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Comment by duxup | Hacker News Reader

There was a documentary about people who road freight trains illegally, basically hopping on them as a means to of transportation for the poor, run aways, etc.

Several people they interviewed did it even after they settled down. Something just drew them to it. They seemed to love the adventure, seeing the country, not knowing where they would end up or what they would see.

The randomness of the adventure sounded appealing.

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I saw something similar covered on CBS Sunday Morning, with one older married guy that did it for about a month every year. His family just accepted that it was something he liked to do.

Lots of punks in the crust and anarcho scenes do this kind of thing. I knew a couple back in the day, and watch a former one and her husband on youtube.

To be honest I wish I'd done it in my youth. It's way too risky and the legal consequences are dire. I know better now.

In your youth you had a lot more things ahead of you. If anything doing it when you are older is probably better.

Society is more willing to forgive youthful indiscretions than adult flights of fancy. And it takes a certain kind of youthful spryness and daring that I've got less of an ability and appetite for as I've gotten a bit older.

We've wandered for the largest part of our existence and just recently settled down. We're still hardwired for that and some of us find immense joy in that.

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