Hiking the flatlands...

[lyagooshka]

Greetings all,

Looking at another post got me thinking.
Are there any trail/hikes out there that are relatively flat?
I'm talking hundreds of miles of Rt. 66 type of hiking.
Just getting on the road/trail, getting tunnel vision 10' in and "waking up" 10 hours later realizing you're 30+ miles from where you started and you haven't eaten, drank, talked to another person, used your cell phone, posted an update, tweeted, etc.
Just LRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLR LRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLRLR............
It doesn't have to be a whole trail, it can be a flat part of a larger trail.

Again, just to clarify, I'm looking for NO elevation change.
Many people would say the Maryland part of the AT is "flat".
IT'S NOT!

Just wondering if something like this exists.

Tango Yankee in advance!

[Slo-go'en]

Yea, rail trails. Lots of these around but are really boring to hike on. C+O canal trail from DC out to past Harrpers Ferry is another. Then there is the bike trail which goes through Damascus - why does the name escape me? The AT across the Cumberland valley past Boiling Springs, PA is really flat.

[saltysack]

Yea, rail trails. Lots of these around but are really boring to hike on. C+O canal trail from DC out to past Harrpers Ferry is another. Then there is the bike trail which goes through Damascus - why does the name escape me? The AT across the Cumberland valley past Boiling Springs, PA is really flat.

Creeper trail?....not flat though


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[Spirit Walker]

Florida Trail isn't quite flat, but compared to the AT it is, and parts of it are roadwalks or bike trails.

[Starchild]

El Camino (Spain). Now you are going to see lots of people but it is mainly road graded.

[lyagooshka]

El Camino (Spain). Now you are going to see lots of people but it is mainly road graded.

I was actually considering this.
My research (Wikipedia) shows that there is a "short trail" that still counts.
I believe it starts on Porto.
About 150 miles.
Doable in 2 weeks.
I'd just want to talk to someone who's done it before.
Anyone know if there are any ECdS (El Camino de Santiago) threads here?

Thanks for rekindling that idea BTW.

[Another Kevin]

I was actually considering this.
My research (Wikipedia) shows that there is a "short trail" that still counts.
I believe it starts on Porto.
About 150 miles.
Doable in 2 weeks.
I'd just want to talk to someone who's done it before.
Anyone know if there are any ECdS (El Camino de Santiago) threads here?

Thanks for rekindling that idea BTW.

If you're seriously interested, google 'Confraternity of Saint James' and check out http://www.americanpilgrims.org/ .

If you're Catholic, there's a whole rite that the Church offers to pilgrims. There are special versions of some of the prayers that are specific to Compostela. The rite also includes special blessings for the scallop shell, staff and pack. Moreover, a letter of recommendation from your pastor or (even better) the local ordinary may open many doors. If you're a lukewarm Catholic, you might want to go through the motions anyway - I hear from people who've done it that the pilgrimage surprises people. Even those who merely go through the motions often seem to discover that the Camino is a holy place, and the holiness grows to encompass them. The tourist becomes a traveler; the traveler becomes a pilgrim; the pilgrim becomes a saint in formation. The 'merely' physical challenge of the AT works miracles, turning hikers into trail families and locals into ministering angels. Appropriately enough, the first quarter of the trail is spent on the road to Damascus. How much more so must be a walk that has been respected as sacred for two millennia?

[AfterParty]

There's a trail across nebraska

[AfterParty]

Walk from great bend Kansas to Colorado springs on hwy96 and 94. Don't get any flater for long distance.

[RockDoc]

C&O Canal has it's moments. 185 miles dripping with nature and history. Flatter than many railroad grades.

[ScareBear]

https://mostateparks.com/park/katy-trail-state-park

[lyagooshka]

There's a trail across nebraska

Wow!
That could be a hoot.
If I can get an antelope tag for archery, I can take my recurve (about 1.5#) and a few arrows along.
That might be a plan for 2018.
I'll have to research it.
Thanks for the suggestion.

[AfterParty]

http://www.bikecowboytrail.com/default.aspx I would assume one could walk.

[lyagooshka]

If you're seriously interested...

I am.
I'm looking at airfare and it looks like about $1K from here to Porto and back from SdC.
Been really researching it since I posted here.
I am not of the Christian faith, though it is undeniable the role Christianity plays in the pilgrimage.
When I was a 56M in the army (Chaplain's Assistant), I dealt with all faiths and loved learning about them.
From what I have read so far, it doesn't seem that people along the Way are in any way off put if someone is not doing the Camino ONLY as a pilgrimage.
It seems the Portuguese Way (interior path) is the way I'll go.
The few people I have spoken to say October is not a bad time, and there should be fewer crowds.
Have you been on the Camino?
It sounds like something I will seriously consider.
Thanks for the info and website.
Great info.
Any more is truly appreciated.

[Starchild]

I was actually considering this.
My research (Wikipedia) shows that there is a "short trail" that still counts.
I believe it starts on Porto.
About 150 miles.
Doable in 2 weeks.
I'd just want to talk to someone who's done it before.
Anyone know if there are any ECdS (El Camino de Santiago) threads here?

Thanks for rekindling that idea BTW.

ElCaminoisnotsomuchasingulartrail

El Camino is not so much a singular trail but 'the way'. It is an ancient hike/pilgrimage from historically/prehistorically, from where you live to the western most point, known as 'end of land', the town of Finisterre (fin=end, terra = land). Later on when Spain became christian (over simplification here), it became a journey to the Cathedral at Santiago (Finisterre is 3 hiking days away from here). Both the christian and pagan journey exists and there are signs of both, the Christian one being more overt, but also much more regimented.

To complete the Camino in the Christian tradition, all that is required is to hike 100 km or bike 200 km to Santiago (the biking possibility tells you how paved this is, though the bike route is often separate from the hiking route). Because of this the section that is 100 km or less is usually very crowded.

For a 2 week section I would suggest perhaps flying to Madrid and taking a high speed train to Leon (IIRC 2, may 3 hours), and start there. In Leon you can get your pilgrims credentials, at 1 of 2 hostels, the Brothers (8 euros/ per night) and the Sisters ($5 euros), stay at the brothers, trust me, stay at the brothers.

The credentials are needed for 1 getting your compostela (completion certificate), 2 proof that you are a pilgrim, which has privileges. The closer you get to Santiago, the more that does not matter so much do to the number of pilgrims, no one asks to see it.

[tiptoe]

http://www.discoverytrail.org/states/index.html

Lots of flat stretches along the American Discovery Trail, I'd guess. I've never hiked it. Check the state by state directory.

[Hajra]

The Palmetto Trail - Swamp Fox Passage is 47.2 miles of flat hiking through Francis Marion National Forest in the lowcountry of SC. A further 7 miles takes you to the inter-coastal on the Awendaw Passage. Other than some road crossings this is all wilderness, and would make for a great winter hike as temperatures rarely dip below freezing in this region. I don't recommend this after rain or in the summer, unless you have extraordinary tolerance for bugs and heat.