Preparations: November 16th

November 16^th, 2011

I am at the same time a big picture person and a very, very teeny tiny picture person. When Chris and I decided Yes! Let’s walk across the country, let’s have a grand adventure! my next thought was practically, What should I put in our sewing repair kit? and Who will take care of my plants? Never mind that we would be uprooting our lives, our home, our jobs and taking care of all of the logistics that come along with those things to begin our journey.

As we sat down recently to write a packing list, I found myself thinking that we’d better remember to bring a few Q-Tips -- I can’t stand water sitting in my ears after I shower. Meanwhile, Chris ensured that we will bring a tent, a camp stove, a water filter. I swear I am so fortunate to have him. If it were up to me, I’d end up packing my sewing machine, a colander, a croquet set, and my Q-Tips.

This is all to say that we have concocted a packing list for our trip, which has made the whole thing seem more real. It is concise, but feels quite hefty as I imagine carrying it all on my back across the greater portion of the eastern US. This thought makes it easier to put my own version of our packing list into perspective, and realize that I need to leave packing list writing up to my more organized and bigger picture minded half.

But still, here I am a full two and a half months before our trip, packing my backpack as if I’m leaving tomorrow. I think that I need to know now where my headlamp will live, how accessible my raincoat will be, and whether or not I should pack my long underwear inside my sleeping bag or keep it with the rest of my clothing.

Gear lists and preparation photos are forthcoming…

- J

letter to friends & family breaking the news...

Dear Family and Friends,

We imagine that this email won’t come as too much of a surprise to you all, who know that since we first met in 2005 we have had an itch to move around and try new things. We have been thinking for a while of having one last “grand adventure” before we settle down with careers and a house, and whatever else our future may hold. Over the past several months, we have been brainstorming about itineraries involving exotic locales, high adventure, and new experiences. We began to whittle down our options based on time of year, expense, length of the trip, and what sort of experience we were looking for. We came to the conclusion that before we travel internationally, we wanted to get to know our own country – dig deep into a region where we haven’t been before. We have decided to travel our country on foot. More specifically, we will begin our journey in New Orleans, Louisiana and walk to New York, New York.

Our trip will begin February first, when we arrive in New Orleans. We will make our way north on foot to Natchez, Mississippi where we will catch the Natchez Trace Parkway, a scenic route that will take us approximately 450 miles to Nashville, Tennessee. From Nashville, we will walk east to Smoky Mountain National Park and begin walking the entirety of the Blue Ridge Parkway, also about 450 miles long. We will then make our way towards Gettysburg and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. From there we will navigate urban areas of eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey and plan to make it to New York City by the beginning of July.

Our general route is our only plan at this point, and we hope to keep it that way. The point is, we want to be open and available for new experiences that we can’t plan ahead of time. It’s unsettling to not know exactly where we will be on each step of the way, but exciting to think of the possibilities of this trip. We hope to meet people we would never meet under normal circumstances, and see places we would never visit otherwise.

Of course, if you are able, we will have an “open walk” policy if you ever desire to join us at any point on our trip. We are also open to suggestions of places to see along our way, and if you have friends or family who live on our route, we would love to meet up with them! We have also set up a blog to document our trip with photos and stories. We plan to update it frequently as we begin our trip, but for now please bookmark the site: www.americaonfoot.blogspot.com. There is a map on the blog showing our general route, if you are interested.

We hope that you all will join us in this experience, if just providing encouragement along the way!

Love,

Chris & Jen

P.S. Feel free to pass this along to others we missed or who may be interested in what we’re doing!