mexicowalk,

I'm using a Fitbit Zip pedometer to track my training now. It is accurate enough on roads and hassle free. It automatically syncs with the computer and logs the walks. Sometimes I carry a gps to check my speed, but most of the time, I don't.

There is little research on long distance walking, and lots of experience, with everyone having a different experience. All of these experiences are valid, so what we are left with are opinions.

I never exercise in a way that results in more than mild tiredness. I'm not a believer in "no pain, no gain." My goal is to prevent injuries that can keep me sidelined for days or weeks. I don't take many days off because that would be boring. It's not the most effective way of training, but it's what I like to do.

Lately, I started listening to audio books to which I added a click track to keep my stride rate at 120 per minute. I adjust my stride length to adjust for hills and how I feel on a given day. This keeps me at a speed of 3.75 to 3.95 mph on a route with varying, but not difficult terrain.

The reason I'm doing this is I have a specific goal in mind. I'm training to do both 100,000 steps and 50 miles in under 15 hours, including breaks. Don't hold me to this, as I don't know if it's possible for me yet.

Do not train to the point of fatigue as the physiological process for fatigue is different for walking than it is for running. For running, fatigue that is not mental is a result of the buildup of lactic acid. For walking, nitrites build up in the muscles and it takes from 6 to 18 hours to eliminate them. In bad cases it can take 2 to 3 days. If you don't completely recover each day, then fatigue will become cumulative and you will be forced to take a few days off, or worse, experience an injury. Your goal in the next year will be to push back the fatigue threshold as much as possible. It is theoretically possible to push it back to over 50 miles a day, but that would take about 3 years. In one year, it should be possible to push it to 25 miles a day on the road.

After the first few weeks of training, walk at a speed where you can breath with your mouth closed unless you have some problem that makes it impossible. This will keep you at a sustainable and efficient pace.

I'd recommend becoming vegan and banning all processed food from your diet. Oreos are vegan, but not recommended. Since becoming vegan, my endurance rapidly improved and my recovery time dramatically decreased. There is nothing in decaying animal flesh or in cow titty milk that our body needs. There are many things in these that harm our body. A vegan diet will also give immunity to many of the diseases you may run across in some areas. This is because the conditions won't exist in the colon that allow for the development of the disease.

I have a new blog where I'm posting some training experiences. http://garythaller.com/long-walking/

I wouldn't take a donkey. I suspect the effort in caring for it will exceed the benefit of it carrying gear. Besides, the last couple I heard of taking a donkey across the desert had a baby in Bethlehem.

I'd make each pack completely self-contained with no sharing of gear. There may be a reason to split up due to injury, and you don't want to leave one person short on gear. I think it is just possible to make a long road trip with a 30 liter pack, but I wouldn't go any bigger than 44 liters.