Editor's note: This story was originally publish 12/16/2021. It has now been updated.
How many roads must a man walk down?
Well for Jacob Kosker of Seneca, the answer is.... all of them. At least all the ones in Venango County.
Well for Jacob Kosker of Seneca, the answer is.... all of them. At least all the ones in Venango County.
Last January he set out on an exercise/mapping expedition to run or walk on every single road and trail in the county.
It may be a small county, but that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of walkable surfaces.
To accomplish this he’ll roughly have to traverse the same distance if he stood up at the tip of Maine's rigid frosty coast and wanted to run south to Florida to dip your toes in the warm gulf waters.
Look at a map. When see all the streets shooting off the main drags in each town, suddenly this task is daunting.
Add the trails and its mind-boggling.
For the last 11 plus months, Kosker has been zigging and zagging this web of roads and trails.
It may be a small county, but that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of walkable surfaces.
To accomplish this he’ll roughly have to traverse the same distance if he stood up at the tip of Maine's rigid frosty coast and wanted to run south to Florida to dip your toes in the warm gulf waters.
Look at a map. When see all the streets shooting off the main drags in each town, suddenly this task is daunting.
Add the trails and its mind-boggling.
For the last 11 plus months, Kosker has been zigging and zagging this web of roads and trails.
"I actually achieve 4.2 miles a day," he said.
That's 4.2 miles of road or trail he can scratch off his to-do list. With overlap and inevitable backtracking, he averages 6.2 miles a day. "It averages about a half mile of junk that doesn't count for every mile of progress."
To do this without some backtracking or having to go in and out of the county along its edges is virtually impossible. And he also won't take a ride to avoid it. "That feels like cheating," he said as he had run down a stretch of road outside Cooperstown for the fourth or fifth time earlier this fall. "I missed this one road," he said after thinking he was down to just a few miles in the little hamlet to go.
He thinks he'll have run or walked over 2,300 miles before he's done. As of December 26, he has a little more than 33 miles to go.
He keeps it all tracked on little devices and an app called Strava.
That's 4.2 miles of road or trail he can scratch off his to-do list. With overlap and inevitable backtracking, he averages 6.2 miles a day. "It averages about a half mile of junk that doesn't count for every mile of progress."
To do this without some backtracking or having to go in and out of the county along its edges is virtually impossible. And he also won't take a ride to avoid it. "That feels like cheating," he said as he had run down a stretch of road outside Cooperstown for the fourth or fifth time earlier this fall. "I missed this one road," he said after thinking he was down to just a few miles in the little hamlet to go.
He thinks he'll have run or walked over 2,300 miles before he's done. As of December 26, he has a little more than 33 miles to go.
He keeps it all tracked on little devices and an app called Strava.
So why the heck is he doing this? He is an avid runner and outdoorsman.
"I don't like reruns typically," he wrote in a text. "I got tired of races for a while.
I started making running projects that would link up off-trail sections, abandoned bridges, canoe return trips.
This became a project based on exploring my transplanted home of Venango County."
The Latrobe native has seen a lot of interesting things and met a lot of interesting folks along the way. And he's had some fun. For Halloween, he ran dressed up like Forrest Gump. This drew many honks from vehicles and shouts out the window.
"I don't like reruns typically," he wrote in a text. "I got tired of races for a while.
I started making running projects that would link up off-trail sections, abandoned bridges, canoe return trips.
This became a project based on exploring my transplanted home of Venango County."
The Latrobe native has seen a lot of interesting things and met a lot of interesting folks along the way. And he's had some fun. For Halloween, he ran dressed up like Forrest Gump. This drew many honks from vehicles and shouts out the window.
Though it hasn't always been a complete joy. "I realize now that this running project has a lot of similarities to a thru-hike (like the Appalachian Trail from beginning to end.) There are some days it seems like I could just go home because - 'why am I doing this?' "
But then he snaps back in and realizes he'd prefer doing this than anything else. He has experienced the changing of all four seasons. "I've lost weight and gotten in great shape."
All along the way he has discovered beauty in unexpected encounters. A porcupine standing on it haunches gnawing on a piece of dead grass, a spider walking along the same road he was on (wonder if it was on a similar quest?), A woman harvesting mushrooms, perhaps as many discarded buses and cars as he has seen magnificent sunsets. Old abandoned bridges and houses. So much abandoned property he has noted.
But then he snaps back in and realizes he'd prefer doing this than anything else. He has experienced the changing of all four seasons. "I've lost weight and gotten in great shape."
All along the way he has discovered beauty in unexpected encounters. A porcupine standing on it haunches gnawing on a piece of dead grass, a spider walking along the same road he was on (wonder if it was on a similar quest?), A woman harvesting mushrooms, perhaps as many discarded buses and cars as he has seen magnificent sunsets. Old abandoned bridges and houses. So much abandoned property he has noted.
Some photos of Kosker's along his journey.
 |    |  |
As much as this project has been a test of fortitude and stick-to-it-iveness it has also been a learning experience and a bit of a spiritual journey.
It is not a stretch to say that what he’s lost in weight he is more than gained in knowledge of his surroundings and a better appreciation for understanding his neighbors throughout the county.
It is not a stretch to say that what he’s lost in weight he is more than gained in knowledge of his surroundings and a better appreciation for understanding his neighbors throughout the county.
He plans to end his year-long project on New Years Even hoping to finish his Oil Creek Trail near Titusville and “having many beers at the Ironworks bar to celebrate.” He’ll have to average a little more than 6 miles of gain each day now to do it.
“Oh hell yeah, I’m going to finish,” he said. “I’m so excited but sad to see it come to an end.”
Kosker plans to take a little time off from his independent outdoor adventure projects in 2022, but not outdoor adventure altogether. "I'm going to take some time to write about the last year first." He wants to spend more time with friends and family and take them on some adventures based on what he's seen this past year.
Beyond that, he mentioned to his daughter Heidi that he might need more watercraft. "You're not going to paddle all the rivers are you?" she asked.
“Oh hell yeah, I’m going to finish,” he said. “I’m so excited but sad to see it come to an end.”
Kosker plans to take a little time off from his independent outdoor adventure projects in 2022, but not outdoor adventure altogether. "I'm going to take some time to write about the last year first." He wants to spend more time with friends and family and take them on some adventures based on what he's seen this past year.
Beyond that, he mentioned to his daughter Heidi that he might need more watercraft. "You're not going to paddle all the rivers are you?" she asked.
RSS Feed