I was hanging out in Tucson (checking off another item on my list) when I decided to undertake this journey. It took about a year to plan the hike. The adventure itself lasted two years.
The logistics of the trip were actually fairly simple. I made a list of the gear that I would need to take with me. Gradually, as my meager paychecks allowed, I gathered the items together. Fortunately, I was working in a sporting goods store at the time, so I was able to obtain much of the gear direct from the manufacturers at a discount. I spent months pouring over topographic maps of my planned route. I estimated how may calories I would burn during an average day, and developed a menu (primarily of freeze dried foods) that would keep my body fueled. I enlisted the aid of friends to create my resupply network. The plan was simple. It consisted of boxes of supplies (food, film, t.p., etc.) that I packed ahead of time and addressed to myself at general delivery in towns along my hiking route. I put a mailing date on each box and gave my friends the money for postage. All they had to do was go to the post office on the date specified on the package and mail the parcel to me. As long as I stayed on schedule, the boxes would be waiting for me along the way. Ultimately, the plan worked out just as I hoped it would. I'm still thankful for reliable friends to this day.
The great hike itself started in Springtime in New Mexico. I had to wait to start until the snow would be out of my high country route when I gained altitude in Colorado. I didn't want to wait too long, however, because I didn't want to get caught by Fall snows in Wyoming as my first year of the hike ended near Jackson Hole.
As you may have guessed, I hiked most of the route solo. A friend did join me for part of the first year's trip, but it was my intent to make most of the trek alone. That was the only way I would be able to commune with Nature the way I wanted to. I did have to deal with the possibility of being injured and consider that I could die alone without hope of a rescue along the route. I'm here today thirty years later, so I guess the worst didn't occur.
As you might imagine, the trip was an incredible experience. Walking 1,800 miles up the backbone of America over two years changed me forever. I met some wonderful people along the way. I learned a lot about myself. And, I learned a lot about living in synch with Nature. Many of the lessons I learned during that trek are visible in my personality today.
