Walden on Wheels: On The Open Road from Debt to Freedom

I started my reading journey on a quest to immerse myself in the adventures of others for examples of how to write the perfect book. Whether completing the tour divide trecking unsupported by mountain bike from Banff, Canada to Antelope Springs, New Mexico, Climbing Everest, crossing the US, Europe, Asia, or Australia by bicycle, hiking the Appalachian Trail, hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, escaping and entombed in a sunken WW II submarine off the coast of the Southern China Sea, or fighting in the jungles of Vietnam, to name a handful of examples the adventure lies in the story - the craft in how it is told. Along the way I discovered that my adventure to be told is the two years I spent in the Army in Cold War West Germany. My story has yet to be told. Ken’s book provided hours of entertainment and a great example of how unconventional life adventurers can be inspirational.

The title WALDEN ON WHEELS implies that this is a book about a college student intent on minimizing college debt by living in a van. Fortunately, that's only about 5% of the book. The other 95% is about how author Ken Ilgunas finished college then educated himself. In short order he paid off his college debt while LIVING his life full of adventures that most young people only dream about.The stereotypical story these days is of young people graduating college with mountains of debt and no job prospects. Ken is actually the OPPOSITE of that stereotype. For one thing, most of the story takes place in the early 2000's when jobs were plentiful. Ken went to college and graduated in 2004, so finding work wasn't as hard then as now.Although he portrays himself as having been a dull high school student who had no real purpose in college other than to goof off, he did get life's "wake up call" in his junior year. He went to work 30 hours a week at Home Depot and thus paid for much of his college as he went. Although it's easy to talk about how worthless a Liberal Arts education is, Ken says that by his senior year his mind was opened by the education to think more deeply about himself and all aspects of life.When Ken finished undergrad he jumped in his car in Buffalo, New York and drove 4,000 miles to Coldfoot, Alaska. When he left Buffalo he describes himself as a naïve kid. By the time he finished working his first year in Alaska he had experienced more of life's drama than most of us do in a life time. AND he had paid off most of his student debt, that being accomplished by living in a dormitory at the camp where his food and board were free. He says he earned the equivalent of $50,000 working manual labor odd jobs his first year out of college, working as many as 70 hours a week during the tourist season in Alaska.When he had most of his debt paid off he travelled on adventures around the country, working here and there, growing and maturing, while having the time of his life. Some of his work was in the Americorps where he helped young deadbeats realize that they had bright futures if they would improve themselves.It was only after working all around the country, including returning to Alaska for a year's work as a Park Ranger, that he felt the call to return to graduate school. He was accepted by Duke University. There he became a "Vandweller," one suspects more for the sense of adventure than because he really needed to save money by foregoing rent. That part of the story is boring, but fortunately only takes up a few pages near the end. It is what he did before that matters. Ilgunas managed to obtain a bachelor's degree, pay it all off in two and a half years while doing exactly what he wanted where he wanted. Then he felt the call to open his mind further with a master's at Duke.You've got to read the book to undestand the wonderful drama of Ilguna's experiences. This mainly involves the PEOPLE that Ilgunas interacted with on the Alaska frontier and in the Americorps camps in the shambles of post-Katrina Mississippi.He lived among the "downtrodden" --- the crude, half-educated people who work as truck drivers, odd-jobbers, waitresses, etc. --- the people who live "free" day to day without worrying about how they're going to pay their mortgages (most live in shacks out in the sticks) or where their kids are going to college. They're the "low class" folks who stay drunk most of the time, own rattletrap vans and expensive firearms, "inseminate everything that moves," and have daily scrapes with the law. But they have a strong pride in their independence and a deep-seated empathy for folks like them. They're the kind of people who picked Ken up when he was hithiking across the continent and invited him into their shacks for dinner, beer, and conversation at the end of the ride.He contrasts that way of life, which he learned to enjoy, with the "wage slaves" of suburbia (where he grew up) who go into work miserable jobs that they hate and whose lives have become boring and mundane.Ken came out of college an educated, thinking man who learned to LOVE that life of adventure among the Free White Trash on Alaska's frontier. Had he stayed in Alaska he would have become well-off in ten years by accumulating the savings from hours worked at manual labor. He has a strong work ethic and learned how to work many jobs. For a while he rejected (to his loving parents' alarm) the middle class life that college is supposed to bring. But ultimately it called him back to get his masters at Duke.This story is more than just a travelogue or a tale about living in a van. It's the story of how a young naïve college grad learns how to MASTER LIFE --- how to make life serve HIS destiny --- by having the courage to follow his dreams. He didn't become wealthy from that experience but he did learn totality of life's meaning before he was turned thirty. Lucky indeed if most of us learn those lessons by the time it comes for us to pass away. And by then it's too late.I think he's saying: "You must first educate yourself to enjoy and master LIFE by EXPERIENCING it. Only then will you appreciate mastering EDUCATION in college."

The life storyline for this young man is interesting and diverse. Somehow, in the end the message and entire read falls slightly short of profound though. Overall worth the effort.

I not only learned about the author's journey; I also looked inside myself & saw more than meets the eye. Even my eyes. I've had hardships like everyone else, and I have always thought that if we learn from our mistakes, than it wasn't a complete waste of time. I look back on my childhood born in the U.S., but raised in the wilds of Canada. I had adventures practically every day. My dogs & I had great times. I learned at an early age, unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on how you look at it), that I can always trust my animals. The unconditional love that I have never found in a human being. Now almost 50, gosh I don't feel THAT old, I still depend on my animals. Horses are very misunderstood animals. They grieve their dead forever; longer than most humans. I've heard elephants do too. Horses have every feeling and emotion that humans do. I recently lost one of my best horse friends. A huge piece of my heart is buried in that hole with her. After waiting a year, I will never forget the day that she gave herself to me, mind, body, soul, love, respect and trust. I will always be indebted to my children for making me smile and laugh. I wear those new wrinkles with pride. Didn't have them before the day they were born. Yes, all 3 were born on the same day. My kids and I have endured many hardships, but have come through them all stronger, better people for it. We have a special bond. Finally, finally I have unconditional love from at least 3 human beings. I haven't been as lucky as Ken. It seems he feels kindness wherever he went. Maybe because he believed he would find it still left in humans. I used to be more of an optimist, thinking there was good in every single person I met. I was quite shocked to grow up & learn that kindness is difficult to find. I have believed for a long time now that the reason I can't find the people I am looking for is simply because they do not exist in the particular State I currently live in. Yes, I've been back in the U.S. for my adult life. Before I was married, had children, then a divorce; I would take off with my dog, my camping gear and my truck. I'd yell, "Road Trip." I slept in some places that made my friends cringe. I also saw the open road and was very glad to be back in nature, where I found solace as a child. Maybe not a smart thing for a young woman to do. But my dog, who loved people, was scary looking and big. She was also extremely protective of me. Also a great judge of character. I followed her lead. She knew people better than I did. As for Canada, you haven't lived until you have dragged your 2 dogs away from the tree where that bear cub was crying for it's mama. I could tell by his fur which of 'our' bears was his mama. She was beautiful, but twice as big as most of our bears. Thank you adrenaline. Each dog weighed more or as much as I did. When we got back to the road, I promptly lost my cookies. However, it is one of many stories of my adventures growing up in Canada. My children still can't fathom my childhood, but at least they believe me now.This book hit me in so many ways. I love words and this author provided a plethora of words and put them together in such a way I can only dream of doing. This author changed my life. I remembered that I have to slow down again, and smell the proverbial flowers. This book made me want to yell "Road Trip!!" and pack up dogs, cats, rabbits, horses and children and go back to the way I was. Well, there's school. The fact that I don't have a horse trailer, and my truck is sitting there with a broken transmission. On my bucket list is camping with my horses and children. Unfortunately, a surgeon ruined my foot & leg, which in turn exacerbated my back injury, and now I have some strange bone & swelling growing on my other foot. I realized I put too much weight on my other leg, and it doesn't like it much. I'm truly afraid that my road trips are a thing of the past. However, nobody can take away those wonderful memories.It is really sad to see people so into their own lives that they no longer have time for others. I think I am living in a selfish State. A State dependent on the internet and other luxuries. A people who want what they want, and they want it NOW. Bigger, better, faster. NOW NOW NOW!!I would recommend this book to anyone & everyone, however, I'm afraid not all people would 'get' it. Thank you Ken for sharing your life, journey and adventures, especially with those of us confined to just reading about it. Thank you for making me remember who I really am.

I've really never read a book that touched my inner spirit as this one. It is what I am, and I thank him for putting it into words.

I love reading books about people and experiences completely different from mine. This author discusses his counter~culture views, lifestyle, and experiences clearly and sometimes beautifully.

I've had this book languishing on my kindle for years and finally decided to read it. Firstly, the title and blurb is a bit misleading, you think the book is about a man living in a van, well part of it is, but the main story is about Ken working jobs in Alaska and Mississippi to save money to repay his student debt. I had a few issues with the book, the Alaskan section was by far the most interesting but the author never strays far from describing everyone he meets in 2 sentences using only derogatory words about them. It ever seems we saw fair fight when you place a liberal arts degree student up against a poorly educated, low paid alcoholic or ex- criminal and the author's sneering just makes me dislike him. I also had massive issues with the main premise of the book, after deciding to save money to repay the debt the author tells us at length how he can't be like us morons, working 9-5 and owning property and cars, we are so boring, he needs to be free, however he's pretty happy to sleepmon other people's couches when he needs a roof over his head, accept money from parents or food from others, I found this hypocritical. I was astounded when he says to himself he may need to distance himself from his parents as he can't align his own values to theirs - they are also dumb wage slaves!This book could have been funny, informative and enthralling but Ken is just not likeable, sorry Ken, he seems to want to become an internet sensation because he lived in a van but as he's a middle class arts student it is always his free choice to do this, there are may less fortunate people who live rough who do so because they have to, Ken doesn't give these people the time of day. Not for me.

I came to this as a recommendation following reading Mike Hudson's ridiculously long titled: 'How to live in a van and travel: Live everywhere, be free and have adventures in a campervan or motorhome' (covering all his bases for searcches, eh?). I checked out a couple of reviews and was particularly drawn to the reviewer who disliked author Ken Ilgunas's negative criticism of everybody from fat people to the homeless and even to his own parents. I thought this is the book for me. And I wasn't disappointed.That criticism, is wrong and unfair but equally this book has only a little to do with van dwelling (though Ilguna covers it well) and a lot more to do with a young man's journey through the debt of college and the subsequent enforced participation in 'normal' life. It is a reflection on the United States' structure and an enormous amount about the author's discovery with his own place in the world. He works in Alaska as he seeks to clear his $32,000 student loan and prepares for a post-grad course at Dukes (meant nothing to be as a Brit, but it's a top drawer Uni). He hitchhikes from Alaska to his parent's home in New York state, and returns to Alaska on the Arctic circle repeatedly. Alsaka is cool, Ilguna's reflections on the wilderness and how it equates to his own life experience is worth the price of admission.I'm old, but I would honestly recommend this book to anyone between the age of 17 and 30. Not because it preaches - which is does occasionally - but because it offers a perspective on your options.The author is a product of the video age and admits to underachieving as a youngster, as so many of his generation who are used to instant gratification from computers or video games. More importantly, while this book was written in the shadow of the financial crash, with all the implications that held for reducing living expenses, it is surely once again a timely read in 2020 as the world is still unsure of its way out of the impending Covid-induced recession, set to make 2008/9 look like a mere overture.I enjoyed this book. As I said at the beginning, it was some of the irritated reviews that drew me to it and then I saw the reviewer who wrote he could take a chance for $3.99. That was the clincher and sure enough Amazon UK was offering it for just £1 as an eBook.Bargain read of the year for me so far. Recommended. If van living interests you, add it to your list, for a glimpse into life in Alaska, also worth it but far more importantly, if you are a youngster trying to find your way in this crazy world, it's worth a read.

Often you take a punt on an author unknown to you and often in recommended travel literature I wonder if it's going to be too simplistic, too jovial or at the other end of the spectrum far too indulgently learned and dry. This book falls in to the perfect in-between of balancing intelligent humour with insight and theory as well as wonderful wild descriptions of wide open places. I loved this book, so much so that I felt a sense of loss when I finished it. But I also felt enlightened and encouraged. His insights in to society by trying to escape from it in Alaska, the education system that left him with huge debts, the way so many have unwittingly been hoodwinked by a capitalist society that has stolen so much of our freedom without us even realising...it's disturbing, refreshing and yes a little idealistic; we cannot solve societal weaknesses and the failings of burgeoning debt sold to us by an infrastructure we are supposed to blithely trust, by all of us turning to and converting our vehicles in to our primary residence...but this is a brave memoir of someone who stuck two fingers (I'm British!) up at the system. His sense of wonder and initial hikes in to the wilderness are honest and often foolhardy...but his self discovery is a lesson worth being present for. I want another book please Ken Ilgunas. I'm recommending Walden on Wheels to everyone.

Enjoyed reading about this lad's journey into adulthood written at the start of the last recession. Good reminder of the rewards from living a simple life, though perhaps only someone with Scots lineage could have lived such a frugal life!Author seems to assume that everyone with a car, house and job is a wage/salary slave - needs to realise that many enjoy their lives and jobs and would find his lifestyle abhorrent.Good he recognised that he was never actually poor as he always had family and friends as a back up.Would be interesting to read an updated version now that lending is more controlled and unemployment levels declining along with real incomes.All good stuff, hopes there's a follow up.Many thanks

An incredible story about a disillusioned graduate who owes tens of thousands of dollars and wants to pay it off as quickly as possible even it means extreme saving or working in conditions that many of us would not.He ends up working in Alaska cleaning and working in a diner, he also tells us of his experiences hitch hiking through the US and the people he meets along the way.The last third or so of the book is about his life living in a van in a car park of a very expensive college he managed to get into, while he lives on less on less than $5 a day, he does not befriend any fellow students at the start in case he gets discovered and fights boredom and loneliness, he tells of how he'd play with a pile of leaves for an hour.IIgunas is a very gifted young writer and spins great tales, I finished the book in a matter of days. The author and his story remind me of the excellent  Into the Wild A fantastic story - Highly Recommended. Into the Wild