Logistics - Moving 1000 people across America 2

[amorrison]

If 1000 physically fit citizens desire to walk as a group from Calif. to New York what logistic services would they require. Bus support?

Are thre any situations where this has already occured?

Any reports/books on the subject?

 

[40818]

If 1000 people wanted to walk from A to B, wouldn't bus support kinda be perverse??

Seriously though, i would think that it would take some planning. If they were all setting off at the same time, and on the same route, then just think about what you would need to carry out the task for one person, then scale accordingly. You would probably need tents, stop off in logical places with the required essentials, food, water etc. You need to be aware that 1000 people arriving at a town of population 73 somewhere in the back end of beyond, is likely to cause problems. Emergency services wil need to be aware and prepared.
It seems difficult to comprehend at the onset, but once you break it down and start planning, things should come together, and you will find things you have initially missed.

 

[IRstuff]

Sure, start with the basics, food, water, and shelter. 3 squares a day in rural areas for 1000 people could quite challenging, particularly in a town with less than 1000 population. You'll need at least 1 gallon of drinking water per person per day. Shelter at night plus their clothing, sleepwear, underwear, outerwear, shoes, hats, etc, and toiletries, including sunscreen. Other miscellany, umbrellas, hair dryers

Assuming 3 mph, which is only OK for flats, that's 333 hrs; assuming an average of 6 hrs per day, that's over 55 days of walking. That's a lot of clothing to either carry around or wash every few days.

Probably need to figure something like 3(?) cubic ft of luggage per person to lug around.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[IRstuff]

oops. that should have be more like 1000 hrs.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[MadMango]

Assume 24 miles a day, since they are "physically fit citizens" we are talking about. Divide your route into 24-mile sections. Place shelters and aid stations at these intervals. So at around 2900 miles, you'll need just a bit over 3 months to complete (at best).

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[mshimko]

Several needs will exist for vehicles:
- transport of clothing, shelter, and misc.
- possible meals,
- for those who will need to be picked up (due to injury or illness)
- support crew and communications equipment

Just can't assume everyone will walk the target distance each day;

Also, my daughter (who was and is in very good shape) walked the DC area Avon Breast Cancer walkathon. It was ~26 miles the first day, and an additional 12 miles the second day.

Despite her general condition, plus several months of training, it was a challenge, especially as she got a few painful blisters. AT the "evening stop" there was a LARGE first aid tent; several tents for massages and the like, several tents for food, and hundreds of tents in a field.

It was no simple undertaking.

 

[jjg1ttes]

I gotta say, if you have to ask, you should think about putting someone else in charge. Do a shorter trip, with a slightly smaller group first. Then you'll start to find out what's important.

Something not yet mentioned above is timing. When and where to you plan to traverse the Rockies? It sort of stops being a walk, skips right past being a hike, and becomes more of an adventure at that point. You probably won't want to be there in December...

40818 makes a couple of really interesting points. Be careful about overloading small town USA.

I agree that the mentions about physical fitness is also pretty important. People better train in advance for months to walk 10-20 miles a day, depending on what the target distance is during the actual journey.

Assign leadership, and also you're probably going to want to get some legal advice before recruiting your adventurers. In today's sick society, this has potential law suit written all over it. Find out how to protect yourself.

Get a business mgr and contact the energy/athletic companies and get some sponsorship. The journey would be a fun public interest story for journalists, and that attracts $$.

 

[MMR Advisor]

i've done several 25-30 mile fun marches at various posts, a few thousand of people at a time. the biggest challenges are medical support and adequate toilet facilities along the route. 1000 people can leave a big mess. 24 miles a day, 3 months straight with no rest time is pretty ambitious. there are not too many people with feet tough enough to get them past the first week or so without infected blisters. and i'm talking about people who march and wear boots every day in the military, let alone the average civilian.

 

[ornerynorsk]

1 gallon of water per day is not enough.

 

[amorrison]

From India to Tibet - 100 people walking - March 2008

http://voanews.com/english/2008-03-10-voa25.cfm

 

[EngineerTex]

I'll echo mshimko's response.

I have a friend who is currently in training for a breast cancer walk in the Seattle area. The walk will be 20 miles a day for three days for a total of 60 miles.

She and the rest of them are training for about six months for this. The problem is that most anyone, even in bad shape can walk 20 miles in one day. Two days in a row knocks out about 80% of the population. And almost nobody can do it three days in a row without significant training. So doing it every day for months is something that will take a year or more of conditioning for everyone involved.

I think that the training -- and making sure that everyone keeps it up for a year -- will be your biggest obstacle.

-T

Engineering is not the science behind building. It is the science behind not building.

 

[LittleWheels]

There are several bike rides where groups of 1000+ riders camp/ride for a week or so, with their luggage carried for them. Small beer, compared to the OP's questions but still sizeable.

The biggest organisational problems include:
- Local approvals/support for road closures, access to municipal campgrounds or showgrounds.
- Sanitation and water supply.

 

[chicopee]

1000 is nothing in comparison to millions in the event of a natural disaster or catastrophe.