Advice for heading out on a live-off-the-land adventure:

Another consideration is the timing. It’s better to make such an excursion in the spring, when most of the native plants are at their peak. Buy several field guides and prepare yourself for at least six months beforehand by studying the local plant life. Be careful that you know the difference between poisonous plants and edible ones. Stay away from mushrooms unless you’ve had at least a year of training from someone who’s an expert in edible mushrooms.

I’d like to see Andew Surka make 40 miles a day if he had to find his own food. The linked item is by Chuck Hall, author of “Green Circles: A Sustainable Journey from the Cradle to the Grave,” who has a nifty site at www.cultureartist.org.