Homeless

My truck filled with all of my stuff

Yes, it is true, I left the beauty of Southern Utah for the arctic tundra that is Cache Valley. Utah State begins classes on August 27th, but Walgreens needed me sooner than that, so I made it here 3 weeks early. My apartment complex lets students move in on the 20th, so that still left me 2 weeks of complete homelessness to deal with. I wanted to camp up the canyon, but my dad said that was not going to happen. So I made plans to live with a friend from Hurricane for those two weeks.

My glove box and its contents

On my way to Logan Monday morning I got a phone call from my friend letting me know they had car troubles and wouldn't make it to Logan until Tuesday. She offered to call around to find me a place to stay, but I assured her I could manage for one night. Upon hanging up I realized my dreams of being homeless were coming true. I was giddy with excitement. I started making plans. 

Fortunately I have a very bad habit of leaving things in my truck. You can call it lazy, but I call it self preservation. In my glove box you will find the normal things like my registration and proof of insurance, but you will also find a backpacking stove, fuel, a lighter, granola bars, beef jerky, oatmeal, and a bottle of water. Behind my seat I keep a large backpack, my smaller daypack, several freeze dried meals, a giant first aid kit, a sleeping bag, an entire case of water rolling around freely, a fishing pole, a small tackle box, and several old pair of running shoes. Inside my backpack I have a water filter, tea kettle, compass, tarp, and a healthy length of rope. 

I began considering my sleeping options. The bed of my truck was the ideal choice, but it was (and still is) filled to the brink with my things leaving no room for me. Okay, the next option would be to sleep in the cab of my truck. One problem. I am 6 feet tall, and my bench seat is a little more than 4 feet in length. No way I was going to do that to myself. The only option left would be to sleep out under the stars. As far as food and water was concerned I was in good shape. Most people would stop at the local grocery store for a loaf of bread or something, but not me. I was in self preservation mode and all those hours of watching "Man vs. Wild" were about to pay off. 

Behind the bench seat of my truck

I stopped in Provo to fuel my truck when I encountered a worn, old homeless man. He sat near a busy intersection with a sign propped up near his feet which said, "Anything will help."  His leathered face was turned down toward the sidewalk. His calloused hands were outstretched, waiting for a good samaritan to leave a gracious offering. Before the light turned green his sad eyes met my gaze. I gave him a half smile and thought, "I know how you feel, pal. We are two peas in a pod." 

I had only been in Logan for an hour when I got a phone call from my Mother. I don't know how she found out about my friend's car troubles, but the text I sent her which read, "Yay! I get to live in the canyon after all!" may have given it away. Rookie homeless mistake! After all my planning and preparation my parents got a roof over my head. I guess my homeless dreams will have to wait for another day.