Yet again, a hiker has thru-hiked all three trails of the triple crown in one year. Jeff Garmire, of Vancouver, Oregon, has just completed the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail, all in 2016. That’s a total of almost 8000 miles! So far as I know, only three or four other hikers have accomplished this amazing feat.
How it is possible to hike every foot of these three trails in one year is beyond me–I could never do it. Being young helps, of course, but a lot of luck is involved. Snow, ice, (that’s Randy Rebo Berton at Kearsarge Pass on the PCT) forest fires, sickness, injury, are just some of the factors here. The biggest factor, I think, is the motivation to press on.
Congratulations, Mr. Garmire! And, hats off to all others who have accomplished hiking’s triple crown in any time frame.
Ray Anderson 