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

[scourtway at bpa-arch.com]

Pretty cool watching the evolution of the lightweight backpacking world
over the last 10 years or so.....What seemingly started with Ray's book
and a few enthusiasts has turned into a super big deal looking at the
current golite website and all the other cottage industry folks doing
well.....I'm glad I've got to enjoy and be a small part of the whole thing
- and thanks to PCT-L too !!  Isn't the internet great ? *cough


;)
s.c.







> 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 thatï½´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.
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