Homeless and happy about it
Ben Taylor has no house, heat, bed, television or computer. He has neither roommates nor a car.
He sleeps in a tent and sleeping bag in weather most people wouldn’t want to step out in to get the mail, much less sleep in, and he loves it.
Taylor, a sophomore majoring in pre-med and math, came to Utah State University from Spanish Fork and was awarded a full-ride scholarship his sophomore year.
“While I was working for the forest service during the summer it gave me the idea to be homeless,” he said. “I had never thought about actually doing it before. I thought about it for about three or four months and decided to do it.”
Taylor said his parents were really worried about the idea when he first told them about it.
“They would try to get me a place in the Towers behind my back and things like that,” he said.
The first two weeks were the hardest for Taylor. He said he was counting the days until the semester was over and almost gave up on the whole idea, but now he enjoys it so much he would want to continue with this way of life through all of college.
At first, Taylor said he was kind of embarrassed to be seen around campus with his gear, but now he would rather people ask him what he is doing carrying around a tent than not say anything to him.
Taylor said managing his time was the hardest thing he had to learn.
“I am pretty efficient now. It takes me about an hour to get to USU, shower, put away my gear and be to class,” Taylor said.
When people hear about Taylor’s living arrangement they don’t believe him and some people have even become upset with him and insist that live with them, he said.
Most of the time he is bombarded with questions like how often he showers and eats or how things work at night and in the
morning.
“You really don’t lose that much time in the mornings and evenings,” he said.
Every night Taylor makes sure he gets to the HPER before they lock up to get his gear for the night.
“My stuff got locked up for a weekend once and it was bad,” he said.
Taylor said if a student would like to follow his lead with this inexpensive and creative way of living, he should find a friend, be prepared and have excellent gear.
“Fifty pounds would be much easier to carry if the weight could be split between two people,” he said.
“I’ve tried to be prepared for everything, but you learn a lot just doing it,” Taylor said.
Nobody taught him how to set up or take down his tent in the rain or in the snow or how to live like he does, he said. He just found what worked for him.
Taylor said another motivation for living outdoors was so he could buy the gear he wanted.
“I look forward to a blizzard or really cold weather so I can test my gear,” he said. “People complain about being cold and I have to laugh at them because I just slept in it.”
He said sleeping outside is a good way to learn the difference between 30 degrees and 40 degrees at night. He also can’t sleep in beds anymore; the floor is more comfortable. Sleeping inside is really hard now as well, because he is used to the silence of Logan Canyon.
“It makes me appreciate the comforts of home much more than I did,” he said.
Living outdoors has prepared Taylor for life and he feels he could overcome many of the challenges life will throw him.
“It’s like taking a 90-credit survival class,” he said. “You learn so much, eventually there isn’t too much that you can’t handle.”
–kassrobison@cc.usu.edu
USU Sophomore Ben Taylor takes a drink of water from one of the drinking fountains in the HPER before he begins his nightly hike up Logan canyon.
Hiking down from his camp in Logan Canyon, Ben Taylor begins his day at 6 a.m. when he breaks camp. This is a great way to de-stress after a hard day of classes,” Taylor said while hiking to one of his camping spots.
19-year-old Ben Taylor inflates a thermal air mattress inside his tent Thursday night. Taylor has been living in a tent while attending Utah State University. (Photos by Zak Larsen)