The Route

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One of the skills I had to improve on while preparing for the Hayduke was making routes on maps. While the route exists on CalTopo and AllTrails, updates and alternates are missing. Many underlying maps are pretty old and do not reflect developments in recent years or even decades. I found, for example, that a rockslide closed part of the Zion route and I had to look into detour options. I’m sure I will discover more changes as I continue my preparations and also along the hike. 

I started looking into my preferred route last year already, but worked out most details in the last few weeks. While the process of working on those maps can be pretty tedious, I enjoy imagining hiking the routes I created.

Current State Of My Route With Some Alternates

I learned the hard way during the hike in 2023 that marked water sources like springs can be really unreliable. Luckily I found a spreadsheet online that showed known water sources along the route, but the last updates were from 2022. I suspect that water may be the trickiest issue for this endeavor. I added the sources as waypoints on my map and plan to stash water canisters at accessible spots where water is especially scarce.

Man Made Water Source For Cattle

My next step was adding potential resupply points to the route. As there aren’t many towns, I plan to stash food in five different locations along with drinking water. Learning how to legally and safely do this will be my next project. I also have to figure out feasible access points along dirt roads that cross the route. And then I hope for the best, including that my stashes will not be disturbed by animals or humans.

The Road Ahead


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