My Long Hikes
My short, but growing list of treks around the world:
- Camino de Costa Rica - 14-day thru hike from east to west in January, 2023.
- Border Route Trail - 10-day thru hike from west to east in September, 2022 (plus 53 miles on SHT).
- West Coast Trail - 7-day thru hike from south to north in July, 2022.
- Kekekabic Trail - 6-day yoyo from west to east to west in October, 2020.
- Solitude Trail - quick solo loop around Cloud Peak Wilderness of Wyoming in August, 2020.
- Kilimanjaro - 8 days trekking up Mount Kilimanjaro and reaching the summit at Uhuru Peak on Valentine's Day, 2019.
These are the long trails I would like to complete over the years. The trail miles are rounded estimates and you'll see different miles other places.
(click for larger image)
- Pacific Northwest NST - COMPLETED - 1200 miles - July-September 2017, through the mountains where I grew up.
- Florida NST - 1100 miles - snakes, panthers, swamps, and insects. Hiked 100 miles from Key West to Key Largo, then from southern FT terminus up to Ocala. I'll return to finish it someday, but just sooooo many miles of high traffic roads.
- Appalachian NST - 2200 miles - I've done two section hikes on the A.T. for a total of about 425 miles.
- Ice Age NST - COMPLETED - 1100 miles - August-September 2013 - Close to home and I had relatives at two locations along the trail for support while I hiked across Wisconsin with PapaBear.
- Superior Hiking Trail - COMPLETED - 250 miles - September 2012 - hiked from Canada south to Duluth, MN. September had no bugs nor humidity, just a bit of rain, and awesome fall colors in the forests. This isn't a National Scenic Trail, but is part of the NCT and I was antsy to do another trek before winter.
- Arizona NST - COMPLETED - 800 miles - March-April 2012 - requires hiking early in the season since water is scarce and heat is intense as summer approaches. Provides a great opportunity to test out equipment, abilities, endurance, and processes. Lets me be home for my youngest son's high school graduation.
- Pacific Crest NST - 2600 miles.
- Continental Divide NST - 3100 miles. This is the most rugged and difficult of all the national scenic trails.
- North Country NST - 4600 miles. The longest NST by far, but relatively flat terrain from the northern prairies to the northeast forests.
- Natchez Trace NST - 700 miles
- Potomac Heritage NST - 700 miles
- New England NST - 220 miles
From initial research I've done, there's little camping and connecting routes for the last three and thru-hiking them takes support for lodging.
I do have some goals for this adventure, not just to burn through a few pairs of shoes. I will:
- Connect with scouts - Scout troops along my treks are invited to hike with me for a couple hours or days. I'll have a tracking device so folks can see where I am. That's Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or (what the heck) anyone that wants to do a short hike.
- Promote lighter-weight trekking. When scouts try to Be Prepared, we overpack and make life more difficult than needed on the trail. I'll be an example of how to go light but still be comfortable and safe.
- Promote Leave No Trace. I always try to follow the ethics of the seven LNT principles, but they are still unknown to many people that make use of our wild areas. I'll consistently demonstrate the outdoor ethics of minimizing impact. Read more about Leave No Trace.
- Record the Fun - through blogs, reports, stories, and journals I'll track and share the experience, providing a resource to help others planning their own adventures.
All Comments:
Feb 18, 2012 - Nancy
Feb 20, 2012 - Hiking Dude
Apr 09, 2012 - Matt
Apr 25, 2012 - wayne
Jun 13, 2012 - Sam
Jul 12, 2012 - Karolina
Jul 13, 2012 - Hiking Dude
Feb 26, 2014 - Richard Miller Mangarin
Mar 05, 2014 - Hiking Dude
May 22, 2014 - Steven Raaen
Nov 23, 2014 - Todd Machler
Dec 21, 2014 - Gladys
Dec 21, 2014 - Hiking Dude
Dec 21, 2014 - Gladys
Dec 29, 2014 - Justin
Dec 30, 2014 - Hiking Dude
Aug 21, 2015 - Kim
Sep 08, 2015 - Hiking Dude
Sep 30, 2015 - Marty
Both interest me, but presently I am working full time and perhaps some day, 1st day after when I retire, I could get the chance to do these crazy activity. Nice way to stay healthy. Right!
But I did really enjoy looking over what you had and how you would do, or how you did trail that far. So what trail are you working on now? What trails have you completed and are you doing them all as "one and done", OR will you walk all the FUN ones again.
Oh my only really cool trail, other than some trails while was in Boy Scounts as I climbed up the ranks, was I hiked the Grand Canyon, with my son a couple years back. THAT WAS a GREAT Experience
MDH
KD8OQA
73
PS if I get that far, I would like to be a trail Amature Radio out too!
Jan 15, 2016 - AndyB
good hiking
Mar 10, 2016 - Lizzie
happy hiking
Dec 17, 2018 - hans
www.oranginas.nl/en
Jan 29, 2019 - Allan Duggar
Jan 29, 2019 - Hiking Dude
I would like to hike all the National Scenic Trails eventually, but it's not to get the TC medal for me.
Mar 05, 2022 - rob
Ask a Question
Find more Hiking Resources at www.HikingDude.com
Follow Me
Recent Comments