Excellent! I keep mine in waterproof bags to keep them dry. Dry bags are durable, versatile and pretty light.



Awesome! I like redundancies in my essential gear but not my responses. Sorry if I'm being too basic.

Since Hoofin' is the mode,I would have my Best pair of boots(Browning upland bird boots) re-soled before hand,5 pr. Columbia- Heavy Merino wool socks,my shades,1-wool watchcap,1-booniehat-sand,1-merino shemagh-tan/red,Filson wool coat,2-Capilene longsleeve shirts,Filson wool pants,extra pr.of pants(Bel.Congos),5pr. silk boxer briefs,1set of silk long underwear top/bottoms/balaclava/socks/gloves(this set rolls up to about the size of a softball)2 pr. Swiss gaiters,German gauntlet mittens w/trigger finger,Bug juice,chapstick-30spf,3'x5' No see-um netting,Austrian poncho w/wooby,100'paracord,my CS bushman kit,2 fortified DR psk's,Rem.870 w/25rd bandoleer,2-1qt. canteens,c-cups/pouches on a U-belt,Kool-aid,1/2lb. black oolong,1lb. Java estate-fine grd,2-1/2lb.cones of panocha,1/2lb. salt,3lbs Velveeta,1lb.Halvah-marble,2lbs.Medjools-pitted,5-tins brisling sardines,2-tins Skoal,1-slv. Nag Champas,2-pks.pyropops(waterproof m-40's),10-1gal.freezer bags,2-trashbags-40gal.x3ml.,2-pks. hooaahs-All in My, Lowe Alpine pack.,All aprox.35lbs. including what I'm wearing,aside from sidetracking the downed bridges/tunnels,I'd hump the road/RR tracks as much as possible!Roadkill is edible 9 times outa' 10,& If you are on the road or RR tracks,the animals will likely find you!

DELETED due to misunderstanding where the OP was in N. America.

I believe home would be The Teslin Range in British Columbia,a trifle North of Lewiston or Chiliwack for that matter,lol!

The scenario as i understand it is getting 200 miles home from roughly the point one or more bridges or tunnels make the route you drove in impossible. Further, as I understand it, ours no to question why but to suggest how to get home.

So, I would do the STOP thing. The theoretically possible ways to travel are by land, water, or air.

Land:

Perhaps your vehicle is rugged enough to exploit jeep trails, old wagon trails, intact railroad lines, and some cross-country. You may be able to stitch together a reasonable route if you carry detailed maps and have spent time evaluating each link in your intended path.

You will need to carry a lot of fuel, spares, repair tools, etcetera. You will need to plan for a lot of walking if the route proves impossible, the vehicle breaks down irrepairably, etcetera.

Perhaps you can tow one or more ATVs, that should have a greater chance of making an overland journey of this type. The same supply considerations apply.

If you have to walk with a family all or a substantial part of 200 miles in rugged territory, it will take you at least several weeks and likely a couple months. Living off the land will be required. Les, Jac, and others have made gear suggestions. I would suggest adding a lot of snares, a few gill and throw fish nets, a couple of collapsible crawdad traps, and a lot of fish hooks and line. You will need some rope and some climbing gear to get past / over landscape obstacles, with the addition of something that floats people and gear to get past / down water obstacles.

Water.

Following the river seems the most likely way to travel 200 miles with family, even if you mostly walk the banks. If you have a large, whitewater raft designed to travel this kind of river, I would seriously consider using it - even if you have to "line it" downstream along the side of the river much of the time. Gear suggestions remain the same.

Air.

Apparently the ultralights or pocket blimp are out.

I am in Canada, British Columbia to be exact. The route home goes through the Fraser Canyon.

I was thinking the same as I went through the first post, your not going to hike 200 miles unless you do it regularly. Even the mention of the bicycle, your not going to make it 200 miles unless you are already used to riding that far. People who bike and hike 100 miles have to work up to it. Co-worker of min started riding a couple years ago and does urban exploring by continuting when the city bike paths run out but thats still an easy ride compared to the mountains. He goes out 2-3 times a week and so far has worked up to 37 miles before his legs got too weak to pedal. Same with hiking, even if you did long hikes last summer, if you havent done any yet this year your body isn't going to be in shape, you'll not make it even half way.
Sorry to be a downer and negative but I've had to think about this myself as my family farm is 250 miles away so I've had to think realistic. I've been able to travel 20-25 miles in a day with my family, though they are 3 and 5, older kids can do more. I figure in a true life or death situation I could double that but am still no where near the 200-250 miles needed.
You need to look at ways to bug in at the 200 mile from home location. take work laptop and work from there or have plenty of vacation saved up. Make sure your pay is direct deposit and online banking bill pay setup so you can continue to pay utilities on time if needed. Take extra clothes to have some to change into without needing to do laundry each day. Research all the hotels and motels so you don't overstay your welcome at one. You have researched the plan B detours it sounds like, what about plan c and d and e, how far away is the major 4 lane highway which will be repaired first, can you make a 400-500 mile detour to eventually get home?
Vehicle in good shape, tires, belts, hoses, fluids to make an extended detour if needed, do you have a toolkit packed in case you need it. My parents had to replace a brake caliper in a hotel parking lot whn I was in college, dad always took hit tool box so it wasn't too bad to run to the closest auto parts store and swap it out. I carry tools and a tarp to lay on and old clothes to change into should I need them.

Good points Dweste.

The tunnels and the bridges are the choke points. If by chance that you could get past these, most of the canyon country is wide open, albeit mountainous but the elevation is fairly low.

Following the roadway which follows the river is the best bet and although the highway may be unsuitable for vehicles, foot traffic might be ok. That said, there are still a few areas of the highway that hug some narrow spots and rock slides could make the highway completely impassable.

Given that, getting home via land would be impossible and a person would be better off finding refuge in a small town or village if possible.

I'll have to take some pictures on Friday on the way up that will give a better visualization of the area and terrain.

I agree about being in shape. I am in very good shape. I walk to work (15-18 miles) per week and hike on a regular basis. However the thought of walking 200 miles is not something I would ever want to contemplate. In all likelihood (in my lifetime or the next 400-500 years if we go by the earthquake expert guesstimates) this scenario would never occur but all the replies here have been interesting thus far.

Also keep in mind, the original intent of the post was to get ideas on what type of gear etc people keep on hand in the likelihood that they had to walk any distance on foot.

I agree that hiking that distance would be a tremendous challenge. Whether you bug-in or try to keep going, fatigue, weather and general biological necessity are going to force you to take shelter along the way. I'd make sure you've got good solid basics for that. Tent, groundsheet, tarp, rope, pegs/stakes, etc. A repair kit, shovel and mallet would also be in my kit. You could improvise but I prefer that to be Plan B and Plan A to be more dependable. The longer the stay and the tougher the environment, the beefier the gear.