Big effing trek

I've been avoiding putting this up for a long time. I've posted on my own page my ideas and thoughts but not as blatantly as I'm about to. For various reasons. The biggest being I didn't have a solid plan to even put down, it was a lot of guess work and unknowns. With the help of many many people (some from here, some from outdoor gear companies, from my dad, people I've met through my work, and just a whole bunch of folks.) I now have a pretty good idea of what I'll be doing.
What the hell am I talking about? The walk with my brother across the U.S.
I know of one other guy that wanted and as far as I know even started to do this same thing. I don't know what route he was taking but I'm pretty sure it's not the one my brother and I have set out.

If you think me stupid, ignorant, dumb, out of my mind, young and an idiot you might be right on some level in some regard. I expect some of you to toss a few such jabs or remarks my way and I don't mind. Being here almost a year now, I'm used to it and no longer let it get to me.
I'm putting this here so that you may see what I'm about to do. I plan to keep you all up to date when I'm able (public libraries and the homes of friends or kind souls.) And I'll be sure to tell you all about it if and when we finish.
Oh and if you see your city or live near by one we'll be going through and things pan out that you're there when we're there and want to meet up, fine by me! I'd love to meet folks from the site, talk in person about the trip thus far over some hot coffee or a bite to eat. One of the biggest reasons I'm doing this is to meet people all over the country (well, the northern bits.)

But for now, I'll show you what the very rough outline of this trek is. Read on.


The route we have laid out is Portland to Portland. Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine (until planning for this trip began I'd only known of the Oregon one. Who'd have thought things would turn out so interesting?)

We won't actually begin in Portland, OR but rather a much smaller town-Tillamook-about 2 or three days walking distance from Portland. We will physically touch the Pacific Ocean before we set out.

-Starting on the coast of Oregon in early March (the actual start date has yet to be set, but within the first week is what we're aiming for,) we make our way into Tillamook. Taking state highway 6 for two to three days until we reach the first big city that will most likely be what we tell most our starting city is/was, Portland.

-Heading North out of Portland we make our way into Washington and the city of Vancouver.

-Then it's East. We then meet a highway that will soon become a dear friend or hated foe, the 14 out of Vancouver. We stay on this friend-or-foe road for multiple weeks.

-The 14 will take us right along the Columbia River which separates well over two thirds of Washington and Oregon. There is also a set of train tracks that run along the Northern side of the river and if we feel like it just might walk along those for a spell.

-Out of Vancouver on the 14 we go through many smaller towns such as: Washougal, Stevenson, Bingen, Maryhill, Paterson, and Plymouth (not the same as the famous Pilgrim landing town.)

-Near Plymouth we say goodbye to the 14 and we meet a Federal Highway that we will soon get to know very well over the course of the following months. The 12 is a stretch of road that we'll get on in Washington and it will take us through Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota. It will take us into Minnesota where we lose it for a time but may actually end up seeing again in New York

-The 12 will become somewhat of a mentor to us, taking us places we've never been and showing us things we've never seen. It'll introduce us to people we'll never forget and possibly show us things we'll want to never remember (I hope that happens very little or I shall become very upset with the 12.)

-Starting on the 12 in Washington near Plymouth we continue our trek East, nearing Idaho we'll go through many more small towns with a few larger ones tossed into to keep things interesting. Walla Walla is one of the first, named for... I have no clue what and you can bet I'll be asking someone why on Earth their town has such a silly name.

-Out of Walla Walla we head North a bit to Dayton, not Ohio but Washington. Then onto the Washington - Idaho border we go. The first notable town in Idaho we enter is Lewiston and onto Kooskia.

-Once we leave Kooskia (still on the 12) we begin what could very well be the most dangerous part of our trip. Up until this point we'll have had some form of civilization no more than a day apart from the last. But leaving Kooskia and heading towards Montana we may very well be looking at multiple days where we see no 7-11's, Shopping malls, Wal-Marts or anything or maybe even anyone else. On top of that we'll be heading right into and over the Rocky Mountains. Hopefully we'll be able to get through those with no more than a light breeze to consider 'bad' weather. Given the location and time of year (most likely early to middle of April) we will likely see rain and if we've really done something to make nature mad at us she just might see tossing a lovely blizzard our way in our cards. A blizzard could turn what should be a 3-4 day trip (through the mountains) into a multiple week, life threatening, nightmare, I pray to something greater than I that does not happen.

-Nature permitting, we will get through Idaho and cross into Montana. First big city we hit is Missoula.

-Continuing on our friend, the 12, we leave Missoula and begin what I fear to be the most dull part of our trip and what my brother is eagerly awaiting, the trek across the entire state of Montana. I anticipate seeing many awesome landmarks and meeting people no less interesting than in the heart of a million person city. But where my brother and I differ largely is on what we consider 'home.' I'm at home in the likes of Seattle, San Francisco and any other city of that scale. Dean, my brother, is more at home in nature, on a farm and around things not made by man.

-We'll go through the state Capital, Helena, Townsend and White Sulphur Springs. We'll hit the middle of the state somewhere near Harltown and Ryegate hopefully sometime near the end of May after my younger (and only) sisters birthday on the 19th. (I wonder where we'll be and if we'll be able to wish her a happy one.)

-Passing through Roundup, yes still on the 12, we head ever East to Sumatra, Vananda, and say "see you soon" to the 12 in Forsyth.

-In Forsyth, Montana we lose the 12 and for about 20 miles walk along I-94. Near Miles City we meet up with the 12 again and head for Baker, the last larger scale city we'll pass through in the great state of Montana.

-"Hello Dakota's " We'll be able to say sometime in June or early July. That's when we enter North Dakota and continue a Southern bend that started near the end of the Montana.

-Rhame, Bowman, and Hettinger are some of the very few cities we'll see in North Dakota. After we leave Hettinger it's into South Dakota.

-As surprising as some may find it we will not be heading to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. 'What, you're going to South Dakota and not going to see Mount Rushmore? ' I expect to hear that at least a few times and that's right, we won't be that far South to see it. Our aim happens to be towns many people, including me until recently, have never heard of. Towns like Mobridge, Aberdeen, Groten, Webster, Waubay, Ortley, and Milbank.

-We see Big Stone City last in South Dakota and cross into Minnesota.
-From the looks of this map I'm holding and the picture on front of a waterfall I'm expecting Minnesota to be nothing less of breathtaking.

-Roughly a third of the way up North from the Iowa - Minnesota border is where we enter, a city by the name of Ortonville is our first stop.

-At this part of our trip things become a little muddled. It is my completely un-fact based idea that the Eastern side of the country, being populated for much longer than the larger Western states may have the feeling of one enormous city. I've never been to any state past New Mexico going east (save for a 2 week stint in New York, New York.) So this may very well be a load of bull. But from looking at maps and doing all the research I have there seems to be much less vast open space on the East, and that makes this brother very happy.

-Still on the 12 at Ortonville we either stay on that or get on the 7. Either way we make our way into Minneapolis.

-After Minneapolis we begin a much less route driven course. No longer do we strictly stick to certain roads, highways and such but rather we take on a new mentality. One of 'we're at point A and want to get to point B, go.' The first of these 'point A to point B's' is Minneapolis to Milwaukee Wisconsin.

-After that it's onto Chicago then up to Detroit.

-We'll head for Toronto Canada and then back down to Niagara Falls and into New York we'll head for Albany and head North to Vermont and then New Hampshire.

-The final leg will be entering Maine and then to Portland. Once we reach Portland Maine our trip will not truly be complete until we physically touch the Atlantic.
And that is the very rough outline for Delio and Dean Pera's trek, on foot, across the United States (with a little stop in Canada.)

When are you starting?

Run, Forrest, Run.

Honestly, though, if you feel like this is something you must do in pursuit of self-actualization or whatever, I can't really give you shit about it. A lot of people are smoking, drinking, eating themselves to death with a certainty much greater than the probability of you and your brother dying in this quest.

Well, like it says in that massive post. We'll be starting in early March.

Well good luck.

There's a few good Hostels in Chicago and some cheap hotels on Woodward Ave. in Royal Oak (suburban Detroit).

You will die.

Well, good luck to you. If you make it to Portland, I'll be happy to see you off.

I know your starting point very well, I often drive to the coast and through the Tillamook forest into Portland and Vancouver, and east, through the Columbia River Gorge. It's beautiful out there, and I occasionally rent a car for the day just to enjoy the scenery.

However, while this is a very scenic drive, I would not recommend this route for walking. It's not exactly flat terrain, we're talking mountains here, and it's going to be mountains all throughout the western half of the United States. At certain elevations it will get very cold, even in the spring, and there will be snow on the ground. And if it's not snowing, it'll be raining.

Again, remember that this was the Oregon Trail, and many, many people died taking the same path you're taking, and they had oxen and covered wagons and shit. As you can see below, that white stuff kind of gets in the way and makes things a bit difficult.



I would suggest if you're really serious about this that you take a much more southern route, like your predecessor did. I would start in LA or thereabouts, and head directly east through the plain states. I wouldn't however do this in the spring, because you'll be going through the desert in the middle of summer. I'd start considerably sooner or later than you're attempting.

Thanks AceT. I've taken all of that into consideration and know that we'll be dealing with snow and rain and we're gearing up acordingly.

I've contacted many different companies for assistance and already OR (Outdoor Research) and SmartWool are on board willing to give us discounts and in the case of SmartWool free socks.

Ok, well, I'll just make one final suggestion: download Google Earth and map out your route, then set the camera tilt as low as it will go and click the play button. That will give you a much better idea of what you're up against than you will find in some map.

I'm trying to be constructive here so that's all I'll say.

I've done that, Google Earth has been a wonderful asset during this.

So why did there need to be like 5 different threads about this?

One didn't get you enough attention?

Seriously, what did they teach you in school? One of the first things I learned in elementary school was that Apple IIs are awesome, but RIGHT AFTER THAT I learned that treking through Oregon and the Dakotas without adequate oxen or shelter will only end in starvation, typhoid, crudely marked graves and sadness.



Is this what you want on your tombstone?

Don't forget dysentery. Dysentery's a bitch.

From this font of wisdom springs many boobs.

For reals!

Yeah, you need to learn a lesson or two from Oregon Trail



Man, it was hell trying to resize this pic. I fuckin' need photoshop.

I wish you luck; If I may make a suggestion when you head out from the Twin Cities: follow through into Wisconsin and head to Steven's Point or Wausau; They are both medium sized citie,s the countryside is beautiful and the people are good. Also you can then catch Highway 29 and follow it through to Green Bay and from there follow Lake Michigan down to Milwaukee. The 29 rout is plently rural and scenic, but it will also has enoughfacilities along the way that you can find some shelter and food if need be.

Good luck! You'll be heading through Wisconsin, I would guess, in late March/Early April. Bring heavy clothing, good boots as well as a rain slicker if you can. Its the 'messy season' which means there will be a lot of mud, and you can't tell if it will be clear/snowing/raining from one day or another. Barns make good shelter....but, uh, check with a Farmer first if you decide to do so; we're all packing around here (and people say that liberals are non-violent! HA! Luckily, we're also really good to strangers. Just say you're Packers fans and like beer/brats and you'll be good to go) I

In all honesty I wish you best of luck; it'll be hard going, but you'll be seeing a lot of the country and from a vantage that most people never will. I actually envy you quiet a bit, truth be told. Just be careful! And make sure you've got the right type of gear with you, for Christ's sakes, research the weather patterns and climates of the Northern regions before you set out so you know what to bring!

Oh we have Danny, we have =]

Well, I think that's really dumb.

But then, that's probably what they said to Columbus.

Have fun. Try not to die too quickly.

Let's not forget the cholera.

Not too surprisingly Portland OR. is named after Portland ME.

From Wikipedia:

Portland started as a spot known as "the clearing",[2] which was on the banks of the Willamette about halfway between Oregon City and Fort Vancouver. In 1843, William Overton saw great commercial potential for this land, but lacked the funds required to file a land claim. He struck a bargain with his partner Asa Lovejoy of Boston, Massachusetts: for 25¢, Overton would share his claim to the 640-acre (2.6 km²) site. Overton later sold his half of the claim to Francis W. Pettygrove of Portland, Maine. Pettygrove and Lovejoy both wished to name the new city after their own home town; this was decided with a coin toss, which Pettygrove won.

So there you go, useless fact of the day, it was almost called Boston.

Wow it was decided with the toss of a coin? That's a pretty crazy fact.

And to those say have been saying we'll die and the like, thanks for the concern but I hope to squash such ideas. Both from others, such as you, and myself. Self doubt on something like this is sure to rear its ugly head but I don't really think death is something we'll be facing.

It's actually not too difficult with the right supplies and the right strategy.

First, you have to make sure you spend almost all of your money at Matt's General Store. It's the cheapest supplies are going to be the entire trip. I recommended 3 yoke, 50 lbs of food, 13 sets of clothing (2 for each in your party, and 3 to trade), 20 boxes of bullets, and 2 of each wagon part.

Leave in March, and start out at a grueling pace with bare bones food rations, and stop right before the first river. Hunt a lot, kill every fucking buffalo you can find. Spend like two weeks hunting until you have a couple hundred pounds of food.

Switch to a grueling pace and meager food rations, and stop only when someone is sick or your oxen are tired. This is the main ingredient to success. While you're resting, switch to filling meals to improve your health and do some hunting to stack up on food. I'd say at least three or four tries should net you some nice beef.

If the rivers are less than 3 feet deep you can try to ford the river, otherwise caulk your wagon. This should work most of the time except at Snake River. Always hire the indian guide at Snake River, he'll want some clothes and that's why you bought extra.

Before you get to the last monument, stop and hunt for a while. Switch to a steady pace and filling meals, and just wait until everyone is in good health. Then float down the Columbia, and you're golden.

Did you miss the whole part where you're hiking through the fucking mountains?

Not to mention that early spring is Robot season, and those suckers can really get kill-crazy when it starts getting rainy.

And South Dakota? More like Get-Stabbed-In-The-Face-By-Hobos Dakota. Am I right?