Q&A

We've been getting lots of questions from friends and family... here are some answers. Keep asking!

What exactly are you doing?
We’re hiking (as much as we can) from Ushuaia, Argentina to Quito, Ecuador over the course of a year.

When do you leave? Where are you starting and ending?
September 28, 2011. We’ll fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina for a couple days and then we’ll fly to the southern tip of South America, Ushuaia, Argentina, to begin hiking north along the Andes in early October which is springtime in the southern hemisphere. We intend to “beat the snow” by hiking north. We plan to end the trip in Quito, Ecuador (we are not hiking Colombia and Venezuela due to security reasons).

Are you really hiking the whole way?
Our intention is to hike most of the year although we won’t walk the entire distance. We are “benchmarking” our trip (refer to our Route page) to maintain a schedule and provide general direction. If we aren’t going to reach a particular benchmark as scheduled, we will find alternate means of transportation to arrive on time.

Is there a trail?
No. There will be some trails along the way, but there’s no designated trail extending the length of the continent. Yay orienteering skills!

What will your schedule be like?
Ideally we’ll hike six days a week and rest for one day in a location where we can resupply food. About once a month we’ll take a longer rest period (3-4 days at a WWOOF, tourist destination or larger town) in a location where we can replace gear in addition to resupply food.

How far will you be hiking each day?
With a good trail, we expect to hike 20-25 kilometers per day. Without a trail, it will depend on the terrain.

What are you bringing?
This will be a blog posting by itself. Lightweight backpacking will allow us to hike longer, faster and healthier. We anticipate carrying approximately 20lbs. each (including what we’re wearing and excluding food). We’ll be posting an itemized gear list later this summer.

What will you eat?
We look forward to eating a diet consistent (however many more calories) with the culture we’re in at any given time. Sarah, with her vast culinary and nutritional education and experience, will be writing blog posts describing the food and our diet along the way. Sarah’s food posts will fall under the COMIDA by Sarah Field category on the right sidebar.

Are you training in preparation for the trip?
Not outside of regular athletic regimens. There’s no way to train for a trip like this, so we'll just start on the trail

Do you speak Spanish?
Trinity and Shelley speak Spanish. Sarah speaks French and looks forward to learning Spanish!

Tell us about your scientific data collection projects.
We're going to be collecting data during our journey for scientists back in the U.S.A. You can read more about it here.

Are you finished planning?
Pretty much – we’ve researched and planned our benchmarks, gear list and visa requirements. We'll be mapping out our hiking route, resupply stops and extended rest stays along the way once we have a feel for the terrain, culture and resupply accessibility. With respect to detailed route planning, we've decided “less is more” in order to maintain flexibility.

Are you bringing protection?
At the very least we’ll carry pepper spray. We’re researching taser regulations for each country and at border crossings. All three of us will be taking self-defense classes before the trip. Although we understand there are dangers that cannot be anticipated, we feel our best safeguard is using common sense and following our gut instincts. We will also be carrying and checking in with a SPOT Personal Tracker.

Are you writing a book?
We'll start with the blog for now (c: