Just over a year ago, Andrew Skurka, a 24-year-old from Seekonk, Mass., set out to cross the country - on foot. On Aug. 6, 2004, Skurka left Quebec’s Cape Gaspe in Forillon National Park and a whopping 7,700 miles and 339 days later, he reached Cape Alava in Washington’s Olympic National Park, becoming the first person to hike the entire Sea-to-Sea Trail (C2C).
Skurka, who was recently named the 2005 Person of the Year by Backpacker magazine, walked along some of the country’s most rugged trails during the harsh North country winter and the West’s sultry summer.
“Andrew is a modern-day Lewis and Clark,” said Ron Strickland, founder of the Pacific Northwest Trail and visionary for the C2C trail.
The C2C route is a network of existing long-distance hiking trails that span almost continuously between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It includes sections of the International Appalachian Trail, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Long Trail, North Country National Scenic Trail, Continental Divide National Scenic Trail and the Pacific Northwest Trail; but it also incorporates Rails-to-Trails, roads and other pathways.
While the American Discovery Trail (ADT) already provides a non-motorized route from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware to Point Reyes National Seashore in California, the C2C route follows a more rugged course and is almost 1,000 miles longer than the ADT.
Skurka, a former cross-country runner at Duke University, learned the ins and outs of long-distance hiking in 2002 when he walked the Appalachian Trail (AT).
“My first day on the AT, my pack weighed 50 pounds and I didn’t know what I was doing,” he said.
He quickly learned how to lighten his load and finished the trail in just 95 days (it takes the average person five to seven months). The next year, he returned to Duke to complete his senior year, but was sidetracked by an article he read in Backpacker magazine about Ron Strickland and the C2C route.
“I called Ron immediately after reading the article,” Skurka said, “I was determined to
hike it.”
Yet while Strickland’s goal was – and still is – to provide the infrastructure for a cross-country footpath, Skurka’s motivation was pure physical challenge.
By the end of the trip, Andrew had worn through 15 pairs of Montrail running shoes, had eaten over 2,700 Balance Bars and pared his Golite pack down to a mere eight pounds.
The variety of the C2C route allowed Andrew to learn more about the people of the United States than he’d ever imagined.
“Sections on the road were way more conducive to meeting people than my time in the backcountry,” Skurka said. “People would go to check their mailboxes or get into their cars and see me walking down their street. They couldn’t help but ask what I was doing – and where I was going.”
Throughout the trip, his mom acted as his executive secretary, updating his Web site with stories and photos, responding to emails and ensuring that food and gear drops reached him at the appropriate times.
“They [Andrew’s parents] were adamantly opposed to this trip at first,” he said, as they were worried for his safety. “But in the end, they were my strongest supporters.”
Andrew plans to share the story of his transcontinental trek with hiking clubs and school groups by going on a road tour – with a car, of course – to help inspire others to explore the outdoors. But, at 24, he is certainly not ready to retire from long-distance hiking.
“It always astonishes me that more people aren’t into backpacking,” said Strickland. “Part of Andrew’s charm – and legacy – is that he helps people understand it. Now that he’s completed the trail, he’s a beacon for others to follow.”
–Becky Brun is the editor of Outdoors NW magazine and
enjoys hiking and trail running on the Pacific Crest Trail.
Learn More:
• Andrew Skurka: www.andrewskurka.com
• Ron Strickland & C2C Trail: www.ronstrickland.com
• American Discovery Trail: www.discoverytrail.org |
