The ‘Rules of the Road’ as set out by Vachel Lindsay

The poet and writer Vachel Lindsay was a friend of the great Stephen Graham (see Graham’s entry in my ‘In Praise of Wild Camping’ series) and went tramping with him across the US Rockies back in 1921.

The image below comes from Lindsay’s book ‘A Handy Guide For Beggars‘, written in 1916. The rules mainly applied to tramps of the time who would wander the US, stopping off at homesteads and asking for a bite to eat or place to stay the night.  Lindsay himself would often recite or write poetry in return for supper or bed.

I like to think the rules might still have some meaning for hikers today, if only in spirit…