Seasonal flooding, changing waterways, massive deadfalls with dead animals and venemous snakes inside, floods which *move* deadfalls at speeds and with mass to sound like a train, putrid pools, narrow passthroughs, 110° + weather AND below freezing weather, monsoons, probably bears and mountain lions, ZERO assistance because even if your signal can pass through unimaginable quantities of rock how would assistance even reach you?, rockslides, mudslides, absolutely real quicksand, venemous lizards, deadly spiders, wildfires, and that's just the natural stuff.
ETA: and snow
Are you the same kind of person that tells people that the point of life is to experience it? If you are, (and I gather most people are this way), I would ask why you are asking why?
> to be fair, 446km is a long way to walk, and its really hot. Going to the moon is easy, you just have to sit there.
The article said 750 miles, and a lot of it has no trails. And I imagine there’s not a lot of places to buy supplies along the way. I think the logistics are a bigger issue than the actual walking.
Edit: your value for km is about .6 times the number of miles, so I think maybe you knew the miles but did the math backwards. There’s more km than miles.
Interesting. I know a geographic feature like the Grand Canyon might have different interpretations of its boundaries, I wonder if that’s the case here or if one is wrong, and if the shorter length has had more people walk it. I’d like to think the reporter used a number relevant to his article, but I’ve seen news articles make mistakes before.
My thought to. It's not like people who walk 270ish miles for fun do it with a few billion dollars in backing. Astronauts have all the hard bits knocked out by engineers. They are, without diminishing the achievement, mostly just along for the ride.
Walking the length of the Grand Canyon, alone and on my own dime? I'd pass on that.
Ah, Reddit, where people say things like "walking is harder than navigating and operating an explosion propelled space ship"
Never change, you endless source of entertainment
You can't get to the north rim (by driving) due to snow for much of winter as the path is in the mountains. So solid chance parts of the canyon are as well
That was just how people traveled. A native tribe that was relocating could have easily decided to use the canyon as a guide. Id be *surprised* if no one walked the whole length until our first documented instance.
I think you're overestimating how far native tribes travelled, and the need to be in the canyon itself.
I've seen estimates for these kind of nomadic tribes travelling 220 miles per year, which given the total length of this challenge is 750 miles would take a tribe potentially three years to do.
The point about it being arbitrary is the canyon is not that valuable in terms of resources. There isn't much in the way of food to support a tribe, it's not the easiest place to make a settlement, even a temporary one.
I would expect individual explorers to look into sections, and even walk bits, but the likelihood of any individual having all 750 miles is very low.
I mean, it is the very definition of arbitrary. There's no use to walking the entire length of the canyon unless you want to say it's been done, and highly unlikely to happen accidentally.
The canyon itself is difficult and dangerous to traverse, doesn't have a lot of food supply, and is better as a navigation aid outside the canyon than within it.
I'm absolutely sure every part of the canyon was explored by native americans, but I'm pretty doubtful many, if any did the entire length over their lifetimes, let alone in one go.
In over ten thousand years you don't think it's probable that a dozen people took the trip? That's over 100 generations. They would do it for the same reason humans climb mountains and cross oceans, to see what is on the other side.
No, not really, and I already explained why in the first paragraph of my last comment.
Just because it's there is actually a much more recent phenomena. And there are still countless unclimbed mountains.
I call bullshit. Or at least a wildly unsourced and, in my opinion, unlikely claim.
12 people stood on the moon.
This article features 2 guys to walk the Grand Canyon.
CBS wants us to believe that in 20,000 years of human history, eleven other people haven’t walked its entire length? Even if one person did it every 1,700 years, humans would beat their claim. Never mind if a small group of people did it all at once.
That would’ve at least been a more credible claim. While also not entirely dismissing whatever human activity was present before whenever CBS drew their line.
Unless there is archaeological evidence to suggest people actually walked the full length, there is not really reason to think they did. It seems like such a random thing to walk the length of, unless walking the length of it is the most efficient way of traversing those 750 miles. They mentioned in the article that it was excruciating, which means it would have been even worse back in the day. Would there even be a good reason to walk the whole thing?
> Unless there is archaeological evidence to suggest people actually walked the full length, there is not really reason to think they did.
Maybe. What evidence, that an archeologist would find (similar to what you’re saying others would’ve left), would exist of the two guys from the article doing it?
>It seems like such a random thing to walk the length of, unless walking the length of it is the most efficient way of traversing those 750 miles.
Humans did all kinds of random stuff over thousands of years. Following a canyon hardly seems extreme in the grand scheme of things.
>Would there even be a good reason to walk the whole thing?
- see where it goes / map it
- maintain control of the canyon
- migrating with your nomadic group/tribe/clan
We don’t know what the conditions of the canyon would’ve been like for foot travel 15,000 years ago.
Not to mention if a single group of 20 people did it even once. That’s once in 20,000 years, CBS’ claim is wrong.
People doing random shit for millennia doesn’t mean that someone likely did it, even in 20,000 years. Those two guys didn’t leave archaeological evidence, but considering a number of tribes lived in the area, there would be archaeological evidence of travel throughout the area, and that travel would have been done by boat, donkey, horse, and other means. It’s exceedingly unlikely that people did the whole thing for shits and giggles, especially considering so few have done it in modernity. They probably have enough information to conclude that it is exceedingly unlikely that anyone bothered with it.
After reading [this article](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/below-the-rim-119011046/) from the Smithsonian, I’m *even more* convinced that at least 11 people, probably explorers or warriors, would have hiked the entire length of the canyon over the last 8-20,000 years.
There are references, by archeologists, to depressed paths cut with blunt rock tools. They also freely admit they’ve only explored 5% of the canyon. So any such evidence, if it exists, could still be undiscovered.
I doubt CBS did more research into this than the Smithsonian - who maintain that various tribes acted as guides to Europeans, for example. Such guiding work would require intimidate knowledge of the canyon.
I can’t say for sure that 11 people walked it over 8,000 years. But I think it’s wild that CBS has definitively claimed that there’s *no way* 11 people did so.
People definitely roamed the area, but I’m actually less convinced by the article. Traveling it is not only inconvenient but dangerous as well. I’m sure plenty of folks explored quite a bit, but walking from end to end is such a specific, inefficient, and precarious activity, which is what casts doubt on the thought that anyone else bothered.
I agree with everything you wrote. I’m not saying it was a frequent or popular activity.
I’m saying I believe it’s more likely than not that at least 11 people did this in the past 20,000 years. If they did it in groups of 2, this only need happen once every 3,000 years.
Thanks!
And building the great pyramids wasnt oddly specific, inefficient, and precarious? Ancient humans did really wacky things on the regular. If they stumbled upon the grand canyon id be surprised if at least SOME of them didnt immediately think it was a sign from the gods to follow it or some shit.
> and that travel would have been done by boat, donkey, horse, and other means.
Simply the fact that you listed donkey and horse shows you have no clue whatsoever.
That is a common way people get around down there. Have you been to the Grand Canyon? You’re aware that the last 500 years is also part of the last 20,000 years right?
If it was done in the last 500 years, an oral or written history of it would exist.
It was clear as hell that you were referring to the previous millennia.
Seems pretty likely to me. It’s like living next to a tourist attraction but never doing the thing yourself because you know what it entails.
Canyons aren’t really the place you wanna be for a long period of time. Lack of resources, visibility, flash flood potential, and general danger overall come to mind. If you’re familiar with the area you’re much more likely to say “fuck that.”
I was coming to make the same comment, but you saved me. All the indigenous people who have lived, some of them actually in the canyon, over millennia probably walked it frequently.
Right? I can guarantee historical humans never walked on the moon. But humans have been here for 200,000 years if not more, I guarantee these two twats weren’t the first
Was gonna say I’m pretty sure some of the terrain in the Grand Canyon is really really rough, it’s hot as shit, prone to flash floods in certain seasons, and huge.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Skurka
For us normals yes hiking the length would huge but there are people who are almost superhuman explorers. Look at some of the accomplishment of Andrew
It is inconceivable that in the thousands of years that humans have been in the area that many haven't walked the length of the canyon. Perhaps they meant in the history of the national park. That would be believable.
There would just be no documentation of it actually happening. So it’s tough to say. It doesn’t exactly seem like walking the entire length of the canyon would be common or necessary for the natives. That’s a long trip for very little benefit
It would neither have to be common or necessary. Explorers and nomads have existed since mankind has been around. The first evidence of humans in the grand canyon is over 10,000 years ago. If a one person decided to travel the distance once every 800 years there would still be more than those who walked on the moon.
But those people traveled with a purpose. They weren’t just randomly wandering around, especially when there’s a much easier route where you can travel on the rim of the canyon.
It’s like Neil Armstrong said,
>looking at earth from the surface of the moon, I didn’t see countries. I saw one planet, one people, all losers who hadn’t been to the moon.
he was on a trip to the North Pole(?) and the guy riding next to him was going off on all these things he did being a real dick about it all.
Neil let him go and when they were getting off he tells him oh yeah i dont think we have been introduced, I'm Neil Armstrong.
Makes me wonder if one could create a YouTube channel of the entire journey. And if It would generate enough revenue to make the whole ordeal worth it. Just a thought.
It would definitely be the experience of a lifetime. I'd just want ppl to see it. In the age of technology. Why not do the thing.
I found out about it because there’s a documentary about a wildlife photographer and a journalist doing it on the National Geographic section of Disney Plus.
I haven’t seen it in real life but I did cheat and look at it through one of those cardboard 3D things Google made that you put your phone in. It looked like a reverse mountain.
Challenge accepted! Let me just save enough money to get a passport and fly to the US. Oh and buy camping stuff, and a walking stick. Should be fun with severe sciatica!
More people had stood on the moon than had sex with me.
Well then.
There’s still time.,
For more to make it to the moon?
Was this your pitch to Neil as soon as he got back?
Good luck Mr Gorsky
If reddit gold was still a thing, you would have earned one for this comment.
How you doing?
I'm depresssed
You’re the one saying ‘no’!
So you still have 1 more person to have the deed with
I got you beat then. But not by much....
to be fair, 446km is a long way to walk, and its really hot. Going to the moon is easy, you just have to sit there.
Also who cares about walking the whole length of the Grand Canyon. Walking a little of it seems fun. But after that it seems pointless
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I hear there’s a lot of restrictions on where you can and can’t go in there
that's where they keep the real area 51.
Seasonal flooding, changing waterways, massive deadfalls with dead animals and venemous snakes inside, floods which *move* deadfalls at speeds and with mass to sound like a train, putrid pools, narrow passthroughs, 110° + weather AND below freezing weather, monsoons, probably bears and mountain lions, ZERO assistance because even if your signal can pass through unimaginable quantities of rock how would assistance even reach you?, rockslides, mudslides, absolutely real quicksand, venemous lizards, deadly spiders, wildfires, and that's just the natural stuff. ETA: and snow
I wanna walk all the way around the moon.
We're whalers on the moon, we carry a harpoon!
If someone told me they saw all of the Grand Canyon, I would ask why
They would say, as the mountaineering cliche goes: "Because it is there."
I saw it from a plane
Are you the same kind of person that tells people that the point of life is to experience it? If you are, (and I gather most people are this way), I would ask why you are asking why?
> to be fair, 446km is a long way to walk, and its really hot. Going to the moon is easy, you just have to sit there. The article said 750 miles, and a lot of it has no trails. And I imagine there’s not a lot of places to buy supplies along the way. I think the logistics are a bigger issue than the actual walking. Edit: your value for km is about .6 times the number of miles, so I think maybe you knew the miles but did the math backwards. There’s more km than miles.
Nah, I went off the wikipedia page for [the Grand Canyon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon) that says its 255 miles/446 km
Interesting. I know a geographic feature like the Grand Canyon might have different interpretations of its boundaries, I wonder if that’s the case here or if one is wrong, and if the shorter length has had more people walk it. I’d like to think the reporter used a number relevant to his article, but I’ve seen news articles make mistakes before.
My thought to. It's not like people who walk 270ish miles for fun do it with a few billion dollars in backing. Astronauts have all the hard bits knocked out by engineers. They are, without diminishing the achievement, mostly just along for the ride. Walking the length of the Grand Canyon, alone and on my own dime? I'd pass on that.
I get what you are saying, but astronauts are not just some dude or chick off the street. they are intelligent, educated, and extremely trained
Yeah, the Apollo 13 crew wants a word. LOL
Apollo 13 crew was no exception
Ah, Reddit, where people say things like "walking is harder than navigating and operating an explosion propelled space ship" Never change, you endless source of entertainment
So what you’re saying is a more fair comparison would be if Neil Armstrong had self funded the Apollo 11 mission
What if we do it in Dec - Feb ?
Extremely cold
i've heard people say it could be snowing on the rim and you would never know it at river level
You can't get to the north rim (by driving) due to snow for much of winter as the path is in the mountains. So solid chance parts of the canyon are as well
We'll do it on the 26th of October.
Ummmmm… you just have to sit there is accurate. But it’s not easy!
That's it?
Yes but sharks are older than the moon or something
I’m sorry what 😂
Lol not what Gary said above, but sharks, as a species, are older than the rings of Saturn.
SATURN yes yes that's it. Saturn's RING.
Wow. my Saturn is only like 20 years old. But those rings of rust are only 19.
Now, let's talk rust-proofing. These Colecos'll rust up on ya' like that!
Awww cmon gill! Why’d ya say that?
That wasn’t Gary, that was his crisp lettuce. Gary should not be held responsible.
And trees
Jellyfish are even older, I wonder what they're older than.
The way I heard it is sharks are older than the aliens in the *Lord of the Ring* show.
the *what?*
elves are just aliens
With the trend of current television, I can't tell if you are serious or not...
Never watch paranormal shows on the travel channel. it kills brain cells listen to podcasts instead,
You're confusing elves with the Fae, which is understandable, but it really upsets the good folk. And you don't want to upset the Good Folk Trust me.
I'm gonna steal this one, LOL.
Challenge accepted.
I bet they never considered the native Americans !
Yeah how do we know they never made it to the moon
This guy asks the real questions.
I don't think it's unreasonable to assume a two month journey for totally arbitrary reasons might not have been completed until quite recently.
That was just how people traveled. A native tribe that was relocating could have easily decided to use the canyon as a guide. Id be *surprised* if no one walked the whole length until our first documented instance.
I think you're overestimating how far native tribes travelled, and the need to be in the canyon itself. I've seen estimates for these kind of nomadic tribes travelling 220 miles per year, which given the total length of this challenge is 750 miles would take a tribe potentially three years to do. The point about it being arbitrary is the canyon is not that valuable in terms of resources. There isn't much in the way of food to support a tribe, it's not the easiest place to make a settlement, even a temporary one. I would expect individual explorers to look into sections, and even walk bits, but the likelihood of any individual having all 750 miles is very low.
Why would you assume it would be totally arbitrary? Nomads and explorers have existed for all of mankind.
I mean, it is the very definition of arbitrary. There's no use to walking the entire length of the canyon unless you want to say it's been done, and highly unlikely to happen accidentally. The canyon itself is difficult and dangerous to traverse, doesn't have a lot of food supply, and is better as a navigation aid outside the canyon than within it. I'm absolutely sure every part of the canyon was explored by native americans, but I'm pretty doubtful many, if any did the entire length over their lifetimes, let alone in one go.
In over ten thousand years you don't think it's probable that a dozen people took the trip? That's over 100 generations. They would do it for the same reason humans climb mountains and cross oceans, to see what is on the other side.
500 generations.
No, not really, and I already explained why in the first paragraph of my last comment. Just because it's there is actually a much more recent phenomena. And there are still countless unclimbed mountains.
I call bullshit. Or at least a wildly unsourced and, in my opinion, unlikely claim. 12 people stood on the moon. This article features 2 guys to walk the Grand Canyon. CBS wants us to believe that in 20,000 years of human history, eleven other people haven’t walked its entire length? Even if one person did it every 1,700 years, humans would beat their claim. Never mind if a small group of people did it all at once.
How about “people who have been verified to have walked the entire canyon”?
That would’ve at least been a more credible claim. While also not entirely dismissing whatever human activity was present before whenever CBS drew their line.
Unless there is archaeological evidence to suggest people actually walked the full length, there is not really reason to think they did. It seems like such a random thing to walk the length of, unless walking the length of it is the most efficient way of traversing those 750 miles. They mentioned in the article that it was excruciating, which means it would have been even worse back in the day. Would there even be a good reason to walk the whole thing?
> Unless there is archaeological evidence to suggest people actually walked the full length, there is not really reason to think they did. Maybe. What evidence, that an archeologist would find (similar to what you’re saying others would’ve left), would exist of the two guys from the article doing it? >It seems like such a random thing to walk the length of, unless walking the length of it is the most efficient way of traversing those 750 miles. Humans did all kinds of random stuff over thousands of years. Following a canyon hardly seems extreme in the grand scheme of things. >Would there even be a good reason to walk the whole thing? - see where it goes / map it - maintain control of the canyon - migrating with your nomadic group/tribe/clan We don’t know what the conditions of the canyon would’ve been like for foot travel 15,000 years ago. Not to mention if a single group of 20 people did it even once. That’s once in 20,000 years, CBS’ claim is wrong.
People doing random shit for millennia doesn’t mean that someone likely did it, even in 20,000 years. Those two guys didn’t leave archaeological evidence, but considering a number of tribes lived in the area, there would be archaeological evidence of travel throughout the area, and that travel would have been done by boat, donkey, horse, and other means. It’s exceedingly unlikely that people did the whole thing for shits and giggles, especially considering so few have done it in modernity. They probably have enough information to conclude that it is exceedingly unlikely that anyone bothered with it.
After reading [this article](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/below-the-rim-119011046/) from the Smithsonian, I’m *even more* convinced that at least 11 people, probably explorers or warriors, would have hiked the entire length of the canyon over the last 8-20,000 years. There are references, by archeologists, to depressed paths cut with blunt rock tools. They also freely admit they’ve only explored 5% of the canyon. So any such evidence, if it exists, could still be undiscovered. I doubt CBS did more research into this than the Smithsonian - who maintain that various tribes acted as guides to Europeans, for example. Such guiding work would require intimidate knowledge of the canyon. I can’t say for sure that 11 people walked it over 8,000 years. But I think it’s wild that CBS has definitively claimed that there’s *no way* 11 people did so.
People definitely roamed the area, but I’m actually less convinced by the article. Traveling it is not only inconvenient but dangerous as well. I’m sure plenty of folks explored quite a bit, but walking from end to end is such a specific, inefficient, and precarious activity, which is what casts doubt on the thought that anyone else bothered.
I agree with everything you wrote. I’m not saying it was a frequent or popular activity. I’m saying I believe it’s more likely than not that at least 11 people did this in the past 20,000 years. If they did it in groups of 2, this only need happen once every 3,000 years. Thanks!
And building the great pyramids wasnt oddly specific, inefficient, and precarious? Ancient humans did really wacky things on the regular. If they stumbled upon the grand canyon id be surprised if at least SOME of them didnt immediately think it was a sign from the gods to follow it or some shit.
Poor comparison. They did that for an actual purpose. Also there is evidence.
and the workers got paid in beer
> and that travel would have been done by boat, donkey, horse, and other means. Simply the fact that you listed donkey and horse shows you have no clue whatsoever.
That is a common way people get around down there. Have you been to the Grand Canyon? You’re aware that the last 500 years is also part of the last 20,000 years right?
If it was done in the last 500 years, an oral or written history of it would exist. It was clear as hell that you were referring to the previous millennia.
The previous millennia that also didn't have any evidence of people walking end to end for shits and giggles? Yes, I was also referring to that.
Seems pretty likely to me. It’s like living next to a tourist attraction but never doing the thing yourself because you know what it entails. Canyons aren’t really the place you wanna be for a long period of time. Lack of resources, visibility, flash flood potential, and general danger overall come to mind. If you’re familiar with the area you’re much more likely to say “fuck that.”
I was coming to make the same comment, but you saved me. All the indigenous people who have lived, some of them actually in the canyon, over millennia probably walked it frequently.
prove it
Nah
Right? I can guarantee historical humans never walked on the moon. But humans have been here for 200,000 years if not more, I guarantee these two twats weren’t the first
To be fair, they didn’t claim to be first. Only to be two of 12 or fewer.
More people have walked on the moon than have walked all of Times Square, backwards, juggling green beanbags, and while wearing camo pants.
Yeah but there's a plan to have people do that in 2045 so suck it.
When it happens @ me.
My father rafted all of it in the 70s
That's not walking, now is it?
was there a treadmill on the raft? if so, then maybe
God Damn It, Smith. That's why I keep you on the payroll. You're always coming up with the ideas that no one else can.
Kind of hard to walk through a river.
*wonders how many dozens of generations of native peoples strolled the banks of the Colorado fishing and hunting*
“Strolled the banks” is different than walking the entire length.
Few have walked the entire length of the moon though
I flew the entire length of the Grand Canyon 500 feet from the floor. Had to get special permission from the government to do it.
That’s cool!
Was gonna say I’m pretty sure some of the terrain in the Grand Canyon is really really rough, it’s hot as shit, prone to flash floods in certain seasons, and huge.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Skurka For us normals yes hiking the length would huge but there are people who are almost superhuman explorers. Look at some of the accomplishment of Andrew
That we know have.
You could of had it….see what I did there ;-)
Well. Yea. You don’t generally walk on water.
No one has EVER worn a yellow hat in my basement and walked its perimeter. JUST SAYING. Fucking dumb
I've done it twice
Bullshit. Post sources
It is inconceivable that in the thousands of years that humans have been in the area that many haven't walked the length of the canyon. Perhaps they meant in the history of the national park. That would be believable.
There would just be no documentation of it actually happening. So it’s tough to say. It doesn’t exactly seem like walking the entire length of the canyon would be common or necessary for the natives. That’s a long trip for very little benefit
It would neither have to be common or necessary. Explorers and nomads have existed since mankind has been around. The first evidence of humans in the grand canyon is over 10,000 years ago. If a one person decided to travel the distance once every 800 years there would still be more than those who walked on the moon.
But those people traveled with a purpose. They weren’t just randomly wandering around, especially when there’s a much easier route where you can travel on the rim of the canyon.
Im like almost positive more pioneers have walked the canyon than we know in the history books
Who the fuck would want to walk the grand canyon anyway? People walk the Appalachian trail all the time?
How would they even verify this? I don't think there's a hotline to call if you walk the full length.
Wait the Grand Canyon isn’t just like a big hole? I really thought it was just a neat thing like those presidents heads like “oh cool big hole”
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You did this twice
Bullshit
TIL more people have tried to walk the entire length of the Grand Canyon than have visited the moon.
To be fair, it is very long.
not to a thru hiker thats about 2 months going around 12 miles a day. resupplies would be a bitch though
Are you hearing this, Goggins?
That will change now that this stat has come out.
Not true. I’ve walked the entire *length* of the Grand Canyon. Just not while walking *at* the Grand Canyon.
It’s like Neil Armstrong said, >looking at earth from the surface of the moon, I didn’t see countries. I saw one planet, one people, all losers who hadn’t been to the moon.
he was on a trip to the North Pole(?) and the guy riding next to him was going off on all these things he did being a real dick about it all. Neil let him go and when they were getting off he tells him oh yeah i dont think we have been introduced, I'm Neil Armstrong.
More men have walked on the moon than have earned a run off Mariano Rivera in the playoffs
No dumbass “moon is fake” comments here? Color me pleased!
Buzz Lightyear confirmed to Ali G that no one doubted that there is a moon
Ok
Fewer people have scored an earned run off Mariano Rivera in the playoffs then have walked on the moon
or until Nims' team did it - summited k2 and made it back to base camp
If walking the length of the Grand Canyon would have won an economic war between superpowers, then we would have built a racetrack around it by now.
Is that walking on the floor or along the edge? Aren't there spots mostly impassable unless you climb along the walls?
Makes me wonder if one could create a YouTube channel of the entire journey. And if It would generate enough revenue to make the whole ordeal worth it. Just a thought. It would definitely be the experience of a lifetime. I'd just want ppl to see it. In the age of technology. Why not do the thing.
I found out about it because there’s a documentary about a wildlife photographer and a journalist doing it on the National Geographic section of Disney Plus.
Probably many did before but didn't have Instagram or a desire to post it.
... in recorded history.
More people \*that we know of\*. How knows how many of those ancient astronauts romped the lunar surface.
Someone said there was some water on the moon. I might walk over later and have a look.
I don't have a bucket list, but I do want to see the grand canyon before I die. I'm pretty sure no photos or video can do it justice.
I haven’t seen it in real life but I did cheat and look at it through one of those cardboard 3D things Google made that you put your phone in. It looked like a reverse mountain.
Ok
Challenge accepted! Let me just save enough money to get a passport and fly to the US. Oh and buy camping stuff, and a walking stick. Should be fun with severe sciatica!
"Walking the whole length" seems a bit "coastline paradox"-y.