Katy Trail Home  The Katy Trail and Rock Island Trail Rock Island Trail Home

Reply to hiking the trail


Cancel and Return to Forum
Scroll down to see the discussion
All submissions are reviewed for appropriateness. We reserve the right to remove or edit any comment that we consider incorrect, misleading, or inappropriate, at our sole discretion. Please remember that this is a family-friendly website.
Subject:
Reply to hiking the trail
Your Name:

This does not have to be your real name. It could be a "screen name", your initials, or just leave blank.
Your Hometown:

Optional - it's just interesting to know where people are from
Email Address
Comment:
So we know you are a human, please answer this easy math quiz:
4 + 3 =
katy from tulsa on 9/11/2006 8:38:39 AM:
I was wondering has anyone out there hiked the trail all the way? If you have how long did it take and how did it go? Details would be great. Thank you. Feel free to email me your response.

 
gc from Columbia on 9/11/2006 3:24:46 PM:
I have just finished my trail expedition. I was planning to go end to end, and started in Clinton on the Saturday before Labor Day. Unfortunately, my feet gave out at McKittrick -- Too many blisters. I am relatively new to long-distance hiking, and really need to invest in a better pair of shoes and figure out ways to reduce the weight of my backpack. It CAN be done, though. I ended up logging up about 160 miles with 60 left to go before I had to stop. I had a great time, and met some wonderfull people. I am still a little chagrined about having to stop, but I plan to return and finish the trail when my feet heal up and I can arrange the time to do it.
My best suggestion would be to make sure you have some sort of support person/crew. My mistake was in trying to carry too much on my back, hence my feet crapping out. I will be posting more on this in a while, and have been writing a blog, which I will add a link to a little later.

You should definitely go for it. It is something I will never forget!

 
Ray (webmaster) on 9/26/2006 8:35:37 AM:
I've added a link to GC's blog at the top of this page, where you can read about his 160 mile hike along the Katy Trail. It's great reading!

 
Trek Biker from St. Joseph, MO on 9/27/2006 10:18:49 AM:
GC,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the blog about your trip. It truly captured the flavor of the trail….walking or riding. I’m certain your pace let you enjoy many sites along the way that riders just zoom past on their way to somewhere.

We are great appreciators of nature and are most often passed while riding the trail. On our three day ride over Labor Day weekend, we enjoyed discovering a Buckeye tree near Hartsburg and Jack in the Pulpit in its brilliant fall color near Rhineland. On our annual family fall ride at Rocheport, we all take our turns predicting the severity of the winter by cutting open Persimmons that have fallen on the trail.

For us, a slow pace uncovers the essence of the trail. It allows the human species to connect, or reconnect, with the many wonders of nature. That for us is why the organization so aptly named, The Department of Natural Resources, has worked to establish and maintain the Katy. And so, I cringe at the mention of riders bringing business cards to pass out along the way as they ride in hopes of career discoveries while out networking.

I appreciate your pace and both commend and congratulate you!

 
GC from Columbia, Mo. on 9/27/2006 12:24:27 PM:
Trek,
Thanks for your comments. I agree, I like the slower pace and I cringe when I hear cyclists ask questions like "Should I do the trail in three days or two?" While I respect their ability to pull something like that off, I also feel like they are missing so much of what the trail has to offer.
On the blog front, I need to do some updates. I am planning on knocking off the last 60 miles of the trail at some point in the not too distant future, plus, I want to post some more post walk thoughts. So stay tuned!
Thanks again for your note.