UTMC

T minus 6 weeks....

So I have decided that Denver isn't a viable place for me right now, and that I need to do something stupid.

What's the stupidest thing I can think of? Walking across the country!

So, that's what I am going to do.

I sold my car, sub-let my apartment, put in notice at my job, and I'm selling my project sailboat this week.

Route planning is almost finished, and I have mountain of gear picked out on ebay and craigslist.

I am going to be starting out at Ruby's Diner on the Main Street Pier in Huntington Beach, California on New Year's Day, and finishing in Washington DC at the White House. 3044 miles, not counting detours, deviations and "Hey, THAT looks cool! I'm gonna go check it out!" Google Maps claims 41 days and 12 hours travel time - I'm giving myself 12 months. Even a fat old man ought to be able to walk 3100 miles in a year.

Here's the route I have planned: http://g.co/maps/w3pba

Popcorn.

How the fuck is a person supposed to walk 3100 miles in 41 days? Given an average walking speed of 3 1/2 mph, that would take about 886 travelling hours. There are 996 hours in 41 days & 12 hours, subtracting the 886 you end up 110 hours in which you would be resting, which breaks down to approximately 2 hours 40 minutes each day that you would be doing anything other than walking (stretching, eating, shitting, sleeping, tying your shoes, banging lonely housewives along the route).
If you pick up speed to an even 4 mph, you are still travelling 775 hours, which using the numbers above still only works out to 5 hours 30 minutes per day of not-walking time. If you have ever walked with a pedometer, 4 mph is actually a light jog (at least for my short little legs) and not a walking pace.
What I am saying is, fuck the Google, enjoy your time on walk-about and never give up.

Any particular trigger for said walkabout? I am jealous, BTW. Often thought about it, but haven't quit hit the tipping point.

Wow. That's actually an epic sort of undertaking. Good luck and enjoy the fuck out of it!

WOW.

Hey, you should go through Austin!

metalredneck: Short version is that my wife left me, and I realized for the first time in 20 years, *no one* was depending on me. Freedom comes in the strangest forms, from the most unexpected places...

GG: Why Austin? I'm going to be in the neighborhood, so I could certainly add it to my list of places to visit in route...

I've got a blog set up I'm planning on posting to as I go and I'll be checking in as often as possible on facebook so people know I ain't dead yet :: grin ::

Merlyn

Merlyn wrote:GG: Why Austin? I'm going to be in the neighborhood, so I could certainly add it to my list of places to visit in route...

It's AUSTIN!

You like good food and good music?

I see you're going through Nawlins, for much the same reasons, I suspect. Hell, I'd recommend you hit Lubbock, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston.

Like so.

guitargeek wrote:

Merlyn wrote:GG: Why Austin? I'm going to be in the neighborhood, so I could certainly add it to my list of places to visit in route...

It's AUSTIN!

You like good food and good music?

I see you're going through Nawlins, for much the same reasons, I suspect. Hell, I'd recommend you hit Lubbock, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston.

Lubbuck? Well you are more of a music guy than I am so maybe, otherwise I see no redeeming value on the Llano plateau. Then again, based on that criteria why Houston?
Merlyn if you do make it to H-town, look me up.

Why Lubbock? Ehhh... it's more fun than Midland?

Why Houston? YOU'RE THERE!

Okay, like so.

Merlyn, does this mean you plan to hoof it across Texas in the summer?

guitargeek wrote:Why Lubbock? Ehhh... it's more fun than Midland?

Why Houston? YOU'RE THERE!

Okay, like so.

Merlyn, does this mean you plan to hoof it across Texas in the summer?

Interesting additions- and it HAS been a long while since I saw the Alamo and hung out on the Riverwalk... I'll skip Houston though. I lived there for a number of years, and the only thing I'd be interested in seeing again is Montrose.

Bigshankhank - When I get to B/CS I'll drop you a line - It's not all that far away from you, and I'll take you to dinner at Sodolak's if I have any road money left by then. They have chicken-fried bacon and their "small" steak is something like a pound...

I more or less expect to be out of Texas by full summer. I originally figured to be in College Station by early April. If I tack on some extra mileage to see the sights, I'll still be out of Texas before it starts getting TOO bad.

Merlyn

Bigshankhank wrote:How the fuck is a person supposed to walk 3100 miles in 41 days? Given an average walking speed of 3 1/2 mph, that would take about 886 travelling hours. There are 996 hours in 41 days & 12 hours, subtracting the 886 you end up 110 hours in which you would be resting, which breaks down to approximately 2 hours 40 minutes each day that you would be doing anything other than walking (stretching, eating, shitting, sleeping, tying your shoes, banging lonely housewives along the route).
If you pick up speed to an even 4 mph, you are still travelling 775 hours, which using the numbers above still only works out to 5 hours 30 minutes per day of not-walking time. If you have ever walked with a pedometer, 4 mph is actually a light jog (at least for my short little legs) and not a walking pace.
What I am saying is, fuck the Google, enjoy your time on walk-about and never give up.

I'm gonna go way out on a limb here and suggest that Google did not have this kind of trip in mind when they developed their "walking route" directions.



Merlyn - I wish you the best of luck. I have fantasized about doing something like that since I was a teenager.

This is awesome.
I would go to Austin, too.

Just 'cause I'm curious -- what're you wearing for shoes?

Oh, and yes, you're a fucker because you're gonna do one of my dreams too. With any luck I'll meet you in VA or DC and buy you a beer.

--Jaeger

Jaeger wrote:Just 'cause I'm curious -- what're you wearing for shoes?

Oh, and yes, you're a fucker because you're gonna do one of my dreams too. With any luck I'll meet you in VA or DC and buy you a beer.

--Jaeger

Some sort of dedicated walking shoe (not sure which one yet). I was going to wear my combat boots, just because they are indestructible, but I think specialized shoes will be kinder to my feet in the long run, even if I go through 5-6 pairs.

Done!

Merlyn wrote:
Some sort of dedicated walking shoe (not sure which one yet). I was going to wear my combat boots, just because they are indestructible, but I think specialized shoes will be kinder to my feet in the long run, even if I go through 5-6 pairs.

Done!

Yeah, after many years in the combat-boot school of shoe shopping, I've discovered that lighter, flatter, and more flexible really are better for long distance -- sort've a semi-barefoot, forefoot-walking mentality. Do your research lest ye anger the knee-cartilage gods.

(For what it's worth, I've become a big fan of the Chaco products -- and they make shoes that fit those of us with duck feet!)

--Jaeger

guitargeek wrote:

Merlyn wrote:GG: Why Austin? I'm going to be in the neighborhood, so I could certainly add it to my list of places to visit in route...

It's AUSTIN!

Guitargeek just made me like him a little more.

Hey, any of you terrorists that show up in Austin, let me know and I'll buy you a beer.

My hips hurt just thinking about it. Good luck, my man.

THIS- This i like!

Are you gonna have a tent, or bivy sac, or what?

I met this guy a few months ago.
http://www.c2cw.com/

I saw a movie once where a guy ran back and forth across the country like five times wearing Nike sneakers. Then he met the president and fought in Vietnam and taught a gorilla sign language or some such.
I cannot think of a better endorsement.

Yes, you make it B/CS and I will show you where my name is carved on the wall in the Chicken.

Bad Ass. I assume you're pulling one of those gear carts like on the c2cw site?

One of the things that draws me to motorcycling is being inundated by your surroundings and being almost forced to interact with locals regularly (due to the crazy amount of shit on your bike). You are destined to experience that 10x. I imagine you will have people lining up to host you.

If you feel like this route instead I will have a couch for you.

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=33.65 ... =5&t=m&z=5

Sounds like an awesome adventure!

So have you got your blog set up yet so we can all bookmark it?

BackDoorBarbie wrote:
that and i have never seen a combat boot dry quickly- not even my jungle boots after walking them through a puddle.

one question, is any of this taking you up the appalachian trail? (dont remember quite where that started/is located and dont have time to look it up right now but this map looks like it could be close enough to ask). if it does (or doesnt) there is a documentary streaming on netflix about hiking the appalachian trail you should check out.

Very true. The boots I have a are current issue desert boots, and they take forever to dry if they happen to get wet. No bueno.

Huh! I just checked, and it looks like I'll be travelling parallel to the AT for several hundred miles, from Tennessee all the way through Virginia (http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hiking/ ... active-map).

I hadn't planned on walking any of the usual hiking trails on this trip, but it's entirely possible once I get to that area I might want to try it for a while. Either way, I'll look for that documentary and check it out - it wounds interesting!

Merlyn

xaos wrote:THIS- This i like!

Are you gonna have a tent, or bivy sac, or what?

Both, actually.

I am getting a military issue sleeping bag (http://www.amazon.com/Military-Modular- ... 942&sr=8-1) that happens to come with a bivy sac, and I am taking a tent so I don't wake up one cool morning with a rattlesnake on my chest. I don't know how big a hazard that is in the desert, but I know of folks it's happened to in the woods in Texas. Worth 4-5 extra pounds to prevent. Also, a tent is a more comfortable place to ride out a thunderstorm :: grin ::

The sleeping bag is heavy, and rated for WAY colder than I'll see on this trip (-20)... but it's also flexible. Since it consists of 3 different bags that you put together in various combinations depending on how cold it is, I can use the parts I am not sleeping in for a pad - which saves me nearly $100 and makes up for the extra weight. I used one in basic training, and it made sleeping on the ground in the open comfortable at ~10 degrees with fairly high humidity.

Merlyn

piccini9 wrote:I met this guy a few months ago.
http://www.c2cw.com/

Cool!

I'll be checking that site out at work today...

Merlyn

Rev wrote:Awesome.
I might be able to set you up with some friends in New Orleans who would host someone crazy enough to attempt this. Otherwise just let us know when you make it to DC, and I'm sure we can arrange some kind of welcome wagon.
Also, check out trail running shoes. You'll probably go through a few pairs, but they're light, comfortable, and dry quickly.

I may take you up on that - I am meeting someone there, but I don't know if she'll have a couch for me or not (not sure what her living situation is). I'll find out and let you know.

I'll check those out. Shoes are on the list for this week- Wen. is my gear payday, and I am going to be braving the crowds on Black Friday to save money on anything I am not getting off e-bay. That scares me more than the trip itself.

I'll absolutely be posting progress on here from time to time... and a "Holy shit I made it" get together in DC would be awesome.

Merlyn

absent_carlo wrote:Bad Ass. I assume you're pulling one of those gear carts like on the c2cw site?

One of the things that draws me to motorcycling is being inundated by your surroundings and being almost forced to interact with locals regularly (due to the crazy amount of shit on your bike). You are destined to experience that 10x. I imagine you will have people lining up to host you.

Naaah. I thought about it (like this guy: http://imjustwalkin.com/) but I decided to just take everything in a pack. It gives me a little more flexibility if I want to take off cross-country for whatever reason, and one less point of equipment failure.

The being immersed in the world aspect is one of the biggest draws of this whole idea. It's really kinda funny - I am basically checking out of mainstream society by doing this, but at the same time, it's going to reconnect me with people on a very fundamental level. I'm going to get to meet EVERYONE.

Also.. St Paul is maybe a *little* out of the way. If I get to DC and decide I haven't been on the road long enough, I'll swing through there on my way back to Denver :: grin ::

Merlyn

Bigshankhank wrote:I saw a movie once where a guy ran back and forth across the country like five times wearing Nike sneakers. Then he met the president and fought in Vietnam and taught a gorilla sign language or some such.
I cannot think of a better endorsement.

Yes, you make it B/CS and I will show you where my name is carved on the wall in the Chicken.

:: chuckle :: I keep hearing about that movie when the subject of my little trip comes up - I am going to have to make a point to see it before I leave.

I'll look forward to that - I haven't been in the Chicken in probably 15 years.

Smashinator: http://merlyngraves.blogspot.com/

Everyone:
Thank you! I *really* appreciate the support and well wishes.

Merlyn