“As a kid set adrift you are at the mercy of adults who feel the need to be validated or who perhaps don’t have the connection they desire from the rest of the world caught in the hustle of life on the ground. . .”

“So yeah, lollipops. I hated the bulge of the candies in my pocket and every time I started unwrapping one I would curse my decision to quit smoking. Luckily the cigarettes in South Korea all tasted like they were dipped in industrial toilet bowl cleaner. . .”

“Her eyes were locked on me. I was pretty sure she hadn’t ever blinked before. Ever. The edges of her mouth started to curl into an off-putting smile. “I used to live with a guy who would put me in a dog cage . . .” she mentioned casually as she rolled the joint together between thumbs and index fingers . . .”

“I imagine what I saw to be the same thing house pets see before leaving the room and drowning their sorrows in a cool bowl of toilet water. Entirely unflattering. Somehow admirable. Hilarious. . .”

“I headed to the giant dry lake bed in the center of the BLM land to wait it out and explore the area for a few days. There was supposed to be a full moon in the next few nights so I was hoping I could find a spot somewhat isolated where I could roam around naked and soak up the lunar rays while my brain floated in a shallow pool of psilocybin. . .”

“They looked at each other dumbfounded and then turned and stared at me blankly, just another part of the custom. “What kind of man don’t take a free beer in heat like this?!” said the man who quickly opened the brew I had just turned down. “Me” I responded with a smile. . .”

“If you would have asked me ten years ago where I would be at 34, and if I were honest, I would have answered “dead.” It sounds dramatic now, but it didn't feel that way then. I couldn’t realistically see myself lasting this far into the future. . .”

“I coveted any story, fiction or not, that related in some way to my current obsession and developing fear of the pursuit of life. Over the course of one year I had abandoned everything I had claimed held the most weight in my life for a neglectful existence as an armchair adventurer. . .”

“When you take your clothes off and jump into the soft icy water at first it’s welcoming and nurturing. The very instant you give in to the possibility of finding comfort in that water the cold pierces straight through you and reminds you that you are nothing here. You will seize up and be swallowed by this icy lake if you stop moving. . .”

“What started out as plans to undertake a heroic 870 mile march across the country ended up being more of an aimless amble in and out of whatever towns I happened upon. The main rules I gave myself were; only travel by train or boat if it’s at all possible, hitchhiking and walking are the next best options, fly only if necessary, drink a lot of the best cheap wine I’d ever had, drink lots of good scotch because it’s surprisingly much cheaper here than at home, run until my legs quit and do 100 pushups every morning, write every afternoon, always have at least one book with me, eat way too much mutton, and nap under trees or on beaches. . .”

“By now the chill has worked its way deep into my bones. I look down to my right and see the slush piled up in frozen mounds on the side of the road, taunting me. My body remembers when I ran away at ten years old and ended up with my first case of mild hypothermia. I can feel the shivers fighting to work their way in from the tops of my thighs up into my belly. . .”