These Knees Were Made For Walking

People have been asking me questions so I am going to answer some of the most common ones here.

Home away from Home

Question: Where are you going to sleep?

Answer: I have several ideas about how to take this trip. The first one I call “hub and spokes”. I don’t know if this is an official term but I am using it to describe my plan.

The HUB will be a campsite. I like to sleep in my own bed every night so, with a campsite, I can make a little home with a bedroom and kitchen, etc. Then, each day, I will “spoke out” to the trail, walk, then go “home”. Next day same thing, creating the spokes of “hub and spokes”. The hub can then be moved down the road about once a week but it will look and feel the same each time.

How hard can it be?

Question: How much will you walk each day?

Answer: I had thought to walk a marathon, 26.2 miles, every other day. Walk a few hours in the morning, take a break in the heat of the day then walk again in the evening hours. But I have realized this might not be sustainable. But the likelihood of me going out in the second part of the day is small. Once I get “home” leaving again is hard. So, I am now planning on walking half that distance 6 days a week, 12.5 to 15 miles in the morning. This will give me a steady routine that I can maintain.

Are you going to be gone long?

Question: How long will it take?

Answer: I am going to do this trip in two parts about 6 months each. The total distance is about 4000 miles. At a pace of 12.5 miles a day it will take 320 days of walking. But I am not going to walk in the winter months. So I have divided that in half, 160 days of walking to reach about 2000 miles. Six months is 180 days so that will give me a buffer for inclement weather, days I just can’t walk or room for delays of any sort.

Are you going to walk in winter?

Question: When are you going?

Answer: I plan to leave next April first and be back sometime late September to mid October. This timeline also adds a little more buffer for the unexpected. Then repeat the schedule the following year, 2026.

Can I go with you? YES YES YES, come and walk with me.

Question: Is someone going with you?

Answer: This is a harder question to answer. When I first started planning this trip my Aunt Ina was going to be my primary traveling companion. But she has some health issues now so is no longer taking such complicated trips.

Another big thing is that I don’t want to do it alone. While I am primarily an introvert being on my own for such a length of time would probably send me over the edge. And, frankly, the edge is not that far away from me, just a few short steps. The actual walking part may be mostly alone but having someone “at home” to be with in the evenings to share meals and stuff, is essential. I know I will meet folk as I travel but I would feel a lot more comfortable to have someone I know with me, especially the first year.

To that end, would you like to join me for a few days or a week? I will have a calendar with dates of where I will be soon, to post here on the blog. Take a look at it and see if taking such a trip would be fun for you. For example, I will be in Chicago for at least a week, maybe longer. Come to Chicago and take in some sites there while I walk.

HELP

Question: How can I support you?

Answer: There are a few ways to help and support me in this endeavor.

• Plan a trip of your own to join me for a few days
• Subscribe to the blog
• Look up Rails to Trails

All done

I think that is it for today. Subscribe to the blog and ask your own questions. I would love to hear from you.

Carrie