Crusties: a hardened existence on the road (Today's young hobo)

[RamboLiberal]

Interesting article in my local Pittsburgh paper. First time I heard term Crusties.

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A 26-year-old originally from Seattle, "Mouth" is among dozens of itinerant, mostly young, mostly white "crusties" who pass through the city annually during the warm weather months. They arrive as stowaways on freight cars or by hitchhiking, and they stay in makeshift camps beneath Pittsburgh's many bridges.

Their appearance on the South Side is a sure sign of summer. Oakland and the North Side also are popular spots. They typically stay for a few days to a few weeks.

Many, like "Mouth," use only handles, rarely giving their real names because they have outstanding warrants across the country for offenses ranging from loitering to assault.

Though their reasons for living on the road vary, a sense of independence permeates the group-think of these tattooed nomads.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11171/1154972-53-0.stm?cmpid=newspanel1#ixzz1PqGycjap


Dan Gigler/Post-Gazette
Mama Lou, left, sits with her common law husband Link and their dogs, Gurly Gurl and Dixie, escaping the June sun in South Side Riverfront Park. They hitchhike to get around and concede that their itinerant lifestyle is far from normal, but have little interest in living any other way. I'd do this to the end of my days, Link said.