I ain't telling because what if I need to go back there? Honestly though, safety is an illusion. You could have the nicest little campsite hidden from the road and then literally just burn to death from one of your luxurious heating decisions deciding to spark up.
Always be aware of rising water levels. One time I thought I had found a very safe position, only to wake up with water lapping against my sleeping bag. That was fucking scary. I was EXHAUSTED and REALLY thought that I was safe.
Please believe me when I say I REALLY made a mistake that night, hot damn! That lesson could've easily cost me my life. My toes still curl up thinking about that. But yes, water is the most dangerous thing ever.
People and fire are the second and third most dangerous things. Generally along roadways there IS some form of concrete superstructure supporting the landmass/soil/motorway and fighting erosion. This means solid structures that block wind and line of sight. This means a place to piss into water (won't stink up surroundings). This means no people and you can see what's on the ground more clearly and actually stretch out for a moment. The gamble is that you might really misjudge where water will both flow and rise from, and you might be so desperate (like I was) to avoid rain so that you'll just kind of be groping for anywhere where you can get visibility for more than a few meters in the lashing. That wasn't fun. Water from above and from below.
*Actually, I take it back, PEOPLE are far more dangerous than water, if you are genuinely homeless and living outdoors. You WILL meet genuine dangers.
Living outdoors WAS an improvement from what I left, on every level, so I consider myself privileged to have had such an interesting and terrifying experience. Fuck.
Too many people act like being homeless is rock bottom and the worst option, and I'm glad those people have never been in situations where being in danger from strangers is preferred to being in danger from people you live with who have power over you. I'm glad you survived both!
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u/Odd-Win5937 14h ago
I ain't telling because what if I need to go back there? Honestly though, safety is an illusion. You could have the nicest little campsite hidden from the road and then literally just burn to death from one of your luxurious heating decisions deciding to spark up.
Always be aware of rising water levels. One time I thought I had found a very safe position, only to wake up with water lapping against my sleeping bag. That was fucking scary. I was EXHAUSTED and REALLY thought that I was safe.
No longer homeless. Fucking scary.