Planning away the Fears 2656.3 to 2697.1 Miles: 12/14/14

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Virtual Hike Animated Street View Today's Weather I thought we were done with the long stretches between services, but I was wrong. It's 79 miles from Miles City, MT. to Baker, MT. I suggest taking a rest day in Miles city and possibly Baker.

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Since this part of the route is in the end of June, it also has the potential of being hot. 

At least the road has a wide shoulder all the way. By this time, the walker should have a good idea how to handle this stretch. Depending on how I felt, I'd plan to hike a good part of the second day before sunrise. 

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Cold morning

Planning out the Fears

Introduction

This post will focus on the planning that happens after the route is deemed to be generally walkable. The purpose of this planning is to add details that will plan away the fears. It will include food, water, navigation and motels.

Why Plan away Fears?

Backpackers say people carry their fears. If a person is afraid of running out of water, they carry too much water. If they are afraid of running out of food, they carry too much food. If they are afraid of getting lost, they carry too many maps and guide. If they are afraid of finding a place to camp, they stop too early. Most fears are unfounded and can be planned away.

24 Mile Segments

The walker will have to average 24 miles a day to make the trip in a year. Therefore, I'm zooming in on 24 mile segments. I'm adding supermarkets and motels in this pass through the route. The supermarkets are close enough together that the walker can take enough water to make it from one to the next in most cases. In the next pass through the route, I'll add gas stations and other water sources if necessary.

When person has a large task, it helps to break it into small tasks and focus on one task at a time. I'm creating a map and written guide for each 24 mile segment. 

Here is an example: (I can't show a map because of copyright limitations. I'm using Microsoft Streets & Trips 2013 to plan the hike.)

Notice I added navigation points to the route as it passed intersections or other landmarks.

DAY 1

Mile	Instruction	Toward
0.0	Depart Arby's [719 W US-50, Pueblo CO 81008, United States, Tel: +(1)-719-5437750] on US-50 [W US-50] (West)
7.1	Turn RIGHT (North) onto N McCulloch Blvd
7.3	At Walmart Supercenter [78 N McCulloch Blvd, Pueblo CO 81007, United States, Tel: +(1)-719-6479861], stay on N McCulloch Blvd (South) (Consider skipping this one.)
7.5	Turn RIGHT (West) onto US-50 [W US-50]
9.0	At 9.0 Pass W. McCulloch, stay on US-50 [W US-50] (West)
12.6	At 12.6 Miles Cross Turkey Creek, stay on US-50 [W US-50] (North-West)
18.2	At 18.2 Miles Pass 120, stay on US-50 [W US-50] (West)
22.4	At Cross L Street, stay on US-50 (West)
24.0	Arrive 24 Miles End day 1
	End of day

DAY 2

Mile	Instruction	Toward
24.0	Depart 24 Miles End day 1 on US-50 (West)
24.7	At 24.7  pass Exit to 115, stay on US-50 (West)
29.1	At Cross 67, stay on US-50 (West)
32.8	At Cross County Road 168 (Macknzie Ave), stay on US-50 [E US-50] (West)
35.4	Turn RIGHT (North) onto (E) Main St
35.4	Turn LEFT (West) onto (E) Main St [Main St]
35.5	Road name changes to Main St
35.6	At Safeway [1414 Main St, Canon City CO 81212, United States, Tel: +(1)-719-2755221], stay on Main St (West)
35.6	Turn LEFT (South) onto S 14th St, then immediately turn RIGHT (West) onto US-50 [W Royal Gorge Blvd]
37.2	At 37.2 miles Start turn north on 50, stay on US-50 [Gold Belt Tour Scenic and Historic Byway] (West)
39.9	At Pass Skyline Dr., stay on US-50 [Gold Belt Tour Scenic and Historic Byway] (North)
40.5	At Pass County Road 69, stay on US-50 [Gold Belt Tour Scenic and Historic Byway] (North-West)
44.4	At Pass County Rd. 3A, stay on US-50 [Gold Belt Tour Scenic and Historic Byway] (West)
45.6	At Pass Route 9, stay on US-50 [W US Highway 50] (West)
47.3	At 47.3 miles Cross Arkansas river, stay on US-50 [W US Highway 50] (West)
47.9	Arrive 48 Miles End Day 2
	End of day

Eventually, I'll publish a new virtual hike with all the information. 

Long Process

This process takes a long time and few people do it on a road walk. Many plan on the fly and hope they make it. Their opinion is if they change their route all the planning was for nothing. My opinion is get back on the route when possible if a change is needed. If the walker has all the information, they can walk more and plan less on the road.

Conclusion

Detailed planning removes uncertainty and removing uncertainty removes many fears. The trick is to make the plan detailed enough and not too detailed.