50/50 Challenge: 50 States in 50 Days Byron Ward has issued a challenge to summit 50 states in 50 days without air transportation.  Here's his tenative itinerary (it works out to 44 days).  Email him with comments or if  you are interested in taking part.  Here's a draft of the schedule.  Click here for a map.  Check out the patch.  Watch the movie!  Discuss this in the Forum. IMPORTANT: This is being passed along for your information.  This does not reflect and endorsement by americasroof.com

1 SEP 01-31 NOV 01
PLANNING PHASE I
The majority of participants should join the expedition within these months and major strategy issues will be addressed. Ascent and Support Team personnel will be chosen near the end of this phase.

1 DEC 01-28 FEB 02
PLANNING PHASE II
Many hundreds of details will be dealt with on the way to a comprehensive Mission Plan.

1 MAR 02-27 MAY 02
PREPARATION PHASE
Planning evolves into action as equipment is obtained, communications is set up, the primary vehicle is readied, and contingencies are ironed out.

28 MAY 02-15 JUN 02
INITIAL TRAVEL
The “official” start of the expedition will take place in Seattle, where mobile participants will meet and embark on a three-day teambuilding road trip to Alaska. The remaining weeks will be spent preparing for and climbing Denali. This phase will end when McKinley is summited and the expedition clock starts. Given the vagaries of North America’?s highest peak, the 15 June date is only a goal, of course.

15 JUN 02-3 AUG 02
THE FIFTY DAYS
From the summit of Mount McKinley, the team will spend several days on foot descent and several more traveling by RV to Washington and Rainier. From here, it will be over to the Rockies, down to New Mexico, then north to North Dakota. A generally northern route leads to Maine, then it’s down the Appalachians to Florida followed by a southern route west to California. Finally, a boat ride from the coast will end on Hawaii’s Big Island and Mauna Kea.

4 AUG 02-31 AUG 02
CLOSE-OUT
The trip will end with the distribution of kudos, return of any rented or borrowed equipment, closing of the bank account and donating the funds, and a return to normal life.
 

The specific objective of 50/50 is to have four expedition members summit all 50 states in 50 days or less using ground/water transportation only. Most travel will utilize a medium-sized RV, which will transport the four-person Ascent Team and a three-person Support Team. The seven people in the vehicle will be aided by a Base Team, the three members of which will work from their homes to provide assistance with communications and logistics. During the Expedition, a continuously updated Internet presence will be maintained.

The full-time mobile and stationary teams will in turn be assisted by State Representatives. The duties of the reps will vary from state to state, but might include guiding the primary vehicle to an easy summit, arranging for “bridge” transportation when the RV cannot make it all the way to a trailhead, doing some shopping, or arranging for permits.

State Representatives are needed from every state. As well as providing assistance in planning over the coming months, during the expedition, the State Representatives will provide vital support lasting from a few hours to two or three days.

Ascent Team members will be chosen from those who submit written applications (write or e-mail me and one will be on its way). Ascent Team and Support Team members must fully commit themselves to the expedition from start to end, tentatively from mid-May to early August. They must also be in absolutely peak physical condition. Summiting Denali is a feat all to itself, but to follow it up with Rainier, Hood, Borah, Granite, Gannett, and Elbert, one on top of another, is a schedule nothing short of brutal. Only the most fit can be allowed to attempt it. Ideally, as many team members as possible should have Denali experience and any remaining should have at least summited Rainier. They must also be licensed to drive the expedition vehicles, and have health insurance.

As for that old bugaboo Financing: YES, we will attempt to get sponsors and YES, there will be some amount of fundraising, but for now the watchword is “funded by the primary participants,”  those doing the traveling and climbing. I have allocated $10,000 to this project, the overall expenses of which I estimate will be between $25,000 and $40,000 (anyone care to tackle a budget?) With no outside contributors, this works out to between $2,500 and $5,000 each, not a bad deal for a 50-state tour doing something that’s never been done. No contributions will be required of State Representatives. This is strictly a non-profit venture; any residual funds will be donated to the Paul Zumwalt Education & Museum Fund, a charity maintained by the Highpointers Club.

If you want to join this adventure, to do something substantial that has never been done (and we need State Reps as much as those few, stalwart souls who will be making the ascents), please contact me. All participants will be duly recognized.
Byron Ward

Items on the 50/50 Expedition will be posted for all on Roger Rowlett’s Highpoints Forum at
http://network54.com/Hide/Forum/3897
I can be contacted by e-mail at
Byron50N2002@aol.com
or by phone: H-(760)946-1717 or W-(760)380-4980
or by mail: 13822 Delaware Road
 
 
 
 

1. There are 103 "legs" which consist of a vehicle-vehicle hike to a summit, or a vehicular trip between hiking points (or that sole boat ride).
2. Rows with the state names indicate foot travel distances and estimated times in hours.
3. Rows with "Road Travel" indicate vehicular distances and estimated travel times in hours (rounded up). Numbers indicate the progression of states (i.e. "Road Travel- 13" means "Road Travel to State 13").
4. Road miles are estimates to the nearest ten miles. Road travel time in hours is based upon a 30 MPH average travel speed (with stops), rounded up to the nearest hour.
5. Foot miles are based on the superb "Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highpoints." Times are estimates based upon Martin’s Classification, various reports, and some personal experience.
6. At this point, all mileage figures, time estimates, and the route itself are open to debate. While I attempted to be conservative, some climbing times may be overoptimistic and in need of correction. Similarly, some times may be unnecessarily long and in need of reduction.
7. Totals stand at 17,808 miles by foot and vehicle in 1058 hours (about 44 days). The figures are a start, but this attempt is much more than math. Feel free to question or comment on any aspect.

1. Though team members will be diligently at work preparing and climbing some weeks before, the expedition’s official Day 1 will be summit day on McKinley/Denali. This allows air to be used two weeks or so previously to start the climbers on the popular West Buttress route. Descent will be down the north side to the Wonder Lake area and a road (undoubtedly rough) that leads to Alaska Route 3. Four days are scheduled for this descent.
2. The long Alaska Highway trek to the lower 48 and Rainier is next. Hopefully, this will take less than the 87 hours planned.
3. From WA, the route is fairly obvious: OR-ID-MT-WY-UT-CO-NM then back out of what I call the "Rocky Mountain Dip" via OK-KS-NE-SD-ND. This dip to the south is necessitated by Guadalupe Peak, far to the south, which must be negotiated on the way back West.
4. For the next stretch, I chose ND-IO-MN-MI-WI-IL, though I think ND-MN-MI-WI-IO-IL might work too.
5. IL-IN-OH is a given, but from there I plan WV-MD-PA because of the planned route through Virginia after the Northeast is dispatched. From there it’s PA-NJ-NY. Even though MA and CT look close to the NJ-NY route, the speedy New York Thruway justifies holding them off until the trip south.
6. From Marcy, I can’t see much deviation from NY-VT-NH-ME-RI-MA-CT, although RI-CT-MA might work, followed by a return to the New York Thruway.
7. Good roads from CT (or MA) to DE justify the NJ summit on the trip up. TBD is DC, which would be nice and looks to be just an hour or so off the DE-VA route. The interstates here, especially I-81, are great. A rerouting possibility would be a WV detour off of I-81 instead of hitting it from OH.
8. The logical route through the next six states seems to be VA-KY-TN-NC-SC-GA, but there may be a better idea out there.
9. I don’t like the circuitousness of the next states, but the GA-AL-FL-MS-MO-AR-LA route seems to be as good as any.
10. From there it’s a straightforward LA-TX-AZ-NV-CA, then to the coast for a ride to HI.