554 Thru Hiking the Triple Crown
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The Appalachian Trail (AT), the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) are the “big three” long-distance trails in the U.S. Their combined mileage totals more than 7,000 miles.
Thru hikers (anyone who completes every mile of a trail) revere these trails, calling them “the Triple Crown” of long-distance hiking. Not many have hiked all three, however. It’s been said that more people have flown in outer space than have hiked all three trails.
Longtime Oak Ridge resident Jim Smith intended to hike only one trail when he set off at age 61 to hike the AT. Somewhere along the way, he began to realize he wasn’t done with long-distance hiking, or maybe it wasn’t done with him. Completing the Triple Crown became an unexpected journey of many rewards.
Jim will share what he’s learned on his Triple Crown hikes and why he hasn’t stopped walking since.
Jim Smith
Jim Smith came to east Tennessee in 1996 to work for a local television station. Later, he began building websites for non-profits, businesses, universities, and government agencies, and eventually worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He retired in 2019 to allow more time for hiking, as well as traveling with his wife, Kim. He shares stories about his hikes at hikewithgravity.com