UI student hitchhikes, backpacks through Europe

Tyler Macy’s favorite story from his travels in Europe comes from his time in Germany. He and some friends had been drinking beer in his Munich hostel, and then went out for the night. Macy doesn’t remember anything more, until he woke up the next morning in a hospital bed.

His wrist was broken.

“I didn’t know how I was going to pay for the hospital stay,” he says.

Joe Vandal laughs as he denies any rumors of a stinky suit.

“Thanks to Lysol and Febreze, we’ve completely detoxed the suit,” Joe said. “But because of back-to-back events, it’s hard to get it acceptable.”

It’s the morning of the first home football game, and Joe Vandal is gearing up. In addition to getting into character and making sure his head is on straight (literally), Joe says his key warm-up exercise is hydrating himself.

“You lose eight pounds of water weight in the suit,” he said. “If you don’t hydrate yourself properly you will pass out."

In today’s sterilized society, it’s all too tempting to turn a blind eye to people and places that remind us of entropy and decay. We jerk away in horror from grime, grit, blood, guts and bodily expulsions because they are a grim reminder of the vengefulness of Mother Nature. This is an insider’s look at the people that—for long hours and low pay—bravely stand up to these harsh realities and get them splattered in their faces.

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