A few people have posted about walking the Appalachian trail or similar in the Bucket List thread. I have always had this dream that if I ever won the lottery, I would just take time out and walk across the United States. I'd probably go North/South instead of East/West, but it's just something that appeals to me in a Zen sort of way. I don't really want to go on a trail if possible; I'd rather just walk through the towns and such, to the extent that it's possible to do so. I met a guy once that basically bicycled the horizontal length of the U.S., just because. That's another way to go. I also had the occasion, about 25 years ago, to meet a guy that did sort of the same thing, except aquatically - he got on a paddleboard and would paddle up and down the various U.S. coasts, literally thousands of miles. I remembered only that he paddled, that he had amazing stories, and that he went by "Lifeguard Larry;" apparently his real name was Larry Capune and he died a few years ago. FOCUS: Long distance under your own power: walk? ride? paddle? What say you, and why? Have you ever gone on an epic walkabout adventure?
Walk. I get stressed out dodging the soccer moms and various assholes who don't know how to drive just on the way to work. There's no way I'm enjoying the scenery/experience if I'm flipping the bird and cursing at someone. Plus, it'd be nice to spend the time outdoors, and I wouldn't have to worry about car/bike maintenance.
I'd love to take a summer and bike from the east coast to the west coast, and I'd probably do it if the US had a formal trail system like the Trans-Canada Trail. Walking would be more immersive, but also take a hell of a lot longer, and I'm with TX on the road trip in that it might be fun for a bit but the driving would become a chore before too long. In May, one of my buddies plans to leave from New Jersey and walk cross country to California with only what he can carry in a hiking pack.
I haven't been in the position to own a kayak or a canoe for several years, but I used to go on a trip every summer where we spent 2-3 weeks paddling through the lakes in the Adirondack state park. When we hit the edge of a lake, we'd portage the canoes to the next lake and keep going. Being out on a lake in the sunshine is incredibly restful. I had almost forgotten how much I loved casually kayaking on a warm day. It's not a very practical way to travel across the US, but it'd be a hell of a lot of fun to do an epic kayak trip down a big river.
Give me a nice full suspension mountain bike like - and I'd be good to go. If I rode South from MA it would all be downhill right? East-West, North-South, etc it wouldn't matter. I like a mountain bike because there are probably some areas along your path that you're not going to want to spend much time in (Ohio). A bike would allow you GTFO faster. Also you could pack more shit, cover more ground, and take side detours you might otherwise skip because of the distance. The thought of riding a bike that far makes my balls hurt though.
I LOOOOOVE to drive. As a kid, my parents took great road trips, and the USA has exceptional ones that I've got to see: The Pacific Coast Highway (eEVERYBODY needs to drive this before they die), Death Valley, Arizona, various Route 66 sections (I want to drive the whole thing someday), I75, the Appalachians, Dutch Pennsylvania, because my parents drove so much I love to drive as well. I want to have a two week vacation and drive coast to coast on Trans-Canada. I'd need a week alone to see all of Alberta's goofy shit, which includes: The Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump The World's largest Dinoaur Lake Louise (because it's one of the most beautiful places on earth) The West Edmonton Mall A UFO Landing Pad (yes, it's real) Giant Ukranie Easter Egg Sausage Statue Giant Perogy Statue King Kong Statue Yeah.
I was one of the people who had the Appalachian Trail on my bucket list, so besides that I have a dream road trip to cover the other coast. It would start up in Seattle, then go to Portland, then down the Pacific Coast Highway with stops in Napa Valley and San Francisco along the way, then Phoenix (and the Grand Canyon), Sante Fe, Austin, and end it in New Orleans. Between these two things, they'll pretty much cover everywhere I want to go in the U.S (and even some places I really have no interest in on the AT). The only part that's missing is the Rockies in Colorado.
I've posted before about my love of Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe paddling. Last summer, I met a lady named Margo Pellegrino who was paddling a one-man (well, one-woman) outrigger canoe from Seattle to San Diego. She had already done a paddle up the eastern Seabord, and across the gulf coast as well. She's doing these expeditions as a way to raise awareness for ocean-based charities (Surfrider Foundation, National Resources Defense Council, etc), as well as cancer research, and it's absolutely amazing. I think it'd be really cool to embark on a journey like that, and I really admire Margo's dedication. (Linky Link.)
One of my friends went west to east across the US on a recumbant bike (he kept a journal here if anyone is interested). He also hiked the Appalachian trail, which is on my bucket list.
I have heard that riding the Blue Ridge Parkway is always a challenging and rewarding experience. The only thing is, you need to have a support vehicle following you in case something happens to you or your bike along the way. Yes, please. Pictures aren't mine
I voted walk. I love kayaking, but going lost distances suck because a) my back starts to hurt after a while and b) if there aren't rapids or something, water can get monotonous. Walking also just takes a lot less prep work.
My preferences are to either walk or drive. I mean, I like walking and shit - but if I walk 25 miles in a week - that's a pretty walking heavy week for me. Walking a few hundred, or a few thousand miles to do some awesome scenic tour? I'm not sure I see that happening anytime soon. Any decent length trip - I'd rather drive it, without any dead line or schedule - just a rough directional plan and plenty of time. I've always wanted to do a driving tour of the American road side attractions, so I can see the world's biggest frying pan and the worlds largest hand made rubber band ball and shit. Two big exceptions I would love to do the Kokoda Track though. I know it's for pussies these days - but it has huge national significance as an Aussie, and my grandfather was one of the Chocos ('Chocolate' Soldiers, poorly trained militia who were expected to melt and crumble at the first resistance, but held the Japanese advance through the region and saved countless Australian lives by allowing the actual army to get their shit together) who fought along the track. I also know it's cheesy and tourist hell now, but I'd love to hike the Inca trail to see Machu Picchu - I know it's not a terribly impressive long distance hike - but the incline and the altitude make it a rough walk - and I've had a huge fascination with the Incas since I was 9 years old. Fuck getting there by Bus and having the first sight of the site through a crowd of tourists at a concession stand - I want to hike in and arrive through the Sun gate.
I'm doing this in September. Actually, I'm hiking a total of 45 miles around Salkantay (which is less frequented) to the Inca Trail, to arrive at Machu Picchu before sunrise on the 7th day. Very excited about it.
If you want to talk about walking long distance, this book is a must: <a class="postlink" href="http://www.amazon.ca/Places-Between-Rory-Stewart/dp/0143053302/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298067900&sr=8-1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.amazon.ca/Places-Between-Ror ... 900&sr=8-1</a> This is hardly the craziest part. The really crazy part is that he was walking clear across central Asia. From at least Iran through to Nepal and India. Me, I could stand to do some more walking. As part of my "backpacking" in Germany, I took to the mountains with a backpack that weighed at least 40 pounds after I added four litres of water and stayed in a mountain hut. I would have stayed a few more nights hiking across the mountains but most of the huts hadn't opened yet (too early in the season) and I had some need to access my e-mail for work. Notwithstanding that it was 1500 metres above sea level and was blizzarding when I climbed high enough, I enjoyed it well enough. My backpack carries the weight pretty well and I've got a pair of boots that fit like a glove, which are really the two key pieces of equipment. Maybe one day I'll do the haute route. Preferably in the summer. That said I do like driving, and the nicest places to drive (the mountains) are also the nicest places to walk. Thing is, when you're driving, you don't get to appreciate the scenery nearly enough or take pictures. The good part about driving is that I'd rather not go for a hike through mountain roads, because there are big and dangerous animals lurking around. Once in B.C., we passed a family of bighorn sheep chilling by the side of the road. They weren't doing anything and barely blinked when we pulled over to take pictures, but I wouldn't exactly feel safe walking along the other side of the road from them.
After years of camping and one long-ish trip, I would love to paddle through the Boundary Waters (like the lake-filled deep woods along the Canada border here in Minny). It wouldn't necessarily need to be a ridiculous Jeremiah Johnson trip, I mean having heavy food and perishables and supplies dropped off from time to time wouldn't hurt, but being a serious badass and getting your protein via hooks, bullets, and digging through moss would be the ultimate. The land is pretty pristine, as it's been left to grow after the logging camps left and campsites are but a fire pit, clearing, and latrine in the woods. It helps to be a self-reliant person up there at times. Sure, taking a dedicated trip across the nation would be totally awesome, especially the slower you go- but crossing the BWCA or making it a real journey and just spend the summer traveling through lakes would be incredible (to me, at least). Either that or following Lewis and Clarke's trail and retracing their expedition to the sea would be badass.
Paddle. A bunch of friends and I took a small sailboat, and packed it up with as much of our Windsurfing gear as we could. We then sailed a mile or two to a secluded island in Virginia and spent a couple days windsurfing and kite boarding. While camping one evening, a guy walks up to us out of nowhere wearing a drysuit and a kayaker's bib. The guy had quit his job to go on a "Life Quest." His dream was to start in florida, and paddle his way up the coast and in the intracoastal water ways. Occasionally he was out on the open ocean. Only every couple states would he meet up with people he knew and get a real meal. Otherwise all of his food and camping supplies were in his tent. He had a really cool hammock tent that he strung up between two trees. Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of the guy. I'd love to do something similar like Paddleboarding across great distances. But once the wind kicks up to 7 knots or so the waves become really difficult to handle paddling in to. The best I've done so far is paddling from corner to corner in the local man made lake. Perhaps 2-3 miles in a leisurely couple of hours.