I saw that thread heading off the rails from the beginning. If the OP would have simply told the story of the “journey” with each chapter a separate post as he began the thread with, he could have shared as much or as little information as he wished. With that approach, he controls the narrative (which is what he seemed to want to do). As soon as he began engaging and responding to posts from others, the expectation of the thread as an exchange began.
If you want to tell a story, tell a story. If you want to have a dialogue, have a dialogue. It’s very difficult to do both.