>>1022124I'm quite introverted so not talking to people is not really a change for me. There are people who tour who like to talk more, and there are plenty of opportunities to do so in the continental US at least. People will be interested in what you're doing, where you're going, how you pull it off, etc. If you want to avoid people it is possible, but takes some effort, and you'll inevitably encounter them where you need to get food and other supplies. If you really want solitude you need to spend more time on gravel forest service roads between the middle of nowhere and the middle of nowhere. If you don't use Warm Showers or stay in paid campground or similar, lonely nights are an inevitability, but a pleasant one.
The only time I had an issue with food was between Rangely and Dinosaur, CO. In Rangely I only found a gas station and bought food, but it was not enough to keep my blood sugar up on the way to Dinosaur so I ended up falling off the side of the road into some sagebrush/tumbleweed where I lay for a while, stuffing my face with everything I had (which wasn't much) and waiting for my blood sugar to rise. Eventually someone noticed me there, pulled over and generously gave me some of the very sweet little candies they had for their baby, which was enough to get me back on the road in decent time. I would have survived anyway, but that certainly diminished the time I had to spend waiting. Thanks, random family.
Tumbleweed is actually pretty nice to fall into. It's a decent cushion and smells nice too.
