Originally Posted By Gershon
Merlyn, one of the symptoms of "Long Walk Fever" is the need to plan a long walk before being ready for it. It's likely you will find it's not possible yet unless you are very unique. Don't disappear if that happens. Just learn how to get ready.

From your gear choices so far, I can see you will benefit from some practice runs. The alternative is to throw away a lot of things along the way. Either way works.

(Edited to delete Trinidad idea. It's further than I thought.)

I'm helping someone plan a very long walk which he is perfectly capable of doing. I'm halfway through the planning and I've found it's just a series of 20 mile day trips, so that's kind of a magic number.


Unique? Nope. I'm a fairly typical guy for someone with my (admittedly kinda strange) background and proclivities. But I'm stubborn too, and that plays into many aspects of this trip. No worries - I'm not leaving the board. Between this place and Practical Backpacking, I am picking up too much good information to abandon either one.

I may well can some stuff along the way. :: grin : Keep an eye out for a gear sale along about February. Time and miles will tell. I've already cut nearly 15 pounds off my pack weight, and after a month of lugging around what's left, it's entirely possible I'll have a new outlook on the concept of necessity.

I'm trying to look at this trip as a series of day hikes, but I have to keep the 10-12 (or possibly more) months I am going to be on the road in mind too. Both outlooks come into play. Averaging 20 miles a day, 6 days a week would be excellent... but right on the other hand I'm not on a schedule. If I only make 8 miles on a given day, but see cool stuff and meet interesting people... that is a win, for me.

:: chuckle :: In some ways, this board is the wrong place for me to talk about a trip like this. I am not a backpacker in the same way you folks are. I have different motivations, goals and expectations.

That being said, I am learning a lot here. I've changed a number of things (including my *entire* route, and almost all of my gear list) based strictly on what I have picked up reading this forum and others like it. I have (I like to think) a better idea of what to expect, what to prepare myself for and what I don't have to worry about.

Thank you all for your insight, comments and wisdom.

Michael "Merlyn" Graves