[pct-l] [cdt-l] Triple Crown of Desert Hiking

[dsaufley at sprynet.com]

I'm not exactly sure what trails he's linking up, but Andy Skurka has what looks like a truly amazing hike planned, "The Great Western Loop."  

On April 9th Andrew Skurka will begin his attempt to become the first person to complete the Great Western Loop, a 6,875-mile footpath that consists of a network of five existing long-distance hiking trails and a self-made segment through the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts. He will begin from Grandview Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and so long as things go well he will return there seven months later, in early-November, after having passed through many of the most cherished and pristine wild lands in the Lower 48, including 12 National Parks and over 75 wilderness areas. The Great Western Loop highlights the cumulative magnificence of America's West, its long-distance trail system, and its National Parks, while also highlighting the environmental and ecological threats that they all share. 

Check it out on his website:

www.andrewskurka.com

L-Rod

-----Original Message-----
>From: Trekker4 at aol.com
>Sent: Apr 4, 2007 11:47 AM
>To: cdt-l at backcountry.net, pct-l at mailman.backcountry.net, lawtong at hotmail.com, dirtythoughts at dirtygirlgaiters.com
>Subject: Re: [pct-l] [cdt-l] Triple Crown of Desert Hiking
>
> 
> 
>In a message dated 4/3/2007 11:50:22 PM Central Daylight Time, 
>lawtong at hotmail.com writes:
>
>I just had this vision . . . or perhaps a hallucination . . . of the "Triple 
>Crown of Desert Hiking."  This would include the Arizona Trail, Grand 
>Enchantment Trail and the Hayduke Trail.  I know of some folks that have 
>done 2 of these 3 trails but does anyone know of a hiker thatｴs done all 3?
>
>-Disco
>
>http://www.trailjournals.com/disco
>
>    Don't forget the Desert Trail itself; it's not finished, but partly 
>complete in CA, NV, and OR. It runs east of the PCT and west of the Great Western 
>Trail, which is west of the CDT. Unfortunately, I don't think it'll be 
>finished, or even close, for decades.   
>I've got the Hayduke guidebook and have marked it in pencil on my UT & AZ 
>Recreational Maps. It's the toughest long trail; the authors and founders warn 
>you not to expect even 10 miles a day. It's a trail where one is hiking in a 
>stream or river, counting canyons on the left, because you have to climb out and 
>up the 7th one, which is more of a cliff than a canyon. It's the most remote 
>long trail; the resupply towns are about the size of Yogi's apartment; and your 
>body needs to be relatively unaffected by loss of blood. 
>    The good news is that there are no Pirates near it; no internet 
>connections forcing one to read Reinhold's posts; and no discussion of guns, dogs, 
>trekking poles, the Warner Springs loop (which is just as tough apparently), bear 
>canisters or spray, which highway to hitch where (no more than 5 highways in 
>800 miles anyhow), or guys who think they're better looking than their dog. The 
>bad news is that there are no luxury tents in anyone's back yard, no washing 
>machines with a personal laundress, no free bandanas, no yearly gathering with 
>"free" (please donate) food, no Dirty Girls (damn. damn. damn), and no 
>alternative guidebooks (written by tiara wearing queens) that tell of trail angels, 
>spooky places, or which side of the river to walk in to avoid the quicksand. 
>Anyhow I'm tenatively looking for a partner (the only time I've ever made that 
>statement) for 09; I doubt I'd hike it by myself; but fast hikers need not 
>apply, because I'm not that fast; I'm slower, steadier perhaps with good 
>endurance, and usually hike from dawn to dusk. On the AT I kept up with many 
>thru-hikers, because they started late, stopped early, and goofed off more; on the PCT 
>in 05, for instance, the same group of 4-5 thru-hiker guys passed me 5 or 6 
>times before I ended that section hike. 
> 
>Bob "Trekker"
>Big Bend Desert Denizen
>Naturalized Citizen - Republic of Texas
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.
>_______________________________________________
>pct-l mailing list
>pct-l at backcountry.net
>unsubscribe or change options:
>http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l