Walden on Wheels — A Man, a Debt, and an American Adventure

The Art of Manliness

Millions of young adults know what it's like to graduate from college with student debt. For some, it's a frustrating annoyance. For others, it's a worry-inducing burden. For Ken Ilgunas, it was a dragon in need of slaying and a pathway to adventure.

Ken is the author of Walden on Wheels: On the Open Road from Debt to Freedom, and today on the show, he shares the story of how his quest to erase his debt led him to the Arctic Circle and through the peaks and valleys of living a totally unshackled life. Ken explains why he went to Alaska to work as a truckstop burger flipper and park ranger to pay off his student debt, what it's like to hitchhike across the country, how reading Thoreau's Walden got him questioning how we live our lives, and how that inspiration led him to living in his van while attending grad school at Duke. Along the way, Ken shares his meditations on nonconformity, engaging in romantic pursuits, and the benefits of both de-institutionalizing and re-institutionalizing your life.

Resources Related to the Podcast

• Walden by Henry David Thoreau
• AoM Podcast #841: What People Get Wrong About Walden
• AoM Podcast #473: The Solitude of a Fire Watcher
• AoM Article: How to Hitchhike Around the USA
• Sunday Firesides: The Cost of a Thing

Connect With Ken Ilgunas

• Ken's website