Archives for “AT”

Last weekend, folks here on the north coast of CA hosted four Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) thru-hikers: Adam “Hemlock Muppet” Canter, Kasi “Beam” Craddock, Jesse “Mountain Goat” Crocker, and Ana “Birdy” Roberts.  The hikers furloughed from Etna, CA, after completing over half of the 2,600-mile trail.  When finished Beam, Birdy, and Hemlock Muppet will have completed two of the U.S.’s great hiking trails - the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail.

The video’s below include interviews about their experiences.  Thanks for your town time, hikers!

 

 LDB 01 | Interview with Dr. David Horton: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In the premier episode of the Long-Distance Backpacking Podcast, I talk with with Dr. David Horton, Professor of Health Sciences & Kinesiology at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.  David has been an ultra-marathon runner since 1979 and in 1991 set the speed record for traveling the entire Appalachian Trail, which he did in fifty-three days.  In 1995, he finished third in a 2,906-mile race across North America and in 1999 set the Long Trail speed record.  In 2005 he set the speed record for the Pacific Crest Trail, completing the trip in sixty-seven days, a journey that is documented in the film “The Runner” which was released in 2006.

In the interview, David gives descriptions of his experience on the Appalachian Trail and the PacifiCrest Trail and provides valuable health advice to anyone attempting a long hike.  He also explains why he chooses to travel at the rate he does.  After the interview, I’ll review some of the interesting points that David brings up about long-distance foot travel.

<<<Photo by JB Benna of www.JourneyFilm.com>>>

I ran across this Gene Espy tribute video recently and really enjoyed it. The video was produced by Weather Carrot (trailname) and premiered at the 2008 Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association Gathering in Athens, WV.

Gene Espy was the second man to thru-hike the entire Appalachian Trail after Earl Shaffer. Espy completed his hike in 1951 in four months. For more information about Gene Espy’s journey see the Pioneer Thru-hikers section of Larry Luxenberg’s “Walking the Appalachian Trail.”