I just completed the TRIPLE CROWN of hiking! AMA!

Congratulations! What trail food did you consume the most?

Any and every kind of bar. Clif bars, snickers, protein bars, etc

What was your favorite aspect of each trail?

And, considering the CDT is not as well-traveled as the AT/PCT, did you experience any navigational challenges?

AT: It was my first trail so I have the most memories from it. Finishing atop Katahdin is pretty dramatic

PCT: Amazing wide open views. You'll take a picture, walk 30ft and then take another picture from another angle.

CDT: Pretty much the same as the PCT but you have to work a little harder for the views. A lot of people like how empty the trail is but hiking 2600 miles alone is pretty boring

The CDT wasn't that hard to navigate. I defiantly got lost more times on that trail than I did on the other two combined. I had a GPS app on my phone along with paper maps and a compass that I never had to use

What inspired you to do this?

I've always liked the outdoors and hiking. I grew up in Maine. Also, school wasn't working out

Where in Maine? I lived in Readfield.

Brunswick

But did you finish the Oregon Trail?!?!?!

Nope

What piece(s) of gear was the most helpful in all three hikes? Did you carry a tent or use a tarp (or hammock?)?

My CDT gear list

https://lighterpack.com/r/dsopoz

I used different gear for all the hikes. I always used a tent, never hammocked before.

What do you do for a living to afford the time for these hikes?

I saved a lot when I was in the Marines. The hikes don't cost as much as you think. It's around 1000/month. I just worked shitty odd jobs to save up

I had never heard of the CDT but looking at the map i see it goes through new mexico. Isn't that like mostly desert? How did you carry enough water?

Most water I carried was 4 liters. Wasn't bad. You defiantly have to pay attention to water sources though. You'll be drinking out of the same tubs that the cows do

New Mexico is mainly desert right?

Pretty much. Lots of road walking though

-Did you ever come close to giving up, if so, why? -What life lessons have you learned after your experience? -What gear did you wish you had just splurged on from the beginning?

Never thought about quitting

Not sure about life lessons, I just enjoy hiking and traveling.

On the AT I wish I would have known more about ultralight gear.

Where did you feel least safe throughout all these hikes?

Also, do you get anything for completing all three? A hiking plaque or trophy or whatever?

Probably the CDT because that's a VERY lonely trail compared to the other two. There were many days where I didn't even see another human being. If you got injured you'd be in a crappy situation

You can apply for medals and plaques but I don't care for that stuff

So the danger didn't come from you feeling unsafe due to predators or other vagrants, but the lack of care if you got injured?

In the beginning I felt a bit uneasy in grizzly country but I got used to it. Didn't really have any bad animal encounters. I wasn't worried about getting injured, just the fact that if I did get injured there's a good chance you wouldnt see anyone for days

Did you carry any protection from the different bears or other wild animals? Are weapons prohibited on any trails?

Guns are illegal in national parks, probably state parks too. I carried bear spray from Montana to Wyoming

What is the strangest/scariest thing you encountered while hiking these routes?

Ran into a couple weird people in VA, I think they were mentally ill or off their meds.

I had a scary encounter with a bear in New Mexico, but I'm pretty sure it was actually a cow

How long did each of the hikes take?

AT: 129 days (8 Feb to 17 Jun)

PCT: 93 days (15 May to 15 Aug)

CDT: 93 days (29 Jun to 29 Sept)

An average of about 30 miles per day! Super fast, how did you manage to go so fast?

Wake up at 5:30, get moving by NLT 6, take minimal breaks (no longer than 30m) and stop around 9

Pretty impressive to keep that up for so long. How did you manage at night?

In the beginning I had daylight from 4:30AM to 10:30PM. I never needed to hike with a headlamp until New Mexico. Night hiking defiantly sucks, especially by yourself. I didn't do it that often, if I did it wasn't for very long

Any trails that you'd like to hike that you haven't touched yet? Especially international trails?

Like the old European Pilgrim routes or the European long distance hiking trails (E-routes)?

Or trails in Canada or Mexico? South America? Asia?

Haven't looked into any international trails. I'm pretty broke right now so it'll be awhile before I can afford that.

Did you carry a gun on any of your hikes?

I did on the AT. Guns defiantly aren't needed

Well done thats an amazing job! My wife and I are about to undertake the Te Araroa trail in New Zealand. Any great tips you can pass on from your experience?

Don't know anything about that trail. But just go as light as possible, it's worth the money. Keep your base weight (everything minus food, water and fuel) to no more than 15lbs

Go as light as possible. What a great tip lol

I wish someone would have told me that when I did my first thru

Had you not had much hiking experience prior to that or?

Pretty much zero

How much did it cost to do this?

How did you prepare your body before each hike?

Spent around 4000 on the CDT, this was money spent on trail. Doesn't include, gear or traveling

Fitness is a huge thing for me. I always exercise 6-7x a week and eat healthy 6x a week. I mainly weight lift with cardio on the side. I don't see specific training for hiking

Did you adjust your food intake to limit defecation to something like once a day, or every two, three, or four days?

Never heard of that before. No I didn't do it. Usually crapped once a day. It town it was usually more

If you are still answering, Do you have another hike that is next on your list?

My main focus now is getting a job and saving money

Congrats! Since those trail cut through some state and national parks, which were your favorite to pass through?

I dont really remember which parks I went into. Baxter and Glacier were nice though

Got any before/after pics of your body composition?

Nah, never took any before/after pics. I lost over 30lbs on the AT/PCT and I think around 25 for the CDT.

This is amazing! Can you run us through your gear list?

https://lighterpack.com/r/dsopoz

That page isn't showing any weights. Any idea how much weight you were carrying?

There's a link to my gear list in the OP. On the CDT I carried about 35/40 max

What is the most memorable day dream you had whilst hiking?

100% of thru hikers will have pretty intense day dreams about what they'll eat when they get into town.

In your link, saw a topo about looking out for land mines. What & where is that about?

No idea what it was about but it was around 5 miles north of Leadville, CO

Time to google up Leadville, ha!

Well, couple more then...

1) Which trail had the most wildlife. Yeah, broad spectrum, so say a) mammals; b) birds; c) reptiles?

2) Townies. In general, along which trail were they the friendliest?

3) Your highest altitude & where?

1.) Probably the CDT. Black bears, grizzly bears, deer, elk, snakes, spiders, birds, etc. It's a very remote trail so wildlife is everywhere

2.) Probably the ones on the AT/PCT because they're so used to thru hikers. CDT is still pretty new so town folks have no idea who you are.

3.) Mount Whitney on the PCT. It's a side trip that 99% of thru hikers take. Very easy climb though

Where do you poop? Are there dedicated structures on the trails or did you just go in the woods?

On the AT there are privies (outhouses) along the trail. On the other two you poop in the woods

Late to the party but... How much do you think you had to save up to do all this. I know one comment was around $1000 a month but what do you think your entire experditure was?

Probably around 6K for the CDT

Whats the appeal in hiking? -Low life gamer

I've always liked the outdoors. Love traveling, seeing things, meeting people, etc

How did you cut your nails on the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trail?

Nail clipper

But according to your packing list you only brought it on the CDT?

The section of the LT that I hiked was only 165 miles. No need for nail clippers since I wasn't out there for long. Save weight where you can

How hard was it to hitch rides on the PCT?

Not as hard as the CDT. I hiked with a girl on the PCT so every time we needed a ride I would stand around the corner and she would hitch by herself and cars would pull over in minutes. And then she'd say I was with her

did your legs hurt after the first trail? did it hurt less the next two?

Legs never really hurt, they would get sore in the beginning but that's it

Were the trails well marked? I heard the CDT is a bit vague at points.

AT is very well marked with white blazes. The PCT is as well marked but the trail is so well maintained there's almost no need for it. The trail itself is like a marker

The CDT is getting better marked each year. I saw many new markers in 2017. But you really do need to pay attention to twists and turns on the CDT. Many times the trail will be on a well defined path and then I'd check my GPS and I was off trail. I'd go back to where I was and the CDT splits off into some overgrown trail

What was your trail name?

Didn't use one. Not really a fan of the trail name thing

when did you decide you were going to do all three of them?

I was originally only going to do the AT. But after the AT I ended up working some stupid job that I hated and I decided to do the PCT the following year

your favorite view from the trails? like if you could right there, right now - where would it be?

Not sure if I have one favorite view. They were all great, especially on the PCT/CDT. Anything in the Sierra Nevada or the Wind River Range is incredible

what were specific challenges you faced for each of your hikes?

Appalachian Trail

• It was my first long hike

• Stream crossings in ME

• Super cold weather (Started early Feb)

• The worst blow downs I've ever seen up north

Pacific Crest Trail

• The desert

• Long water carries

• Snow in the Sierra

• Stream crossings in the Sierra

• Dark clouds of mosquitoes in OR

Continental Divide Trail

• Grizzly bears

• Bushwhacking/trail finding

• Being alone