May 5, 1998 Contact: Ida Lee Wootten (804) 924-6857 MAY GRADUATE PLANS TO WALK ACROSS AMERICA The day after she graduates from the University of Virginia, Nikole "Niki" Krause will begin a solo walk across America. She believes she will be the first woman to walk across America alone. On the morning of May 18, she will leave her residence hall in Charlottesville, Va., say good-bye to family members who have assembled for graduation, and start walking west on U.S. 250. Her final destination: San Francisco, 2,897 miles away. She hopes to make Waynesboro, Va., her first overnight stop. Estimating that she'll wear out three pairs of shoes during the seven-to-nine-month trek, Krause is eager to start the adventure. "I'm bored with my institutional education," she says of her years attending various levels of school. "I want to learn from the big wide world." Krause has been preparing for the trip by wearing a 50-pound backpack during three-hour hikes. She has also been reading hiking guides, studying maps and searching the World Wide Web for how-to information. "The moment I knew that I was going to walk across the country is when I came across the American Discovery Trail Web page," she writes on her own web page describing her proposed "post-graduation walk across America." "I thought, 'well, this proves it's possible,'" she writes of the walking trail that covers more than 4,100 miles. After extensive research, Krause designed her route to go through West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. She plans on following the Santa Fe Trail through Kansas, then traveling along U.S. 50 to San Francisco. Krause plans on traveling light. She'll carry a small tent, bed roll, sleeping pad, a change of clothes, a stove, a first-aid kit, a pot, a "spork" (combination of spoon and fork) and lots of socks. When asked what she'll take on the trip, she replies, "As little as possible, but all of my wits." Concerned about safety, she is taking a self-defense course and will carry either a stun gun or pepper spray. MORE Across America, 2 Krause, who has contacted family and friends across the country in hopes of securing places where she can stay during the journey, wants to complete the trip for less than $2,000. For part of her supplies, her mother will mail dried food to her at general delivery post office addresses. How did her family react when they read her email describing her decision to walk across America? "My mom wrote, "You're suffering from hyperglycemia [excess sugar in the blood]. I'll send more chocolate," laughs the 22-year-old daughter of Ingrid Krause of Bel Air, Md., and William Krause of Springfield, Va. Her dad was skeptical until he took her to a sporting goods store, where he bought her light-weight objects for the trip. Krause, who says she has never been an "outdoor person," first became intrigued with a cross-country journey last year when a friend proposed spending a month driving around America with a group. As time passed, her friends abandoned the idea, but Krause became determined to make the trip. Walking seems the best way to interact with people, she says. Quick to correct people who inquire about her "hike," Krause says she is "a great believer in the power of long walks. I spent a lot of my adolescent-angst years walking around Fairfax, Va., where I'm from. A hike, I say, is something more along the lines of the Appalachian Trail. I greatly admire anyone who takes on the [trail], but my interests lean more toward the people and culture of America rather than its majestic wilderness," Krause notes on her Web page. Krause, who will earn a bachelor's degree in English from U.Va., has made a practice of doing things her way. She has paid for her four years of U.Va. by working in temporary positions every summer and securing bank loans. After reaching San Francisco, Krause plans on flying to a city she'll miss on her walk, New Orleans, to celebrate her birthday, which occurs during Mardi Gras. She hopes to land temporary jobs there and earn money by making Web pages. After gaining a feel for New Orleans, she wants to investigate other cities in a similar manner. "I plan on moving around the country until something or someone stops me," Krause says with determination. She plans on keeping a journal of her trip, although she's not sure what she'll do with her entries. She may post them on her Web page throughout the journey or compile them into a book. Her web site is at http//:www.people.Virginia.edu/~nak3b ### For more information, Krause can be reached through May 17 at (804) 243-2017 or via nak3b@virginia.edu. Television reporters should contact the TV News Office at (804) 924-7550. U.Va. news online: http://www.virginia.edu/topnews May 5, 1998 Contact: Ida Lee Wootten (804) 924-6857 MAY GRADUATE PLANS TO WALK ACROSS AMERICA The day after she graduates from the University of Virginia, Nikole "Niki" Krause will begin a solo walk across America. She believes she will be the first woman to walk across America alone. On the morning of May 18, she will leave her residence hall in Charlottesville, Va., say good-bye to family members who have assembled for graduation, and start walking west on U.S. 250. Her final destination: San Francisco, 2,897 miles away. She hopes to make Waynesboro, Va., her first overnight stop. Estimating that she'll wear out three pairs of shoes during the seven-to-nine-month trek, Krause is eager to start the adventure. "I'm bored with my institutional education," she says of her years attending various levels of school. "I want to learn from the big wide world." Krause has been preparing for the trip by wearing a 50-pound backpack during three-hour hikes. She has also been reading hiking guides, studying maps and searching the World Wide Web for how-to information. "The moment I knew that I was going to walk across the country is when I came across the American Discovery Trail Web page," she writes on her own web page describing her proposed "post-graduation walk across America." "I thought, 'well, this proves it's possible,'" she writes of the walking trail that covers more than 4,100 miles. After extensive research, Krause designed her route to go through West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. She plans on following the Santa Fe Trail through Kansas, then traveling along U.S. 50 to San Francisco. Krause plans on traveling light. She'll carry a small tent, bed roll, sleeping pad, a change of clothes, a stove, a first-aid kit, a pot, a "spork" (combination of spoon and fork) and lots of socks. When asked what she'll take on the trip, she replies, "As little as possible, but all of my wits." Concerned about safety, she is taking a self-defense course and will carry either a stun gun or pepper spray. MORE Across America, 2 Krause, who has contacted family and friends across the country in hopes of securing places where she can stay during the journey, wants to complete the trip for less than $2,000. For part of her supplies, her mother will mail dried food to her at general delivery post office addresses. How did her family react when they read her email describing her decision to walk across America? "My mom wrote, "You're suffering from hyperglycemia [excess sugar in the blood]. I'll send more chocolate," laughs the 22-year-old daughter of Ingrid Krause of Bel Air, Md., and William Krause of Springfield, Va. Her dad was skeptical until he took her to a sporting goods store, where he bought her light-weight objects for the trip. Krause, who says she has never been an "outdoor person," first became intrigued with a cross-country journey last year when a friend proposed spending a month driving around America with a group. As time passed, her friends abandoned the idea, but Krause became determined to make the trip. Walking seems the best way to interact with people, she says. Quick to correct people who inquire about her "hike," Krause says she is "a great believer in the power of long walks. I spent a lot of my adolescent-angst years walking around Fairfax, Va., where I'm from. A hike, I say, is something more along the lines of the Appalachian Trail. I greatly admire anyone who takes on the [trail], but my interests lean more toward the people and culture of America rather than its majestic wilderness," Krause notes on her Web page. Krause, who will earn a bachelor's degree in English from U.Va., has made a practice of doing things her way. She has paid for her four years of U.Va. by working in temporary positions every summer and securing bank loans. After reaching San Francisco, Krause plans on flying to a city she'll miss on her walk, New Orleans, to celebrate her birthday, which occurs during Mardi Gras. She hopes to land temporary jobs there and earn money by making Web pages. After gaining a feel for New Orleans, she wants to investigate other cities in a similar manner. "I plan on moving around the country until something or someone stops me," Krause says with determination. She plans on keeping a journal of her trip, although she's not sure what she'll do with her entries. She may post them on her Web page throughout the journey or compile them into a book. Her web site is at http//:www.people.Virginia.edu/~nak3b ### For more information, Krause can be reached through May 17 at (804) 243-2017 or via nak3b@virginia.edu. Television reporters should contact the TV News Office at (804) 924-7550. U.Va. news online: http://www.virginia.edu/topnews