It's great getting to hear all of the opinions and points I hadn't thought of. The basic scenario was just that, basic and I hadn't thought out any details. You all have really opened my eyes to some situations that I hadn't thought of. I will use your responses to make my family aware of possibilities. Great stuff!

Too vague of an incident description to say whether I would walk or drive home along the railroad tracks in this specific situation.

But doing so is one of my contingency plans.

Sure railroads could be utilized if need be . They run right by my hse .

10 miles is not a lot.  A map, good walking shoes or boots, jacket, hat, water, flashlight, cell phone, cash.

Keep a low profile, anything appearing unusual should be under the jacket or maybe in a pack.

For me, a walk home from work is 12 miles across a bad part of town, and I usually work the swing shift so it would likely be at night.

I might instead try to check into a nearby motel, or wait at work until dawn.  Walk through the bad areas as soon after dawn as possible; these bad parts of town are usually hopping all night and then shut down during the morning.

Having done the clusterfuck known as Hurricane Rita BO, where traffic was gridlocked, people were running out of gas, panicking, etc... If we are talking on foot, I'd just keep to the highway. Here's why. In the immediate aftermath of an event that has everyone panicked and stuck in traffic that isn't going anywhere, no one is going to notice or care about a lone dude walking past them as long as he keeps walking and doesn't screw with them. This is immediate aftermath, you don't have gangs setting up checkpoints and ambushes, everyone is confused and just wants their cars to move again. Keep walking past them, no one is going to screw with you. They haven't yet realized that shit has all broken down, and are not organized, and are not thinking tactically. They are still thinking the rules and laws of civilization apply, and it is not yet OK to simply jack a foot traveller - especially if there are alot of other people around who will see.

You can make that walk. No one will screw with you. And if they do, well, that's what you're armed for... This has played out in MANY disasters, and it doesn't generally devolve into violence. People just keep walking and don't screw with other people who are walking.

10 miles is not that far. Just keep walking and make it a one day thing.

(I am assuming that vehicle transport is out... if not then always choose vehicle transport)

Sometimes I work more than 60 miles from home.Other days I work less than 4.I need to put together 2 bags

Hey babes, I ain't "fluffin up". Just statin' fact.
And I hold fast to my original statement. Just because some individual doesn't wanna spend the coin or carry the weight doesn't give them the right to use their weapon in a threatening and unsafe manner(see the number one rule of gun safety below). Ya know, like pointing it at someone 'cause they wanna see if they "look ok". I will have a binocular, and be very regularly glassing. Always do when afield in any situation. I've caught "deer hunters" scoping me over the years and we've had some lively "discussions" over their ignorance. I can't imagine that being any more acceptable if the situation were more "tense". Not tryin to jack the thread, but this is a pet peeve and a way too commonly made mistake. And one that could easily lead to an unnecessary situation were some event to raise stress levels.  If a person doesn't have the gear, then use the eyes and be content with that.

From the NRA gun safety rules:I'm thinkin that "direction" ain't mine.!!

Fuck RR tracks.  Around here we have canals.  If the car is a no go, I am taking canals home.  I know the pattern well enough to find the *OpSec*-*Not-gonna-tell-you* canal, which crosses within about two miles from my house.  THe bank of a canal is always level, graded ground smooth enough for the pansy ass water control people to drive their leather trimmed, limited edition SUV's on to make sure no endangered salamander smelt have wandered into the waterway.  While not perfectly direct, they run roughly the direction I need from where I am likely to be, and I know if I am going upstream, I am going the right direction.

My 0.02c from personal experience, when we had the quakes here that tore our city (pop: 400,000) apart, I was in the middle of town had to hike out (Dressed in office attire I might add)

Immediately after the world stopped going sideways and buildings stopped falling over, the place became a stack more sociable than before, everyone was equally affected, which was literally a conversation point - and everyones priority was more or less the same - get out, get home.

I guess the immediate effect was akin to what media portrays a EMP, cars were all dead stationary(gridlock) no power, phone networks down, no water, no traffic lights, etc.

So getting home was nothing more than a decent hike, I had a bottle of gatorade in my pack, which I ended up sharing with a few folks along the way, ended up averaging 4mph.

It wasn't until about three days later when things started to get interesting as far as things like looters(They stole my motorbike!) and people stealing the generators that were running the cell towers and telco cabinets - if you think it's scary duriing the day, just wait until it's a dark, moonless night in a city with no power.

Something to ponder and perhaps a more common/realistic scenario: consider that if it's NOT an emp event but some other form of SHFT and vehicles are running. Your vehicle may become disabled through any number of murphy events... flat tire, out of gas because stations were closed, traffic accident while getting out of dodge (very possible if there is panic).

Perhaps having something of value (cash or otherwise) to trade someone for a lift home or closer to home might be in order as well. I am thinking gray-man...I will be armed, but they wont know it unless they are less than honorable.

SHTF comes in many flavors, not just the exotic, apocalyptic novel types.

Interesting post. Something like this is pretty much the only major natural disaster scenario that'd be likely in my area (pretty earthquake prone here in Oregon). I think folks would react similarly to how they did in NZ, certainly wouldn't expect instant Mad Max.

How did the bridges fare in your area? That's the main thing I'd be concerned about around here if there was a massive earthquake. A few downed bridges would shut down traffic and make it very difficult for me to get home.

I live and work in the country, but if I got caught in town when the Big One hit and couldn't drive back I'd have to walk roughly 20 miles. I just got back from an 8.4 mile hike (according to my GPS) along logging roads in steep terrain (~1300 foot elevation gain from lowest to highest point, with a fair bit of up and down). Average moving speed was 3.2 mph with a light pack. Of course, like a dumbass, I forgot my first aid kit and started developing blisters (new boots); wasn't too bad, but another 10 miles of that and I'd really be missing the moleskin.

As for the OP, walking home 10 miles on flat land is an easy walk, as long as you have decent boots and are moderately fit. If I had to hoof it back home, I'd just walk along the road. The only RR tracks that go anywhere near my home run parallel to the highway, so there wouldn't be any reason to follow them (except to cross rivers if the RR bridge is intact). Besides, as others have said, walking on RR tracks is a PITA. I'd follow the big powerline right-of-way that runs a mile or so from my home before I walked along a RR, though it doesn't exactly follow the path of least resistance (cut straight through the mountains around here, so terrain is steep) and there are no bridges across rivers.

Interesting post. Something like this is pretty much the only major natural disaster scenario that'd be likely in my area (pretty earthquake prone here in Oregon). I think folks would react similarly to how they did in NZ, certainly wouldn't expect instant Mad Max.

How did the bridges fare in your area? That's the main thing I'd be concerned about around here if there was a massive earthquake. A few downed bridges would shut down traffic and make it very difficult for me to get home.

I live and work in the country, but if I got caught in town when the Big One hit and couldn't drive back I'd have to walk roughly 20 miles. I just got back from an 8.4 mile hike (according to my GPS) along logging roads in steep terrain (~1300 foot elevation gain from lowest to highest point, with a fair bit of up and down). Average moving speed was 3.2 mph with a light pack. Of course, like a dumbass, I forgot my first aid kit and started developing blisters (new boots); wasn't too bad, but another 10 miles of that and I'd really be missing the moleskin.

As for the OP, walking home 10 miles on flat land is an easy walk, as long as you have decent boots and are moderately fit. If I had to hoof it back home, I'd just walk along the road. The only RR tracks that go anywhere near my home run parallel to the highway, so there wouldn't be any reason to follow them (except to cross rivers if the RR bridge is intact). Besides, as others have said, walking on RR tracks is a PITA. I'd follow the big powerline right-of-way that runs a mile or so from my home before I walked along a RR, though it doesn't exactly follow the path of least resistance (cut straight through the mountains around here, so terrain is steep) and there are no bridges across rivers.