Walking across the country

[mafiax]

Hey guys,
I've decided to drop out of my current life and walk across the country. I'm not leaving until it gets warmer.. planning on an April fools day send off. I'm heading southwest from Lafayette, In.. heading to California via Colorado.. Not going straight to Colorado though.. probably going to go through Kentucky.. to Missouri.. then Westward. Any good sites you guys recommend along the way?? Any advice would be nice.

I know this is crazy, but I need a drastic kinda change right now and this seems right.

[C_ka]

lol dam man i hope you do this. it will be epic.

and make sure to tell the news crews that yahooka had some hand in it..

but sorry no advice except maybe you would like to catch a few rides along the way (i expect your feet will get sore and you will go through many shoes), and have some sort of skill so you have money to eat.

all the best,

[the-who?]

r u forest gump?

[OldMan&TheWeed]

I thru-hiked the entire 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail in 1988. I'd do it again today if I could,but I would never consider walking long distance along roads with cars wizzing by.

[mafiax]

I'm thinking of taking mostly rural roads.. only thing that troubles me is the idea of unfriendly dogs.. I do alot of bicycling and dogs can be a nuisance.. but on a bike you can put the bike between you and the dog. If I'm walking won't have that shield.

I need to research more and plan a route.

Also as far as hitching.. I think I'll try and avoid it

[grieves]

What do you plan to do for:

Lodging

- Friendly Handouts (If so how are you going to meet these people, you can't just knock on someones door)
- Tent in park/rest area/trees on the side of the road, this would involve the extra weight of a tent, small sleeping bag/blanket
- Hotel/Motel

Food

- Fast Food/Gas Station/Restaurant
- Mooch (Again you need to meet friendlies, how will you do so?)
- Dehydrated Food from a Surplus Store

Protection

- Knife
- Tazer
- Gun
- Cross-Bow
- Katana
- Nun chucks

Money

- Sell all your stuff/Empty bank account/Family
- Get someone to sponsor you, all you would need to do is wear the same t-shirt for the whole trip..
- Rough it, bum stats

Variables

- Medicine
- First Aid
- Weather
- Quick Getaway, how will you escape if the heat is on or unfriendly people are around
- Cell-phone? If so how will you charge it?
- Map/GPS/the like
- What would you put in your pack?

This is just the tip of the iceberg of the questions you have to ask yourself, before you go so that your trip goes smoothly, if you are looking at it from a vacation standpoint...On the flip side, if you have no concrete destination/time table..To up and leave and just ride the road, surviving on the kindness of others and wit would be tits...

[Patrick Rue]

I suggest finding a route and potential hippie fests to crash along the way

I say jump a train. You'll see the best scenery this way. Although you'll need weapons to protect yourself from other drifters.

[Captain Cannabis]

try volunteering to save money. most hostels will let you volunteer to work at the front desk for a few hours for a nights stay. most festivals need volunteers, which kicks ass because they usually feed you/host private volunteer parties. if you are going all the way across america you should consider trying to hit up as much crazy stuff as you can

[mafiax]

Here is a Google Map of some points I'd like to hit along the way... I was hoping I could maybe get some help along the way from some people on here.. If you are willing to give me a place to crash and take a shower for a night put a pushpin on the map..

PM me a zip code and I'll add it to my map

Google Maps

I like the idea of getting sponsored.. I'm going to start talking to some sporting goods stores here locally and hopefully develop some leads...

Also I've found some people who do this have a charity that they raise awareness for in the process..

I'm thinking of building a website so I can update it along the way at libraries and such.. I could put a chipin on it for Norml or some other organization worthy of my time and effort.

Also I found a good route.. I never heard of it before but apparently there is an American Discovery Trail that stretches from coast to coast.. perfect for me. American Discovery Trail Society - the only coast-to-coast, non-motorized recreational trail for hiking, biking, riding