Who are Those Hangers-on With the Caravan?

The core caravan is, of course, the band and the committed - those who are going wherever it leads and doing whatever it takes to stay there, not on the periphery, but at the center. Close enough to the center to be in the eye of the storm where there's clarity of fundamental purpose. There is another layer, like an onion, of hangers-on who are there for a week or a month or a season. Not committed but intrigued, not converted but flirting with it. But in their heart-of-hearts they know they don't have the interest nor the commitment that it takes to really make the voyage a life-encompassing trip. They may ride the bus. They may go barefoot and hairy. They may dance, drop acid, and live the communal life. But they know - everyone knows - it's just for a season. For them there will be a return to a more-structured, social life that their parents would recognize as legitimate.