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I set out in fall 2019 to walk across America, following the American Discovery Trail. First, my plan was to follow the southern route between Cincinnati and Denver in the fall, and then to fly to Delaware in February 2020 to through-hike, coast-to-coast, following the northern route. So really, the goal was to cross the USA 1.5 times.
Well, COVID got in the way. I was able to gradually finish the Delaware to Cincinnati leg over the subsequent couple years, but only in summer 2024 was I able to commit sufficient time to finishing the remainder of the walk. In the meantime, my plans shifted a bit. I followed the ADT as far as Western Nebraska, but from there I took the Oregon Trail home to Portland and the Pacific. All of my writings from the road are indexed below.
Part 1: Cincinnati to Denver on the American Discovery Trail – Fall 2019
Ohio / Kentucky
Indiana
- Day 2 – Lawrenceburg to Friendship, IN
- Day 3 – Friendship to Clifty Falls State Park, IN
- Day 4 – Clifty Falls to After Lexington, IN
- Day 5 – Lexington to After Bennettsville, IN
- Day 6 – After Bennettsville to New Albany, IN
- Day 7 – New Albany to After Corydon, IN
- Day 8 – After Corydon to After Leavenworth, IN
- Day 9 – After Leavenworth to St Meinrad, IN
- Day 10 – St Meinrad to Santa Claus, IN
- Day 11 – Santa Claus to After Boonville, IN
- Day 12 – After Boonville to Evansville, IN
Illinois
- Day 13 – Evansville, IN to Wabash River, IL
- Day 14 – Wabash River to Shawneetown, IL
- Days 15-17 – Shawneetown to Goreville, IL
- Day 18 – Goreville to Giant City State Park, IL
- Day 19 – Giant City State Park to Murphysboro, IL
- Day 20 – Murphysboro to Chester, IL
- Day 21 – Chester to Red Bud, IL
- Day 22 – Red Bud to Waterloo, IL
Missouri
- Day 23 – Waterloo, IL to St. Louis, Missouri
- Day 24 – St. Louis to… St. Louis
- Day 25 – St. Louis to Weldon Spring, MO
- Days 26-28 – Katy Trail Through Marthasville, Bluffton, Jeff City
- Day 29 – Jeff City to Huntsdale, MO
- Day 30 – Huntsdale to Boonville, MO
- Day 31 – Boonville to Sedalia, MO
- Day 32 – Sedalia to Windsor, MO
- Days 33 and 34 – Windsor to Kansas City, MO
Kansas
- Day 35 – Kansas City, MO to Olathe, KS
- Day 36 – Olathe to Eudora, KS
- Day 37 – Eudora to Lawrence, KS
- Days 38 & 39 – Lawrence to Admire, KS
- Day 40 – Admire to Council Grove, KS
- Day 41 – Council Grove to Herington, KS
- Days 42 & 43 – Herington to McPherson, KS
- Day 44 – McPherson to Lyons, KS
- Day 45 – Lyons to Great Bend, KS
- Day 46 – Great Bend to Larned, KS
- Days 47 & 48 – Fort Larned & Dodge City
- Days 49 & 50 – Ingalls & Garden City
- Day 51 – Garden City to Lakin, KS
- Day 52 – Lakin to Syracuse, KS
Colorado
- Day 53 – Syracuse, KS to Holly, CO
- Day 54 – Holly to Lamar, CO
- Days 55 & 56 – Las Animas & La Junta
- Day 57 – La Junta to Fowler, CO
- Day 58 – Fowler to Pueblo, CO
- Days 59 & 60 – Florence & Cañon City
- Day 61 – Cañon City to Cripple Creek, CO
- Day 62 – Cripple Creek to Green Mountain Falls, CO
- Day 63 – Green Mountain Falls to North Colorado Springs, CO
- Days 64 & 65 – Finishing (For Now) In Denver, CO
Part 2: Lewes, Delaware to Pennsboro, WV on the ADT – Winter 2020
Delaware
- Day 1 – Cape Henlopen to Lewes, DE – 3 Miles
- Day 2 – Lewes to Milford, DE – 25 Miles
Maryland / DC
- Day 3 – Milford, DE to Denton, MD – 25 Miles
- Day 4 – Denton to Chester, MD – 33 Miles
- Day 5 – Chester to Annapolis, MD – 11 Miles
- Day 6 – Annapolis to Lanham, MD – 27 Miles
- Day 7 – New Carrollton to Glen Echo / Washington DC – 26 Miles
- Day 8 – Washington DC – 0 Miles
- Days 9 & 10 – Washington DC to Harper’s Ferry, WV – 54 Miles
- Day 11 – Harpers Ferry, WV to Williamsport, MD – 25 Miles
- Day 12 – Williamsport to Hancock, MD – 27 Miles
West Virginia
- Day 13 – Hancock, MD to Paw Paw, WV – 31 Miles
- Days 14 & 15 – Paw Paw to Keyser, WV – 43.5 Miles
- Days 16 & 17 – Keyser to Canaan Valley, WV
- Days 18-20 – Canaan Valley to Clarksburg, WV – 85 Miles
- Day 21 – Clarksburg to West Union, WV – 32 Miles
- Day 22 – West Union to Pennsboro, WV – 12 Miles
Part 3: Pennsboro, WV to Logan, OH on the ADT, May 2020
West Virginia
- Day 0 – Fear And Loathing
- Day 1 – Pennsboro To Petroleum, WV – 20 Miles
Ohio
- Day 2 – Petroleum, WV to Belpre, OH
- Days 3 & 4 – Belpre to Glouster, OH – 61 Miles
- Day 5 – 5/13 – Glouster to Logan – 24 Miles
- On Being Unfinished
Part 4: Logan to Cincinnati, OH on the ADT, March 2021
Ohio (again)
- Day 0 – Portland, OR To Logan, OH
- Day 1 & 2 – Logan to Waverly, OH – 61 Miles
- Day 3 – Waverly To Elm Grove, OH – 16 Miles
- Day 4 – Elm Grove To Seaman, OH – 29 Miles
- Days 5 & 6 – Seaman To Batavia, OH – 43 Miles
- Day 7 – Batavia To Cincinnati, OH – 32 Miles
Part 5: Cincinnati to Lewellen, NE on the ADT, June 29 – Late August, 2024
Ohio (last time!)
- Day 1 – North Bend to Miami Whitewater, OH – 15 miles
- Days 2 & 3 – Miami Whitewater to Oxford, OH to Richmond, IN – 59 miles
Indiana
- Day 4 – Richmond to Blountsville, IN – 27 miles
- Day 5 – Blountsville to Muncie, IN – 15 miles
- Day 6 – Muncie to Marion, IN – 32 miles
- Day 7 – Marion to Peru, IN – 34 miles
- Day 8 – Peru to Rochester, IN – 24 miles
- Days 9-11 – Rochester to Schererville, IN – 86 miles
- Day 12 – Schererville, IN to Matteson, IL – 21.5 miles
Illinois
- Day 14 – Matteson to Joliet, IL – 23 miles
- Days 15-18 – Joliet to East Moline, IL – 135 miles
- Day 19 – East Moline, IL to Davenport, IA – 14 miles
Iowa
- Day 20 – Davenport to Walcott, IA – 16 miles
- Day 21 – Walcott to West Branch, IA – 33 miles
- Days 22 & 23 – West Branch to North Cedar Rapids, IA – 44 miles
- Days 24 & 25 – North Cedar Rapids to Cedar Falls, IA – 64 miles
- Day 26 – Cedar Falls to Grundy Center, IA – 33 miles
- Day 27 – Grundy Center to Marshalltown, IA – 31 miles
- Day 28 – Marshalltown to after Maxwell, IA – 37 miles
- Days 29-30 – After Maxwell to Des Moines, IA – 30 miles
- Day 31 – Des Moines to Stuart, IA – 41 miles
- Days 32 & 33 – Stuart to Atlantic, IA – 40 miles
- Days 34 & 35 – Atlantic, IA to Omaha, NE – 72 miles
Nebraska
- Day 36 – Omaha to Wehrspann Lake, NE – 16 miles
- Day 37 – Wehrspann Lake to Eagle, NE – 35 miles
- Day 38 – Eagle to Lincoln, NE – 14 miles
- Day 39 – Lincoln, NE – 8 miles
- Days 40 & 41 – Lincoln to Stromsburg, NE – 67 miles
- Day 42 – Stromsburg to Central City, NE – 24 miles
- Days 43 & 44 – Central City to Kearney, NE – 82 miles
- Days 45 & 46 – Kearney to Cozad, NE – 67 miles
- Days 47 & 48 – Cozad to North Platte, NE – 48.5 miles
- Day 49 – North Platte to Paxton, NE – 33 miles
Part 6: Paxton, NE to Portland, OR (and onto the coast) on the Oregon Trail, Late August – October 2024
In Western Nebraska, I bid farewell to the ADT, switching over to follow the historic Oregon Trail back home to Portland. This isn’t a waymarked route. I’ve pieced together a viable plan using important historic stops on the route, roads still carrying the “Oregon Trail” name, and other assorted sources. This will lead me through Wyoming, Idaho, and, of course, Oregon.
Nebraska
- Day 50 – Paxton to Spring Creek Campground, NE – 34 miles
- Days 51-53 – Spring Creek Campground to Bridgeport, NE – 77 miles
- Day 54 – Bridgeport to Gering, NE – 34 miles
- Day 55 – Gering, NE to Torrington, WY – 37 miles
Wyoming
- Days 56 & 57 – Torrington to Guernsey, WY – 41 miles
- Day 58 – Guernsey to Glendo, WY – 29 miles
- Day 59 – Glendo to Douglas, WY – 27.5 miles
- Days 60 & 61 – Douglas to Casper/Mills, WY – 62 miles
- Days 62-64 – Casper/Mills to Sweetwater Station, WY – 108 miles
- Day 65 – Sweetwater Station to Atlantic City, WY – 33 miles
- Days 66-68 – Atlantic City to Kemmerer, WY – 117 miles
- Days 69 & 70 – Kemmerer to Cokeville, WY – 41 miles
Idaho
- Day 71 – Cokeville, WY to Montpelier, ID – 36 miles
- Days 72-74 – Montpelier to Pocatello, ID – 94 miles
- Day 75 – Pocatello to American Falls, ID – 24 miles
- Days 76 & 77 – American Falls to Burley, ID – 64 miles
- Day 78 – Burley to Tipperary Corner, ID – 31 miles
- Day 79 – Tipperary Corner to Jerome, ID – 24 miles
- Day 80 – Jerome to Bliss, ID – 32.5 miles
- Days 81 & 82 – Bliss to Mountain Home, ID – 53 miles
- Days 83 & 84 – Mountain Home to Boise to Eagle, ID – 63 miles
- Day 85 – Eagle to Caldwell, ID – 15 miles
Oregon
- Days 86 & 87 – Caldwell, ID to Ontario, OR – 46 miles
- Days 88 & 89 – Ontario to Baker City, OR – 85 miles
- Day 90 – Baker City to North Powder, OR – 21 miles
- Day 91 – North Powder to La Grande, OR – 31 miles
- Days 92 & 93 – La Grande to Pendleton, OR – 57 miles
- Days 94 & 95 – Pendleton to Boardman, OR – 56 miles
- Days 96 & 97 – Boardman to Biggs Junction, OR – 68 miles
- Day 98 – Biggs Junction to The Dalles, OR – 24 miles
- Days 99-101 – The Dalles to Portland, OR – 101 miles
- Days 102-104 – Portland to Cape Meares, OR – 84 miles
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