s or my fault. I did constantly over stuff it and I also carried razors in those pockets. Speaking of overstuffing, 40 liters may seem like a lot, but it wasn’t enough for me, packing my bag in the morning was a thirty minute ordeal for me because everything had to be “just-so” for it all to fit. This would make a great weekend pack (which is what it’s advertised for anyway) and has a ton of versatility. However, if you need to stuff this thing until it bursts, I suggest you keep looking, it’s just too awkward when full. Check out the full specs here: Jansport Access 40

Tip #1: Don't Go Alone!

If you really don’t have anyone to join you, then by all means get out there. After all, I can only speak from our experience, and we were always together.
However, if you’re a woman, I really really must insist you bring a man along. Even if you’re some sort of master of self defense, it won’t deter psychos like having a man with you. Your chances of being picked up by some crazy person are greatly reduced not only for that reason but also because you’ll outnumber them.
The complete opposite is true for a man. Take your girl along. All those nice people who would have normally passed you up before will now be much more inclined to pick you up since there’s a woman with you.
Even if the above is completely false, having some company with you will do wonders. It won’t always be rainbows and sunshine, but it will bring you closer together than you could imagine.

Jansport Big Bear 63

Jansport Big Bear 63

This was Chuck’s backpack. I personally loved it. This thing is huge and it’s the smallest Big Bear they have at 63 liters. It has two huge side pockets, a good front pocket, a ton of room on the inside with a drawstring top. My personal favorite was the compression hood. It had a ton of room and Chuck carried both of our rain jackets in it. This pack compresses so well! He could do some serious shrinking from top to bottom and also on the sides. It has great waist straps that are very wide and sit perfectly on the hips. The only complaint Chuck had for this backpack were the shoulder straps. He said they really needed some more padding. My only complaint would be how long this pack is. It fit him perfectly of course, but I’m much shorter. I would have loved to have one but it was just way too huge for me. He got it on sale at Campmor for about 60 bucks. They still have this sale going on so check it out here: Jansport Big Bear 63

Also, order a free catalog from them here: Free Campmor Catalog You’ll get a new one every season! I absolutely recommend the Big Bear. It’s a great internal frame pack built for backpacking. They have three different sizes but unless you’re planning on permanently moving to the woods the 63 liter is probably all you’ll need.

Hitchhiking Across America

Whether you call it hitchhiking, thumbing, flagging, or just catching a lift, I’m sure you’ve all wanted to try it. If you haven’t, then you’ve at least thought about it. If you haven’t thought about it, then I’m sorry to say you have no sense of adventure. There are too few people out there willing to walk the road anymore, and I’ve decided to share our story in hopes of inspiring those that have always wanted to take a break and go on a journey but think it’s impossible in today’s America.


I’m starting this blog, first and foremost, to get our story out there. I want everyone who has every thought about taking a hitchhiking trip to know that their dreams shouldn’t lie dormant. That you can get rides and that you’ll meet some of the nicest people you’ll ever know. In addition, I want this to be a place avid travelers, backpackers, and hikers can come to for tips and also to give them, to read my personal product reviews, and to share their adventures as well.

Before my fiancé and I took off for the trip of a lifetime last May, we spent days scouring the internet looking for backpacking tips, train hopping stories, and hitchhiking advice. We found a few golden nuggets, but honestly, I’m not satisfied with what’s out there. Most of it is outdated, too much is on foreign countries, and too little is in depth. I will share with you our backpacking trip from start to finish, valuable tips on how to get rides and stay safe, and hopefully inspire you to experience it for yourself. It was hard some days, but I’ve never regretted a second of it, and we hope to have many more like it in the future to share as well.

I hope you find this blog entertaining as well as useful. Chuck and I have always talked about writing a book about our trip and how when we did it would be called, West, Please! So I asked him if a blog would be alright in the meantime and he agreed. Names will be changed to protect identities and certain illegal activities. I will frequently update our story in acceptable lengths over a period of time. I have months to cover after all. I will also keep an updated list of Chuck and Callie’s Hitching Tips as well as give product reviews, lists of great towns to visit, and tell you how not to hop on a freight train!

Save a Kitten!

Simba is my newly adopted four month old orange tabby kitten. Unfortunately, I wasn’t told he was sick when I got him. He has an upper respiratory infection that he can’t seem to kick and suffers from terrible diarrhea. URI can be fatal in kittens and while I’ve done all I’ve been able to for him, I simply can’t afford to take him to the vet. I wasn’t anticipating this illness, and when I figured it out I was much too attached to take him back. I also thought he’d be much more comfortable in my home instead of in a room with thirty other sick cats.


 If you’d like to help save a super sweet kitten’s life, please consider donating. It will allow me to take him to the vet and get him the professional help he needs. Plus, he’ll love you forever!