Have a great ride! I'm from Central Illinois, lived in Carbondale 1973 to 1978. Rachel

I read all the intro material, will be interested in following along. You may benefit from reading parts of the epilog of my Transam journal (link provided in earlier comment), especially the statistics and advice to others sections. The Transam is a demanding route, but quite doable for a determined individual. Best of luck,

Just my opinion, but; you don't need the water purification tablets. In places where you might run short on water there is none water to purify. YMMV of course.

Looking forward to following along - the Transam was my first major tour and has been the highlight of my limited touring career to date (https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/buddy/) . Oh, FWIW, I managed to get lost several times despite having the maps and a smartphone gps system - but that's just part of the adventure!

Of all the rotten luck! Sorry to read the news Dave.

Heal fast and completely then have a great tour next year.

Happy Travels
Racpat

Oh yes- you may also run across / catch up with fellow CycleBlazer Chris George, who's starting an east-to-west on the TransAm a few days ahead of you. His journal is at:

https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/chriscross/

Like Karen Cook, I'll be on the lookout for you as I head east, starting from Bend OR on 2 July. I'm on the TransAm route as far as West Yellowstone, when I divert onto other routes (some of my own devising) before returning to the TransAm in eastern Missouri.

You can follow my progress in my journal if you like: https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/rejuvenation/

I too am an SIU-C alumnus, having earned my Master's degree there in the 1980s. Haven't been back to the campus since, so I've routed myself through Carbondale for old time's sake.

Yay to the Swiss Army knife!

For myself, my brother, and EVERY through-hiker we met on the AT, the effort to lighten our packs began in the first 50 miles of the trail. I still remember cutting the handles off of our toothbrushes, and once pages were read in our paperback books, those pages were used the next time we had to dig a cathole for a bathroom visit.

Look for me at about mile 500. I will reaching into my panniers to pull out stuff and chuck along the side of the trail to lighten the load :)

Your packing list sounds very well planned. I will be interested to hear if you find items to discard as the miles pass by. --Bret

Hope to see you on the road and to trade a few stories. Best of luck on your ride

You will love the ride and meet lots of other riders so going alone is no problem!

I will look for you as I head in the other direction starting in June.

Have a great ride!

It was a pleasure riding with you last year! Looking forward to following your adventure!