Let your feet do the walking!

July 24, 2003 11:53 AM

"We're walking from Chicago to San Francisco. Many have responded with, "You guys are stupid!" Some, on the other hand, have said, "Wow, that's cool!" Either way, we hope you'll keep coming back to see what will happen next in our walking adventures."
Current mileage, photo galleries, and journal entries abound -- and really, when was the last time you walked 627 miles (inside of 60 days)?
posted by wells (20 comments total)

actually about 3 months ago i did a hike of about 150 miles in 14 days through fairly mountainous terrain.

It was a fantastic adventure.

Although I was already reasonably fit, you do get fitter and fitter as you progress. The most mileage on 1 day was about 20 miles. When you're walking from sun up to sun down you have plenty of time for resting so it's not that tough really.

Did I forget to mention I was carrying a backpack too?
posted by carfilhiot at 12:11 PM on July 24, 2003

This is very cool. It would be much cooler, though, if their entire website wasn't about how craaaaazy they must be to do something so different and fascinating.
posted by 4easypayments at 12:24 PM on July 24, 2003

They prefer to walk thru Nebraska when the far more blissful South Dakota is available? Boy those guys are stupid.
posted by i_cola at 12:45 PM on July 24, 2003

As someone who's been section hiking the Appalachian Trail for a few years, I'm quite familiar with the idea of walking long distances with a backpack for no good reason. I really enjoy it (which is, I guess, a good reason), and I usually make 20 miles a day over mountainous terrain.

Thousands of people start in Georgia every spring and try to walk to Maine (that's 2200 miles) via the ridges and valleys of the eastern mountains. About 10% actually make it to Maine, but that's just the AT and doesn't count the Pacific Crest Trail (similar distance, fewer people) and the Continental Divide Trail (longer than the other two, but I don't know how much longer).

This sounds really fun to me, and I'm, like, totally envious.
posted by astrogirl at 12:53 PM on July 24, 2003

Thousands of people start in Georgia every spring and try to walk to Maine (that's 2200 miles) via the ridges and valleys of the eastern mountains.

A friend of mine is attempting that very thing. He just reached Maryland the other day. He said so many people dropped out after just one day.
posted by Witty at 1:07 PM on July 24, 2003

Those guys are stupid.
posted by zekinskia at 1:50 PM on July 24, 2003

Walking is not stupid. You have to do it to understand why.
posted by divrsional at 2:00 PM on July 24, 2003

Why can't they simply buy a Segway like everybody else?
posted by 111 at 2:29 PM on July 24, 2003

They prefer to walk thru Nebraska when the far more blissful South Dakota is available? Boy those guys are stupid.

More blissful? Perhaps. But Nebraska (at least the southern part) is a lot easier to walk, and has far more streams and rivers. I was in the badlands of North Dakota (they extend down to N. Nebraska, as well), and man was that a desolate wasteland. We went walking in T. Roosevelt National Park for 5 hours in the middle of summer, and dehydration was a real concern.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 3:48 PM on July 24, 2003

Why walk when you can run? The runtheusa.com guys are now in Oregon, having started running across the USA from New Jersey in February.
posted by Frank Grimes at 4:24 PM on July 24, 2003

Thinking about it makes my feet hurt, but maybe I'm just not owning the right pair of shoes.
posted by benjh at 5:07 PM on July 24, 2003

Why is the site so slick and weirdly corporate? You think they're trying to get sponsored by Mountain Dew or Coors Light or something?
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 5:21 PM on July 24, 2003

Woops. I just inspected their front page a little closer, and hey! They are getting sponsored from like 6 companies.

Note to self: Read link, then post!
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 5:24 PM on July 24, 2003

Hmm. Slick site... traveling across the country... taking pictures... this reminds me of something.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 9:29 PM on July 24, 2003

when was the last time you walked 627 miles (inside of 60 days)?

In 1996, when I hiked the AT.

That's just over 10 miles a day. Slackers. ;)
posted by waldo at 9:59 PM on July 24, 2003

The last I checked, the Army Air Assault School required a pace of 4 mph with 60 lb. packs. Anything less than 20 miles per day makes you a total pussy.
posted by ttrendel at 1:36 AM on July 25, 2003

I'm totally serious. I did the training and survived. Anyone who can use the bathroom by themselves should easily reach 10 miles per day.
posted by ttrendel at 1:39 AM on July 25, 2003

Yeah, Ive never walked anywhere in my life but managed to do 20km+ Wednesday including ascending and then descending 800 metres, happily there was a nice restaurant near the top which kept us going on both legs (pun originallly not intended but I like it now its in). Amazing views over the Alps to the south of Salzburg. This isnt relevant to the thread but Im in a bragging mood due to being in beautifully sunny Salzburg on a supposedly working holiday for which someone else is paying (Thank you taxpayers of the EU). Youd be fools not to be jealous.
(PS - does anyone know where the apostrophe is on a German standard Qwertz keyboard?)
posted by biffa at 2:36 AM on July 25, 2003

627 Miles? Is that all they are walking? The total trip is closer to 2100 miles. Why not walk the entire thing?
posted by brent at 6:54 AM on July 25, 2003

How about walking from Argentina to England? Karl Bushby has been walking since November '98 and is keepin' on until approx 2009. He's in Canada now, on his way to the longest unbroken walk in recorded history.

Warning: this site is easy to spend a lot of time looking at...
posted by hellinskira at 10:10 AM on July 25, 2003