Accomplishments Afoot

Waning Gibbous Moon

This year I have noted three accomplishments in hiking that I think just about anybody would consider world class crazy. I mean crazy in a good way, of course.

Here they are in no particular order.

Heather "Anish" Anderson became the first woman (wowman?) to complete the Triple Crown of American hiking in one calendar year. That's the Pacific Crest Trail (2,650 miles), the Continental Divide Trail (3,100 miles), and the Appalachian Trail (2,190 miles). In one swell foop. Backpacker Magazine did a write-up on her. Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Uma in Kill Bill, etc. - you name the super hero, Anish matches up.

Jeff "Legend" Garmire just finished his Great Western Loop of ~ 7,000 miles this week. I followed his daily blog on Instagram, amazed by his stamina (frequent, in fact, common 40+ mile days) and relentless positivism, if that's a word. What did he eat to keep all this up? Read the GQ article here. Oh, and sometimes it was cold.

Then there is Mary "Medicare Pastor" Davidson. She completed her mission of section hiking the Triple Crown at the ripe young age of 76! I just finished reading her book Old Lady on the Trail: Triple Crown at 76 yesterday. This gutsy gal is wired together with titanium and plastic replacement parts and still going. The stories about her adventures are fun and serious at the same time. She didn't even start this thing until she was 60! A real retired pastor from Washington state, Mary inspires without being preachy. Check out her book on Amazon. The rest of us have no excuses.

Peace, Love, and Move It,
Jim