have questions about my walk? youre not the only one! below ive answered all of the most commonly asked questions i could think of. if theres something youre wondering about that isnt covered, please leave a comment &ill answer you as soon as i can!
youre doing WHAT? im walking across the united states. not hitchhiking, not biking, not even rollerskating. just walkin!
why? to get to the other side! okay, really, why not? its something ive always wanted to do, &you only live this life once. what better way to raise awareness for suicide prevention than by doing something thats going to challenge me to live my life to the fullest?
why suicide prevention? ive lost two amazing friends to suicide, &nearly lost even more. many of my friends &family members have suffered from depression in the past, or still do. im hoping to raise awareness for suicide prevention for those considering ending their lives (this is NOT forever, but suicide is. there is help!), as well as those concerned about friends or family members (you can help by knowing the warning signs for depression &suicide and spreading the word about 1-800-SUICIDE: more info can be found here). ill be walking in memory of those who have taken their own lives &in honor of those who have prevailed.
what gave you the idea? blame it on jimmy eat world. the song “blister” asks “…and how long would it take me to walk across the united states all alone?” alone or not, ive wanted to do this since i was sixteen!
how long will it take? its hard to say exactly, but my estimate is roughly six months. im leaving april 3rd, which means i should be back sometime in september!
how many miles each day? again, this is difficult to know for sure, especially because every day will vary. ill be walking between 8 and 14 hours a day on average, anywhere between 15 and 35 miles a day.
how many miles total? right now im planning for about 3600. this will of course change when i walk a mile off-route to a restaurant or post office, or to visit a friend!
where are you staying? in my tent, the occasional hostel, &maybe 1-2 motels each month. i have a couple of friends &family members along the way, but not having set arrival dates makes planning a little tricky, so well see!
are you bringing any weapons? i am. for my safety, id rather not publicize what exactly ill be armed with, but i am bringing multiple weapons, yes.
do you know self-defense? i am trained in basic self-defense techniques, yes. dont mess with me.
what about bugs? ill avoid them as best i can, obviously, but wearing neutral colors &a little bit of deet should help me a bit more!
how about animals? BEARS?! the biggest part of Leave No Trace ethics is respect for the environment &all the critters living there, which means giving animals their space. i imagine i will encounter some wildlife, but in the event of a bear, mountain lion, coyote, or other toothed thing, im armed with both bear deterrent spray &the knowledge of how to scare them away.
what are you eating? clif bars, luna bars, larabars, probars, trio bars, fruit source bars, barsbarsbars! also, fruit leather, a custom trail mix, instant rice, instant potatoes, oatmeal, dehydrated veggies, &a few other things. &believe you me, i will be stopping at as many restaurants &grocery stores as possible for fresh food! i may never want to eat food in bar-form as long as i live after this trip.
how much are you spending on food? too much! over $1300 so far. yikes!
how much are you carrying? my packs weight will fluctuate depending on what supplies, food, &water im carrying at any one time. the base weight is about 20-25 pounds, &ill be carrying about 10-15 pounds of food &water at any one time.
youre not carrying six months of food, though, right? definitely not. ive packed up 21 boxes with food &extra shoes, leaving room for additional supplies as needed. these will be shipped to specific post offices along my route &held care of general delivery till i pick them up. ill be picking up a re-supply box on average every 1.5-2 weeks.
how much have your other supplies cost you? ive spent about $2000 on non-food items, but it would be much more if it werent for the help of a few very generous people that have contributed gift cards &supplies! (their help means so much to me, &i cant thank them enough, really!)
do you have some comfortable shoes? yep. 7 pairs of them. (&i might buy more along the way if i see fit!)
and your other gear? whats it like? not just any shirt, pants, socks, or even underwear is suitable for this trek. ive invested in layers made of mostly synthetics, outer layers with gore-tex, &a lot of extra socks.
are you walking back? heck no! ill be walking to the ticketing counter at the trenton-mercer airport &picking up a one-way ticket back home. im trying to avoid walking through the winter as best i can!
why new jersey? because that was what i had in mind when i first started thinking about this trip. you can blame that on saves the day. :)
why not portland, maine? or coast to coast? or to new york? new york is more exciting, you know. because i just want to walk to new jersey, darnit! you can walk from portland to portland, or coast to coast, or to new york, &let me know how it goes! hehe.
what kind of training have you done? not as much as i should have, but the way i see it, the only way to really train for this much walking is to, well, do it. (until last thursday, i had a job that kept me too busy to walk 12 hours a day!)
what are you doing with your stuff when youre gone? &your cat? my best friend &co-conspirator, peter, will be taking care of my apartment, my things, &my sweet baby panda cat. thank you, peter!
will you have a job when you get back? well…not exactly. my former employer didnt approve my request for a leave of absence, but i was promised that i would be re-hired if a position in my department was open.
can i help you in some way? at this point, there are two ways you can help: 1. spread the word! (tell your friends, post a bulletin on myspace, talk to your local news station, etc!) 2. send food or gift cards for food (see my wishlist here) to my home address, which can be sent out to me in my re-supply packs!
how can i help your cause? whether youve lost a friend or family member to suicide, or you have personally considered or attempted suicide, please make it your mission to help yourself &anyone else in need, in any way that you can - know the signs of depression and suicidal behavior, lend an ear or a shoulder, donate to the hopeline, or just post a bulletin/send an email to everyone you know, encouraging them to spread the word about 1-800-SUICIDE. (learn more at the hopelines website here) you might never know if you do, but you may save a life…
