Walking Coast-to-Coast

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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by Jazztonight »

Fitch wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 1:43 pm Did you keep track of expenses? I'm curious how much since you stayed in so many hotels and had to eat in a bunch of restaurants.
I haven't got the grand total yet. I charged virtually everything.
It was not a cheap trip, but it was much less than a 170 day cruise or OAT tour would have cost.
"What does not destroy me, makes me stronger." Nietzsche
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by Austintatious »

I followed the entire journey via the daily messages and photos Jazztonight faithfully provided. I have for several years, now, been putting in a 3-4 mile walk at a brisk pace on most days. For an older guy (same age as Jazztonight), I consider myself to be in reasonably good physical condition BUT what Jazztonight has accomplished is a totally different and most remarkable thing. First, walking 20-30 miles in a day is infinitely harder on the body. And doing the same thing day after day in all kinds of weather is again something completely different that genuinely punishes the body. It's a truly remarkable physical accomplishment. All that said, I have wondered if maintaining the mental and emotional discipline to keep going day after day, not only having to deal with the occasional hardship or disappointment but facing the grind of just putting one foot in front of the other, day after day, might actually have been the more difficult task. Anyway, you are an Ironman, Jazztonight! Congratulations!
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by dodecahedron »

In an interesting coincidence, a couple days before the OP posted, I ran across a book description that fascinated me and requested it via interlibrary loan--I just got notified today that it arrived. It may interest others.

Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail

Grandma Gatewood was an amazing woman--she was the first woman to thru-hike the entire Appalachian trail. And she was also the first person (man or woman) to thru-hike it twice and then three times. She was 67 her first time. Later (in her 70s) she hiked the entire Oregon trail, starting in Missouri. Later helped to blaze six miles of a new trail in Ohio. She hiked up to her death at 84.

And she did this back in the 1950s and 1960s, wearing jeans and cheap canvas tennis shoes (remember "Keds"?) and with minimal gear: a small drawstring sack with a shower curtain (to protect from ground wetness), a heavy coat (to use as a blanket at night, a pocket knife, a flashlight, and a few snacks. Barely any money--she had learned to live in the wilderness on a shoestring after fleeing an abusive husband and her only income was a $30/month Social Security check. And the trail was neglected and much more poorly maintained back then than it is now.

Her pioneering trailblazing efforts got publicity which inspired others. The publicity led to better trail maintenance.

Looking forward to reading the OP's book when it comes out, but in the meantime, this one looks good for a vicarious "armchair hiker" like me. (I wouldn't mind getting inspired to do a little more local walking but not looking for anything epic like the OP or Grandma Gatewood.)
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by BogleBike »

Jazztonight, that you don't feel different seems like a very useful data point. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by DoTheMath »

Well done! I'm impressed. I hope you feel a great sense of satisfaction for your accomplishment.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by donall »

Very inspirational. I’m glad you are sharing your experiences. Looking forward to the book.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by LadyGeek »

Wow, unbelievable. :beer

FYI - Jazztonight started the thread Pull-ups and Push-ups in 2013. Nearly 5 years later, it's still going strong.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by Bajadoc »

Wow, what an accomplishment. Your story is very inspirational and I look forward to reading more about it. You were always doing something interesting but this one takes the cake. Big props from your old pal Richard (TOR-67).
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by One Ping »

Jazztonight wrote: Wed Jul 04, 2018 10:28 pm Hello to my fellow Bogleheads!

I just returned last week from a Coast-to-Coast walk, Pacific to the Atlantic. I succeeded and survived.
Thanks, Jazztonight! Just finished reading the blog ... kept me up very late. :) It was fascinating to me.

While not quite as, uh-hem, 'experienced' as you, you've inspired me to set some of my own (much less ambitious goals) and get to it!

One Ping.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by Sandtrap »

Welcome back, Robert.
Home, and to the "forum".
Glad you returned safe.
Aloha
jim :D

ps: please announce when the book comes out on your exploits. :D
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by likegarden »

Congratulations! You might consider that you wore down parts of your body most involved in this long walk. You might want to spare those parts further stress in the future. I am 78, and my doctor just told me that my right leg is more worn because I am right handed, so wear counts.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by Toons »

Oh My Goodness...
I salute You.... :happy
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by Freefun »

Congrats! I admire your dedication.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by segfault »

I don’t know the OP from Adam, and this has nothing to do with my investments, but reading about this accomplishment put a much-needed smile on my face. Good on you!
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by ClaycordJCA »

Congratulations and welcome home. Looking forward to reading the blog.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by JPH »

You mean you actually walked upright on the ground? That's a great accomplishment. I congratulate you.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by pondering »

Glad you made the journey.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by Miriam2 »

Jazztonight wrote: I don't know if age has much to do with it. Once retired, we have much more control over how we spend our time; or at least we should. I don't think I missed much by not sitting at my desk for those 170 days. I also avoided the news.
I assume your investments were on autopilot - I guess auto-ped :wink: - but didn't you wonder about your accounts even a little? You know, the market's been up and down, the yield curve is flattening, international equities are limp, valuations are high . . . :happy
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

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JPH wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 6:43 am You mean you actually walked upright on the ground? That's a great accomplishment. I congratulate you.
Thanks! Yes, I walked upright, never crawled or cycled or jogged. On the actual ground.

As I've said many times, walking coast-to-coast is not about walking.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

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pondering wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 8:00 am Glad you made the journey.
It's a one-time thing. For me, anyway.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

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Miriam2 wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 2:14 pm
Jazztonight wrote: I don't know if age has much to do with it. Once retired, we have much more control over how we spend our time; or at least we should. I don't think I missed much by not sitting at my desk for those 170 days. I also avoided the news.
I assume your investments were on autopilot - I guess auto-ped :wink: - but didn't you wonder about your accounts even a little? You know, the market's been up and down, the yield curve is flattening, international equities are limp, valuations are high . . . :happy
I can't remember thinking much about my investments, and certainly I didn't worry about them. Since finding my sweet-spot allocation (it happens to be 40/60), I stopped obsessing. And worrying doesn't help much of anything.

Really, a journey such as this is a single-minded effort: Where am I going to sleep tonight; what am I going to eat today? Do I have sufficient water? Can I deal with the heat, cold, rain, traffic, dogs, flies, hills. What am I going to write about tonight in my blog post. That sort of thing.
"What does not destroy me, makes me stronger." Nietzsche
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

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ClaycordJCA wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 1:37 am Congratulations and welcome home. Looking forward to reading the blog.
I live in Oakland, and it is good to be home.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

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pondering wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 8:00 am Glad you made the journey.
Thanks! Me too.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

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Sandtrap wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 1:44 pm Welcome back, Robert.
Home, and to the "forum".
Glad you returned safe.
Aloha
jim :D

ps: please announce when the book comes out on your exploits. :D
Mahalo, Jim!
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

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One Ping wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 1:42 pm
Jazztonight wrote: Wed Jul 04, 2018 10:28 pm Hello to my fellow Bogleheads!

I just returned last week from a Coast-to-Coast walk, Pacific to the Atlantic. I succeeded and survived.
Thanks, Jazztonight! Just finished reading the blog ... kept me up very late. :) It was fascinating to me.

While not quite as, uh-hem, 'experienced' as you, you've inspired me to set some of my own (much less ambitious goals) and get to it!
One Ping.
Ping, it was certainly ambitious, and probably unnecessarily so. The other goals I've been setting for myself are more "reasonable." Please PM me if you'd like to discuss goal-setting for our later years. It's a subject I'm very interested in.
"What does not destroy me, makes me stronger." Nietzsche
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by Jazztonight »

Fitch wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 1:43 pm Did you keep track of expenses? I'm curious how much since you stayed in so many hotels and had to eat in a bunch of restaurants.
I was gone 170+ days. Sometimes I ate in real restaurants, but my dietary needs were/are not fancy. Most motels provided breakfast (cereal & yogurt; eggs & toast, muffins), and often I was able to make lunch from the offerings (egg sandwich; yogurt & fruit). A can of Progresso soup at the Dollar store was ~$2; a pack of Swiss cheese, a loaf of bread; packs of tuna; boxes of protein bars; peanuts, raisins; Egg McMuffins (hold the meat); snacks & treats. A restaurant meal might be the 55+ omelet & pancakes at IHOP, or the fish sandwich combo at a fast food place. I looked for protein, and my body turned just about everything into energy.

At some point I might add up my journey-related expenses. I'd estimate somewhere between $12-15K including camping equipment, food, lodging, transportation & shipping.
"What does not destroy me, makes me stronger." Nietzsche
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by sschullo »

Congrats! Although nothing like your remarkable story, I have a friend who ran 26 straight L.A. Marathons and my niece who rode the AIDS ride from SF to LA.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

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Jazztonight wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 6:42 pm
One Ping wrote: Mon Jul 09, 2018 1:42 pm Thanks, Jazztonight! Just finished reading the blog ... kept me up very late. :) It was fascinating to me.

While not quite as, uh-hem, 'experienced' as you, you've inspired me to set some of my own (much less ambitious goals) and get to it!
One Ping.
Ping, it was certainly ambitious, and probably unnecessarily so. The other goals I've been setting for myself are more "reasonable." Please PM me if you'd like to discuss goal-setting for our later years. It's a subject I'm very interested in.
Thanks! PM sent.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by Jazztonight »

Nicolas wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 9:15 pm Here's yesterday's Washington Post article about a guy who just completed a walk from Patagonia to Alaska, almost the entire length of the western hemisphere, 14,481 miles along the Pan-American highway. He slept in drainage pipes and fought a grizzly bear.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/ ... mile-hike/
Amazing! All I had to deal with were dogs, ants, and bedbugs 8-)
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by dodecahedron »

Jazztonight wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 6:31 pm As I've said many times, walking coast-to-coast is not about walking.
If it is not about walking, what *is* it about? Purging demons? Meditation? Achieving a transcendent state? Processing the sensory reality of our country as experienced from its road system traveled at pedestrian pace? A spiritual reawakening? (As a lifelong walking enthusiast--though with a less bodacious itinerary than yours, I could imagine each of these possibilities.)
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by ClaycordJCA »

Jazztonight wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 6:38 pm
ClaycordJCA wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 1:37 am Congratulations and welcome home. Looking forward to reading the blog.
I live in Oakland, and it is good to be home.
I grew up in Montclair and am quite familiar with your locale. I am known to still take a stroll around the lake from time to time.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by Jazztonight »

dodecahedron wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 10:49 pm
Jazztonight wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 6:31 pm As I've said many times, walking coast-to-coast is not about walking.
If it is not about walking, what *is* it about? Purging demons? Meditation? Achieving a transcendent state? Processing the sensory reality of our country as experienced from its road system traveled at pedestrian pace? A spiritual reawakening? (As a lifelong walking enthusiast--though with a less bodacious itinerary than yours, I could imagine each of these possibilities.)
I can imagine all of your suggestions too! In short, however, this journey was about overcoming obstacles.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by LiterallyIronic »

That is an amazing and inspirational story!
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by bowtie »

:happy
I'm so happy for you.
How wonderful in SO many ways!
I want to say more but I'm sort of speechless ... in a stunned state of appreciation for your trip and the fact that you have shared it with us and will be sharing even more in your book. Thank you!!
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by Bylo Selhi »

Jazztonight wrote: Wed Jul 04, 2018 10:28 pmI just returned last week from a Coast-to-Coast walk, Pacific to the Atlantic. I succeeded and survived.
Wow! And congratulations!

I just completed a somewhat shorter coast-to-coast walk in June, Alfred Wainwright's classic Coast to Coast across England. That was a rather grueling ~200 miles over a fortnight. I can only imagine how much more challenging a continental C2C must be.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

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Bylo Selhi wrote: Thu Jul 12, 2018 9:36 am
Jazztonight wrote: Wed Jul 04, 2018 10:28 pmI just returned last week from a Coast-to-Coast walk, Pacific to the Atlantic. I succeeded and survived.
Wow! And congratulations!

I just completed a somewhat shorter coast-to-coast walk in June, Alfred Wainwright's classic Coast to Coast across England. That was a rather grueling ~200 miles over a fortnight. I can only imagine how much more challenging a continental C2C must be.
I've always wanted to do the walk you just completed! (And a fortnight sounds better than 170 days 8-) )
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by Jazztonight »

Since this thread was revived by someone other than myself, I'll go ahead and update it:

The book I promised was indeed published [OT comments removed by admin LadyGeek]

Anyone who is interested can watch this Zoom talk that I recently gave at a local retirement residence (I suggest you click on CC to turn off the closed captioning; it drives me nuts):

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/EjS2AX ... rhtaid=950

I'm glad I did the walk when I did, because both DW and I have encountered some health issues since then. This is another good reason to not put off your goals and aspirations until "some day" in the future.

And if you want a real challenge, take up the trombone, which I did 2 years ago!
"What does not destroy me, makes me stronger." Nietzsche
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by baconavocado »

Congratulations!

I love walking but with all the politics the last few years I'm not interested in America coast-to-coast. However, the PCT sounds interesting and there are many long, beautiful walks in Europe and the UK that I would love to do.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by AnnetteLouisan »

Just watched your zoom interview. Very inspiring! What steely determination and endurance you have!
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by Iorek »

Congrats and thanks for bumping with the new info! Lots to ponder.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by Kookaburra »

Wow, super cool! Tip of the hat to you.

Sure makes one appreciate how amazing it is that Forrest Gump ran back and forth across the country several times.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

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Jazztonight wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 8:38 pm At some point I might add up my journey-related expenses. I'd estimate somewhere between $12-15K including camping equipment, food, lodging, transportation & shipping.
Well that's not too bad, especially when you factor in the marginal cost above what you'd pay sitting at home. After all, you'd still have some food costs no matter what.

Congrats on what sound like a wonderful trek!
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by xb7 »

A really impressive feat. Having done some long distance hiking myself, I know that it's hard for people to relate to something like this. And what you did is so different from more typical long distance hikes --- road walking is the hardest and generally least favorite part of long distance hiking for most people, or at least for all the long distance hikers that I know. It's not just the effect of a lot of flat asphalt and the like on the feet. It's not just the feeling of somehow more-intense isolation when cars are whizzing by you all the time. It's not just the fact that private property issues make it hard to do basic things like using the toilet or finding a safe and legal place to sleep. It's not just the dogs, or the idiots who don't give you enough room on the shoulder --- or even charge at you hoping to have fun by seeing you jump into a ditch.

It's also that you're just alone all the time, or at least while you're walking. If you do one of the "paint by numbers" starter long distance trails (PCT, AT) you can have a wonderful social experience of it --- as much or as little as you want to. Hiking something like the ADT (I'm guessing from this thread it was the ADT) --- that's really outside of the experience of almost anyone else, and no doubt very very solitary. I did a couple of months of hiking by myself a decade or so ago and it changed me some, I think --- maybe both for better and for worse!
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by StevieG72 »

Glad someone revived the thread, I somehow missed it the first time around.

Interesting and inspiring, thanks for sharing.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

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Kookaburra wrote: Wed Mar 02, 2022 1:30 am Wow, super cool! Tip of the hat to you.

Sure makes one appreciate how amazing it is that Forrest Gump ran back and forth across the country several times.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

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xb7 wrote: Wed Mar 02, 2022 11:28 am A really impressive feat. Having done some long distance hiking myself, I know that it's hard for people to relate to something like this. And what you did is so different from more typical long distance hikes --- road walking is the hardest and generally least favorite part of long distance hiking for most people, or at least for all the long distance hikers that I know. It's not just the effect of a lot of flat asphalt and the like on the feet. It's not just the feeling of somehow more-intense isolation when cars are whizzing by you all the time. It's not just the fact that private property issues make it hard to do basic things like using the toilet or finding a safe and legal place to sleep. It's not just the dogs, or the idiots who don't give you enough room on the shoulder --- or even charge at you hoping to have fun by seeing you jump into a ditch.

It's also that you're just alone all the time, or at least while you're walking...
You described it very well. Thank you.

Yes, this certainly was not a "paint by numbers" walk on the ADT. When I would analyze the major routes (Highway 50, 40, etc.) I'd realize that each road would feature stretches of wide shoulders, narrow shoulders, or often no shoulder at all. And then the size and condition of the shoulders would change abruptly when I'd cross a state line.

Occasionally I'd find a Rail to Roads trail, and they were wonderful. But they did not last for very long. There was the Katy Trail, which was fine. But mostly, it was just state roads.

This was not about fun, or sight-seeing, or comfort. It was a challenge, pure and simple.

Thanks again to everyone. The Bogleheads are a wonderful family, really.
"What does not destroy me, makes me stronger." Nietzsche
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

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AnnetteLouisan wrote: Tue Mar 01, 2022 7:50 pm Just watched your zoom interview. Very inspiring! What steely determination and endurance you have!
Thanks for watching it. Some of the people who showed up I've known since elementary school! It was humbling.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by tetractys »

Jazztonight wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 11:26 am
Bharat wrote: Thu Jul 05, 2018 11:02 am Great achievement. Congratulations. I hope your family and friends are proud of you and happy of this accomplishment.

What's next? May be Pacific Crest Trail?
Thank you.

I do not have any hiking or walking or biking or running plans. This was the journey I wanted to take.
Congrats on your coast to coast—quite an achievement! A family member recently made the entire Pacific Crest Trail. They said if you want to do it make it quick because fires are burning so much of it up.
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Re: Walking Coast-to-Coast

Post by willthrill81 »

baconavocado wrote: Tue Mar 01, 2022 6:32 pmHowever, the PCT sounds interesting and there are many long, beautiful walks in Europe and the UK that I would love to do.
After our daughter is out of the house, I'd like to hike either the AT or the PCT if I'm physically able to do so. My DW and I don't want to be separated for long, so we're thinking that she may drive a motorhome close to the trail to support me, also allowing me to have a hot shower, a good meal, and a nice bed to sleep in almost every night. It wouldn't be the same experience as most who are doing those hikes, but I don't care. As they say, hike your own hike.
The Sensible Steward
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