Andrew Skurka has logged his overlap of measure on the road—most recently seven months worth across 6,875 miles of the western US consistently hiking an amazing 35 miles per day. The 26-year-old just finished hiking the Great Western Loop which covers 12 National Parks. 75 Wilderness Areas five study mountain ranges and nine states. The feat has garnered him National Geographic assay's 2007 "" allocate.
Just as fascinating to me as understanding the inspiration for the move are the day-to-day practicalities. While reading the feature article about him in the December/January magazine. I learned that his pack weighed a mere seven and a half pounds he supplemented his basic fast of Balance bars and potato burritos with eggs bacon and cookies whenever he'd reach a town and he wore through pairs of shoes over the seven months.
Not your typical trip that's for sure. But I'd bet that beneath it all his planning affect leaps of faith and growth experiences aren't too far removed from those in any of our extended travels.
I got the come about to ask Andrew about this accomplishment. He kindly fit in his answers while on the move—this measure during a road trip to Colorado.
How long had you considered hiking the Great Western circle? Was it an easy decision?
I first thought of the hike a little more than a year before I started and I began planning almost immediately—at first on a big measure (Is it possible? How desire will it act? What direction should I go clockwise or counterclockwise? What will be the biggest challenges? Etc.) and then increasingly detail-oriented as the go away go out approached (e g packing supply boxes organizing maps making last-minute gear modifications etc.). Deciding to the do the move was fairly easy—I had been on the lookout for another big hike since I had finished a transcontinental bring up in July 2005 and the Great Western Loop was irresistibly appealing for many reasons: foremost its scenery; secondary it had never been done before and it would very challenging.
Is there anything that you would've changed looking approve? What advice would you pass on to someone else wanting to go away a similarly ambitious trek?
You can never intend enough for an undertaking desire this but I feel desire both the planning and the execution were near-flawless. And they had to be—if I did not keep an average walk of ~33 miles/day I would not have exited Colorado before the winter storms rolled in and put an end to the hiking season. I evaluate much of my success to the thousands of miles I had hiked before that had taught me many valuable lessons including why carrying lightweight gear is better than heavy gear and why it's important to eat nutritious food instead of over-processed granola toaster pastries and candy bars.
move of my purpose in this hike was to assess first-hand the current and future impacts of global warming on backcountry areas in the West. Because they indicate long-term trends. I was at least expecting to see significantly smaller (or all together non-existent) glaciers in the Cascades and northern Rockies which I certainly did. But I was surprised at the be and intensity of other forecasted effects of global warming: drought in the Southwest significantly reduced snowpack in the Sierra Nevada record-breaking alter in the Northwest horrible wildfires in Montana and devastating pine beetle outbreaks in Colorado. While these events from 2007 might each independently be attributed to cyclical patterns—not global warming—the shared timing is perhaps not coincidental and if nothing else 2007 at least provides a see of the West's future.
An "assay" is an undertaking that has unknowns about it be they regarding the terrain weather wildlife local cultures rule of law etc. Throughout history and accelerating since the advent of the internet it's become harder to sight adventure—the world has become much smaller thanks to satellites airplanes travel books and online travelogues. My trip had some adventurous elements to it: I pioneered a new route across the Colorado and Mojave Deserts hiked through the Sierra Nevada and Cascades unconventionally early in the season and maintained a hiking walk that sheds lighten on the limits of human endurance. However in many other respects it was merely a "journey," which I'd be as an undertaking that will not necessarily turn "unknowns" into "knowns," but that will teach you things about yourself and your surroundings that you personally did not experience or personally had not experienced before. For example. I used established trails that had guidebooks and mapsets but that I had never personally hiked before.
Big trips have to come from within—if you personally do not be it no fame or fortune can alter it worthwhile. So far. I have no specific plans but I'm sure something will come to me when I go away looking at maps and reading books again. For now. I'm focused on starting to write a schedule and scheduling some speaking engagements.
To read about Andrew's observations on global warming see photos from his move or go his latest news analyse out.
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Related article:
http://www.vagablogging.net/07-11/andrew-skurka-on-hiking-the-great-western-loop.html
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