Rules

The objective is to be the first person to do a fifty kilometer day hike in all fifty states in less than one hundred days.

The rules are simple and basic:  First, the clock starts at the beginning of the first hike and stops at the end of the last hike.  The clock does not stop until all fifty hikes have been achieved according to these rules.  Second, the hikes must be fifty kilometers long.  Hikes do not have to be continuous, but that is preferable.  Third, there must be at least one hike for every state.  Any states with more than one hike cannot be used as a substitute for other states.  Fourth, all mileage for a particular state must be in that state.  If a route travels outside the borders of a state for a time, the mileage outside the state does not count for or against the mileage of that state.  Fifth, the only mileage that is counted is the mileage done on foot.  Boats, bicycles, planes, horses, or any other mechanical, motorized, or biological device cannot be used for the mileage included for a hike.  Sixth, a fifty kilometer portion of each hike must be completed within a twenty four hour period.  It does not matter what time of day a hike starts as long as fifty kilometers of the hike are completed within any continuous twenty four hour period.  Seventh, if a hike is longer than fifty kilometers, any fifty kilometer portion that is completed within a twenty four hour period counts as a completed hike.  The other portions of the hike beyond the fifty kilometers could occur beyond the given twenty four hour period.  Eighth, any route within a state is acceptable as long as these rules have been abided by.  Ninth, any aid given in terms of provisions, care, advice, or any other aid that does not provide propulsion is allowed at any time.  Tenth, all fifty hikes must be completed in less than one hundred days.  Any days short of one hundred days for all fifty hikes being completed is superfluous. The goal is any time under one hundred days.  Eleventh, the rules are informal and essentially voluntary.  There is no organizing body that regulates, promotes, or records this record.  There are no officials or competitors.  There is only the inanimate trail and the honor that what has been said to be achieved actually has been achieved.

The twelfth and last rule is separated for emphasis.  The measurement of the hike is up to the forthright, upfront, and publicly announced judgment of the hiker.  Any hike found, after the fact, to have been less than fifty kilometers is still accepted as a legitimately counted hike.  It has to be recognized that with all of the techniques available, there are still possibilities for error.  The best guess is good enough.  In terms of this challenge, there is no need to add extra miles to counter unforeseen mistakes in mileage.  To add unnecessary mileage only for mileage's sake would miss the point of the adventure.  The ultimate goals of the adventure are to have fun, to try to achieve something unique, and to broaden one's horizons.  Although there are precise rules, they are merely guidelines to give a goal to strive for.  The rules themselves are not the goal.  If the rules get in the way of the goal, they should be forgotten forthrightly.