Maniac Thru-Hiker

[Bronco]

Hiker finishes 'Triple Crown': 7,400 miles, 22 states for California man

By Glenn AdamsThe Associated Press

THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL, Maine — For 10 months, he started walking at sunup and didn't stop until nightfall. Yesterday, Brian Robinson, 40, of San Jose became the first person to hike each of the three U.S. National Scenic Trails in a calendar year when he reached the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail atop Maine's highest peak.

He averaged about 30 miles a day since setting out Jan. 1, destined to complete the Pacific Crest Trail in the West, the Continental Divide Trail in the Rockies, and the Appalachian, which runs from Georgia to Maine.

With a handful of well-wishers in tow, Robinson finished the 2,168-mile Appalachian yesterday atop mile-high Mount Katahdin.

Tackling hiking's "Triple Crown" — 7,400 miles through 22 states — took Robinson through hip-deep snow, scorching heat and more than 1 million feet of upward climb.

To save precious time, he ate while he walked: Snickers bars, peanut butter, anything calorie-rich. Nary a pound was shed from his 6-foot-1, 155-pound frame.

Seven pairs of running shoes later, he looked no worse for the wear, save a bushy black beard he last trimmed in April.

What nearly got him, he said, was the isolation. Since he never slowed down and barely stopped, no one could keep up long enough to make good company.

Only 24 people have achieved hiking's Triple Crown in their lifetimes. In 1999, two men became the first to hike two of the trails in a single year.

Robinson hiked the Pacific Crest — 2,645 miles from Mexico to Canada — in 84 days and six hours, averaging better than 31 miles a day before covering 2,588 miles of the Continental Divide, which has no fixed route over much of its length.

Robinson, on leave from his job as a systems engineer for Compaq, saved $10,000 for the venture.

[Dru]

dude needs to kick back and smoke a bowl i think.

[Bronco]

Wow - he would have buried me the first day. Quite an accomplishment. I'd like to hear more about what type gear he carried, besides running shoes and snickers bars.

[Bronco]

here's his website:

http://royrobinson.homestead.com/

nice poncho tent.

No mention of ultralight bong Dru.

[Beck]

This triple crown acheivement seems dubious to me; hiking the North Cascades in mid march? Only if he had some serious resupply going on- also, think of the navigational difficulties of following trails under snow- I'd like to see some more details on this guy.

[Bronco]

Beck, like I told Dru, NO Doobies.

Check out his website, it looks legit to me.

[Dru]

i would assume he skiied and not hiked - does it say that on his website? maybe he used ultralight snowshoes made of flattened extruded spray-tex or something?

[chucK]

Check out the SI article linked in his website. It's a good article with some good info.

For "crampons" he used 1/2" hex-head screws pounded into his shoes, tips up(?).

Sounds like he started doing the AT from the South, then when he got too bogged down by the winter up North, he flew and did 600 miles in New Mexico, then he thru hiked the PCT. Then finished the Continental Divide trail, then finished the AT. The article was written after an interview in July when he was at Crater Lake.

The isolation sounds brutal. I get chatty with strangers on a 1/2 day solo climb. This guy was out there 7 months!

You ever run into one of those solo hikers out in the woods? They're dying to talk about anything. I remember heading up to Thompson one morning and some guy just about begging me to join him for a cup of coffee up there next to Ridge Lake.

Chuck

[Dru]

dude, doing the trails as unconnected-in-time pieces like that sounds about as legit to me as doing 5 pitches on a 6 pitch route one day then rapping in from the top and doing the 6th another time, and claiming a complete ascent. no offense to the guy but that sounds like a silly dodge to get around the winter conditions issue in order to claim all in a year.

[Mike_Gauthier]

i read about this guy in the ny times... they did a big piece on him and the hike. he ate 3 snickers bars a day, YUCK! he said salad "was a waste of time." which i found interesting... he consumed 6K of calories a day.

as for the gear he carried, they said little. i can comment on a good friend of mine who did the PCT in 83.5 days this summer. shortly into his trip, he really started to strip his gear. he used a "go-lite" pack, keeping his load below 15 pounds. he also used an aluminum can and alcohol for a stove... only a tarp for a tent, and basically threw everything out that didn't involve hiking, eating or staying warm at night... he hiked all day till night fall. sometimes covering 40 plus miles. b/c there was no one to talk to, he just kept moving (ie nothing else to do but walk). stefan lofgren (his name) is a VERY driven dude, hiked the length of sweden once and gets off on these long walking adventures. i get the impression that these guys like this don't really "relax" like you or i might. bongs and doobies (though liter than liquor) don't factor into their driven, get the hike done equation.

so, throw everything out of our pack, don't talk to anyone and hike your ass off, perhaps the record could be beat...

oh, as for not doing the hike in one push... who cares... not finishing a trail seem to be NOTHING like not finishing a route. maybe it would be if the PCT or AT had ZERO access to outside resources, etc... but since these trails cross so many roads, ranger stations, etc... a resupply is generally only a few days away... so what gives, it's all just a hike, it's not the same as pulling down another pitch of 5.10, after 5 pitches of 5.10 in the morning... in fact, i thought his trip made since.

good job i guess, whatever floats your boat. it all seems to weird to me though, (kind of like bouldering...) did i say that?

mike

[Dru]

well, he did do every mile of all three trails in one year... but it reminds me of a few years ago when kennan harvey and partners did the first "continuous" traverse of the coast range haute route (bella coola to vancouver) with a 2 week break in the middle where they went sport climbing to smith rocks...hmmm. it kinda puts an asterisk alongside that "record" to my mind anyways.

[chucK]

The SI article says he took a 1.5 day break to do his taxes!

[Mike_Gauthier]

yeah, i agree, i suppose setting a "record" should have different standards. b/c traversing the coast range in one push would be much harder if there were no break/resupply... that would be setting a speed record for rainier on different days... one day you run to muir, the next you run the summit, then the next, you run from the summit back down... not quite the same...

strip him of the title... or put an asterick by it...

ps, i like this beer drinking guy....

[chucK]

He walked all three in a year. There is no asterisk needed next to that statement.

[Bronco]

Hey, if we find out he had a North Face Electric blanket coat should that be an astric as well?

The next guy can do the "triple crown" straight through to create another category/record. I'm with up-chuck on this one.

I bet can kick your at a contest.

[offwidthclimber]

exactly. take the story for what it's worth. bottom line - it was a lot of fucking hiking, committment and isolation.

has anyone here even hiked ONE of the the THREE trails in a year?

[Gerg]

Looks like the ATC is with chucK.

From the official Appalachian Trail Conference web page: http://www.atconf.org/hike/thru_hike/after.html

The Appalachian Trail Conference officially recognizes those hikers completing the entire trail, either in one season or in sections through the years.

"2,000-Miler" DefinitionThe ATC confers the designation of "2,000-miler" on any hiker who reports he or she walked the entire length of the Appalachian Trail. We use the term "2,000-miler" as a matter of tradition and convenience — that's the original length of the trail, and changing the designation each time the length changes would be impractical.

Our recognition policy does:give equal recognition to thru-hikers and section-hikers,

Our recognition policy does not consider:sequence, direction, speed, whether one carries a pack.

[Mike_Gauthier]

just to be clear, i think his record stands... all three trails in one year... rather impressive...

has anyone ever hiked the entire length of north and south america? and would they have to swim the panama canal?

i can't get enough of this guy...

[Dru]

with that 2000 miler thing on the appalachian trail? is it 1997 miles long in some years and 2002 in other years?

as to the record* I am pretty impressed no matter how he did it although i think it would be more fun to have a big fatty waiting for you at every rest stop and just burn through it. this from a guy who thought hiking in to Prusik was a long way

[plexus]

So he hiked all three...that's a lot of miles. But did he actually see anything? When I'm out climbing, I don't really look at the scenery as much when doing the approach. But when I'm out hiking for hiking, check out your surroundings.

I just know from doing a 20-mile day, I didn't notice if I was on Mars or in Utah towards the end of it. My mantra with each step was beer, food, beer, food, beer, food.

[Gerg]

Over time, the trail evolves to do such things as go around washed out sections, go to new bridges, avoid habitat sensistive areas, let old sections of the trail "heal" themselves, etc. This causes changes in the mileage.

So Dru, you are right, some years the trail is longer or shorter than it was before, all of which is dependant on the above. 2000 miles was the original length and is kept as the offical length rather than remeasuring the length every time there is a change to the trail.

[willstrickland]

quote:

---

Originally posted by offwidthclimber:

it was a lot of fucking hiking, committment and isolation.

has anyone here even hiked ONE of the the THREE trails in a year?

---

Yes, I hiked the AT in '98 solo. Did the first half in about 2 month, wised up, slowed down, partied more and took 4 months for the second half (which is actually alot easier than the first half).

[Dru]

For all time long traverses, some Indian guy did the complete Himalayan range traverse as a single push over something like 400+ continuous days of walking in the late 1980's I believe. That would be the Asian Crest - no "trail".

[willstrickland]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gerg:

2000 miles was the original length and is kept as the offical length rather than remeasuring the length every time there is a change to the trail.

---

Not entirely true. Original was 2159, and that is still typically used as the length. The 2000 mile bit comes from the ATC's "2000 miler" designation, which sounds a little better than the "2159.63 miler club".

[David_Parker]

Johnny, obviously Will is much more qualified to answer, but being from Maine I know a little about it. The most remote section is in Maine. Personally I think the best mountains in New England are the Whites in New Hampshire. There are tons of side trails too. I imagine the Great Smokeys are awsome too.

Will, at which end did you start/finish?

For an interesting read, there's a book about a blind guy who did the whole AT with a seeing eye dog. That is INCREDIBLE!!! I'm telling you guys, some of these trails in the Whites and in Maine are the most rugged walking you can do. Boulders, stream beds, roots, and the MUCK!!! In the Whites, above timberline (which is only about 4000 ft) route finding can be a problem especially when foggy. You'd be amazed at how many people have died on a summer day in the Presidential range. Another read: Not Without Peril by Nick Howe gives some history to those events.