Long Distance Trekker Set To Go "All-In" For 2011

Long distance hiker Samuel H. Gardner is preparing for an epic adventure in 2011 when he plans to set out on his "All-In Trek", which will see him taking on four BIG trails in the U.S. and covering more than 12,500 miles in the process.

The plan is for Gardner to begin his journey by hiking the length of the North Country Trail from New York to North Dakota, in winter no less. That is a 4600 mile hike in and of itself. From there, he'll move directly on to the 2650-mile long Pacific Crest Trail before hopping over to the Continental Divide Trail, which will add another 3100 miles to the trek. Finally, he'll finish things up with a little 2178-mile long stroll down Appalachian Trail just for good measure. Samuel will go on the journey solo, and will hike the trails back-to-back in continuous fashion, with the hopes of completing the entire project in just one calendar year.

CheapTents.com has an excellent interview with Gardner on their blog today in which he talks about his inspirations for making this trek, the experiences that have given him the confidence to attempt the journey, and much more. Gardner says that he is going on the All-In Trek because he feels it is the next step for long distance backpackers and that he simply wants to experience the adventure of it. Clearly he also enjoys testing himself as well, as he once spent six months living in a snow cave just to see if he could.

At the moment, Gardner is in the final stages of planning and preparation, and has been training hard for what is sure to be a long year on the trail. January is still a few months off, but there is a lot to do before he gets underway.

And for those keeping score at home, Sam is going to have to average more than 34 miles per day to complete the trek in a single year. That's a very ambitious pace to say the least.

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More Tips For Long Distance Hikers From Trailspace

Awhile back I posted a link to a story from Trailspace.com that gave an amazing number of tips for backpackers who were considering doing a long distance hike, such as the Appalachian or the Pacific Crest Trails. The article was the first of a four part series on planning and preparing for just such a trek. Trailspace has now followed up with parts two and three as well.

Part Two continues the series nicely offering up some thoughts on how to plan on being away from work, friends, and family for the extended time necessary for a long distance hike. It also talks about who should and shouldn't do one of these epic trails to help you decide if it is right for you, and goes on to share some thoughts on options for food on the trail, packing your bag, dealing with water, and a lot more.

Part three moves away from some of these logistical issues and discusses some practical ones, with more solid advice on staying healthy on the trail, not taking chances, and so on. It also offers up some insights about long distance hiking in general that can be applied to just about any trail, whether you're out there for three days or three months. Those bits of wisdom include things such as "the journey is the destination" and so on. Good things to keep in mind when you're setting out on any journey.

So far, this has been an excellent series to read, and I definitely recommend it to hikers of all levels. I pretty much guarantee that you'll find something of interest and probably learn something in the process too. Really good stuff and I can't wait for the final installment.

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Tips For Long Distance Hikers

Trailspace.com, which has always been an excellent resource for backpackers and hikers everywhere, has begun a great new series of articles designed to help long distance thru-hikers to tackle any of the long distance hikes in the U.S., such as the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide trails. But even if you don't intend to tackle one of those 1000+ mile long monsters, the information is helpful for shorter treks too.

The planned four part series begins with this article which focuses on planning your hike. Author Barbara Egbert starts with some details on the Triple Crown of thru-hiking, laying out what you can expect on the three major trails linked to above, and how they all differ from one another.

The article then goes on to examine the gear that you'll need, with an emphasis on lightweight but durable equipment. Tents, sleeping bags, and packs are all important considerations on any trip, but especially on one that will go for hundreds of miles. Choosing the right clothing and shoes are also very important as well of course.

From there, it's on to some suggested training methods to get in shape for the miles ahead. Several thru-hikers give tips on their approaches to preparing for the trails, with strong recommendations of being in great shape before you go. The story also recommends that if you're going to hike alone you should train alone in order to get use to the conditions you'll experience while traveling miles on end by yourself.

Finally, the article concludes with a list of great books that cover each of the major trails, offering up resources that will be invaluable for long distance thru-hikers as they prepare for one of these major hikes. The suggestion being that if you're considering one of these hikes, you'll want to pick up the guide now, read it in the winter months, and begin collecting your gear and training for a 2010 epic hike.

This look like it's going to be a great series, and a must read for anyone wanting to backpack anything longer than a weekend escape. Good stuff so far.

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Tour Divide Mountain Bike Race Underway

The Tour Divide Mountain Bike Race gets underway today, with 42 riders from North America and Europe, setting out from Banff in Canada to ride the entire length of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Trail. Essentially, the race is a ride from Alberta, Canada to the border of Mexico, through the Rocky Mountains. In total, the riders will cover 2741 miles, and must be completely self supported while out on the trail.

Dubbed the longest, most challenging mountain bike race on the planet, the Tour Divide usually takes roughly three weeks to complete. Riders pass through not only Alberta Canada, but parts of British Columbia as well, before crossing the border and wandering their way south through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. By the time they reach the finish line, riders will have climbed more than 200,000 feet over the length of the course.

On top of the fact that they are facing three weeks of 16-hour days to complete the race, riders will also face wild animals, inclement and fast changing weather, and punishing trails that can range from wide, and well marked jeep trails, to narrow, almost non-existent, single track. One other element of this race that makes it such a challenge is that riders must also navigate their way along the route. There are few signs indicating which way to go, and the trail can become confusing at times as well. This adds yet another element of danger to the event.

And what do these riders get for reaching the finish line? Nada! Zip! Zilch! They do it for the challenge and the adventure. There is no entry fee, nor are there any prizes. It's all about the ride, which is a bit refreshing in this day an age. Good luck and have fun boys and girls!

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Eco-X: CDT Speed Attempt Update - It's Over!

Last Friday I posted this article about David Horton, who was attempting to run the length of the Continental Divide Trail in just 69 days. That's an astonishing 2959 miles on foot, through some very challenging backcountry at altitude. David was going to be giving regular reports to friend Clark Zealand to post on his Eco-X website.

Well, sharp eyed reader DSD of Summit Stones and Adventure Musings fame noticed that the speed attempt is already over. This posting from yesterday gives the details, but in a nutshell, David ran for 45 miles on Saturday, but ended up completely dehydrated and exhausted. This has left him in an extremely weak condition and he's not bouncing back from it just yet.

For now, the attempt will have to put on hold. Perhaps once he recovers, he can think about what went wrong, and plan a new attempt. Anyone who has ever been severely dehydrated can surely feel for him though. It's one of the worst feelings ever and your strength is completely gone. Even re-hydrating still takes time for your energy to return. I only hope that Karl Meltzer is paying attention as he prepares for his Appalachian Assault set to begin in the first week of August.

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Eco-X: Running The CDT!

The Hardwear Sessions Blog keeps providing good material today, this time in the form of a report on Mountain Hardwear sponsored athlete David Horton who is his attempting to run the entire length of the Continental Divide Trail. Updates on his run will be posted to Clark Zealand's Eco-X website on a regular basis, including audio dispatches from the trail.

David will get underway tomorrow, hoping to cover 56 miles on his first day out on the trail. He is starting at he U.S.-Mexican border and will run the entire length of the trail north to the Canadian border. That's 2959 miles in total. Oh yeah, and he hopes to do it in 69 days, averaging nearly 43 miles per day.

The first audio dispatch is already posted on the site, with more to come in the future, and regular updates posted by Clark. Should be another fun adventure to watch over the course of the next few months. And as a point of reference, those 43 miles per day that he hopes to average, is further than most people drive in a single day.

Good luck Dave!

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Hiking The Continental Divide Trail For A Cause!

Cookie and Paul from Made In England by Gentleman are two chaps after my own heart. First of all, they clearly have a sense of adventure about them, as they have embarked on the epic journey of hiking the entire length of the Continental Divide Trail, which in and of itself would earn them major kudos from me! Turns out though, that they also happen to be fans of this blog. Well, maybe calling them fans might be a bit much, but at least they have me in their blogroll, and for that I'm eternally grateful! :)

Back in 2000 Cookie and Paul decided that they were going to do the CDT in 2008 and now they have stuck by their word and embarked on their hike to raise funds and awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. You can sponsor their efforts right here.

The Continental Divide Trail is 3000 miles in length stretching from the Canadian border to the Mexican border in the Western United States and running right through some of the most beautiful sections of the Rocky Mountains that you could ever hope to see. The boys estimate it will take them about six months to complete and you can follow their progress on the Were are Cookie & Paul" page.

I love their reason for selecting the CDT and 2008 as the year they would do it. This says it all:

The reason we choose it was purely because it was the longest walk we could find any information on, the reason we picked 2008 was because we had no money and thought by now we’d have all our student debt paid off!

Seems perfectly logical to me!! Good luck guys! I'll be following your efforts.

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