Going FarOut on the Calendar Year Triple Crown

Photo provided by Heather Anderson

The planning and logistics of completing the CYTC are overwhelming. Most people plan for a year to complete a single Triple Crown trail. I was planning for three of them. There were permits to align, negotiating the PCTA permit system within the confines of needing to hit it just right with regard to my other hikes was a huge hurdle. Additionally, I had flights to book, shuttles to arrange, gear to purchase, and food to plan. I dreamed in spreadsheets.

The one thing I didn’t have to worry about was navigation. Having completed each trail twice before and with the FarOut app of each trail downloaded knowing where I was at was a breeze. Coupled with the Ley maps and Delorme Atlases for the CDT, staying found was never a concern.

I spent the weeks prior to my start date packing boxes and shipping supplies to myself along the way. Friends offered airport pickups and places to stash extra gear. Once I finally started walking, I spent the first two months battered by one winter storm after another. I discovered that I needed the FarOut app more than I thought I would on the AT as deep snow blanketed the trail. I fought my way north, climbing over Killington in snow that was 6 feet deep. After I reached Hanover, I caught a flight to New Mexico.

Photo provided by Heather Anderson

Photo provided by Heather Anderson

As I traversed the scorchingly hot desert my body was shocked by the dramatic shift. My navigation app became a way to find the essential: water. I carried a gallon jug with me in addition to my water bladders and bottles. The national forests throughout NM closed due to wildfires just days after I reached the Mexican border.

 

Along the Crest, I relished the clear footpath and perfect conditions as well as a community of hikers. The FarOut PCT guide was populated with updates on water caches and news of trail magic ahead. The struggles of the early miles that year faded, even as my body began to weaken.

 

Autumn was in full swing by the time I reached the CDT and it became a race against winter. All the comments in the app were now the words of hikers that I’d never see—ghosts from the prime season.

Photo provided by Heather Anderson

The CYTC took me farther than I’d ever gone before—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Now, 8 years later, I’ve written that story down.

My newest book, Farther: 8 Months on America’s Triple Crown Trails is now available. I hope you’ll join me on that journey vicariously.