Walking across the United States starting in May
I am currently planning a walking trip of indefinite length, which could potentially go across the United States if things align well over the next few months. For a little background - I was part of group of organizers in NYC who led the Walk to Washington last May, which was a demonstration of solidarity with migrants in the United States as the crisis of ICE raids was beginning to escalate in early 2025. It was a 320-mile journey by foot that saw a lot of wonderful support and participation. This walk was taken again with a smaller group in October to meet with all of the same individuals and groups that we visited in May to collect footage for the PEACEWARD interview project, which is an effort to record the history of Quaker activism.
To continue this work, I will be departing for a walk of indefinite length on May 15th, heading south from Brooklyn, and continuing past DC towards North Carolina. The route will be planned month-by-month based on who offers an invitation and where/when the invitation is offered. While I would prefer not to project too much desire onto the outcome of this walk, I still want to view this project as an opportunity to take part in a storied experience for the sake of continuing certain traditions and lines of work. A trip completely across the country strikes me as incredibly resonant - like a literalized act of crossing a void, carried along by faith.
I'm just not sure how certain parts would be possible!! I know that they are possible since I would not be the first person to walk across the continent, but I am stuck on a few key things that I could use some advice on. Mainly: how does anyone walk across the western states? Right now, I see a reasonable upper-limit to sustained walking being around 30 miles per day. As of yet I have not found a legally walkable route that includes places to resupply that frequently. I'm not averse to sleeping outside and carrying multiple day's food/water, but I'm also not aware of my own limits and I don't know how much water I would actually need each day in states like Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, or Nevada.
Cross posting to a few other subreddits. I could also use advice on finding communities within/outside of reddit that understand this type of travel. Subreddit rules won't allow for links to the websites supporting this work, but I can send in a DM to anyone who is interested. Thanks in advance for any advice!