Calendar Year Triple Crown (CYTC)

Calendar Year Triple Crown: Hiking the entirety of the Continental Divide, Appalachian and Pacific Crest National Scenic Trails in one calendar year. Completed in 2018. First woman to do so.

I began on the evening of March 1st on Springer Mountain, GA. My now-husband proposed to me there in torrential rain and wind. We camped in our car only a mile into my over 7,000 mile long journey. At this tree in Grants, NM on a sunny November 8th I finished linking my steps along the entirety of the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide National Scenic Trails. I was the first woman to complete a Calendar Year Triple Crown.

Unlike so many hikes before, I was supported by my community. Arlette Laan, who took the above photo while guiding me through horrific weather in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, spent days crewing me through the northern third of the AT. My fiancé hiked the entire PCT with me, completing his Triple Crown, and then crewed me the majority of the CDT.

The Appalachian Trail was completed almost entirely in winter conditions. Deep snow, cold rain, and consistently cold temperatures made it a new challenge. My fiancé assisted me through much of the worst weather in the south.

Switching gears from predominantly supported winter hiking to accompanied, self-supported hiking in hot, extremely dry conditions was a major challenge. We dealt with extreme wildfires for nearly half of the trail.

Before winter closed the mountains. And somehow, I still had to hike New Hampshire and Maine on the AT. The final months were a non-stop race against the changing seasons.

For this, I was selected as one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year.

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