New to the forum so maybe this has been touched on before.
Has anyone ever thought of just putting all they need in a ruck sack and hitting the AT or PCT and nomading it in a group? I’m quite sure that there would be plenty of volunteer opportunities along the way to make a little cash and satisfy the need for socializing as well. Seems to me like a small group of like minds could just spend an entire life on the trail. North in summer and south in winter, small game and fishing opportunities everywhere. Freedom beckons. Somebody shoot holes in this idea, or confirm if its possible.
Absolutely possible. A large group of “nomads”, who call themselves the Gebbs, having been doing it for decades. They used to stop here now and again, haven’t seen them in awhile. ~See if they have any online presence. —As for us, we have been here for a long time. Generations. But we get very many people stopping by, passing through.
This conversation is now the top search result for the Gebbs nomadic group, so I’m thinking they don’t have much online presence haha. Where are you located? Near a trail?
This is the story as I remember it. ~The Gebbs were/(are?) an interesting group. A whole bunch of individuals who operated as, and were, a chosen family. They all had pick-up trucks with self built campers on the back, that they lived in. They had a bit of land in Arkansas (I think it was) where they gathered every Spring, and they planted a large garden and heavily mulched it, -and did a bit of Ceremony. Then off they went for the Summer. They camped in Nat’l Parks, and planted trees on timbered lands, for income. And then traveled here and there for fun. -Thus, their stops at our place. (We are one of the three oldest IC’s in the U.S. We just don’t talk about it.) ~As for where we are, people don’t generally think of Ohio as a destination place. And that’s fine. We are completely surrounded by parks, including a national park. 1/5th the Earth’s fresh water is just a few miles north of us. We have some of the best soil in the world. And wonderful land for farming/gardening. Not flat, not mountainous. No biters. And, abundant natural life, including lots of Deer, Turkeys, Heron, Eagles, Coyote, and everybody else. Oh, and as for trails, there are hiking, biking, running, horseback riding trails everywhere within minutes of our farm. And deep woods for “primitive” camping. ~~You’re really not allowed to camp, but I know the woods better than they do, so it works out just fine.
So, yes, the nomad life is possible. The Gebbs have done it for years. I hope they still are.
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There is someone new over on permies who he and his wife and kid are doing it. Basically they graze their sheep in different locations, they have some land that they have the deed to, and several friends with acrage that they can walk the sheep to, ranging over the land. They sleep in a tent during the grazing time and then they winter on their property. So even with a herd it can still be done in certain circumstances, and without animals it can definitely be done. Also on facebook there’s a guy in The States here organizing a horse tribe and has already secured locations where land owners want them to come and graze their horses for periods of time. They’d be transporting their herd in trailors, because logistically that would be the most time-functional way to cover a lot of ground, but its stil nomading.
Also consider connecting internationally with Mongols and other people who have been doing thisfor milenia, they would have so much to teach, if they want to that is, I bet some would want to.