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By the time I was 9-years-old my biggest life accomplishments were winning my Elementary School Geography and Spelling Bees and had a chili recipe included in my regional Boy Scouts of America (Cub Scouts at the time) cookbook. I hadn’t done shit in the real world and I’d only seen a tiny minuscule fraction of America. 9-year-old Christian Thomas? He’s seen it all, literally.
Christian Thomas is a 9-year-old from Colorado who is officially the youngest person to complete the United States Triple Crown of Hiking which includes the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and the Pacific Crest Trail. In total, Christian’s hiked nearly 8,000 miles since his 5th birthday.
Unlike most hikers who complete the U.S. Triple Crown of Hiking, Christian and his family never set out to set any records, nor did they start with the goal of completing the Triple Crown in mind:
He didn’t set out to become the youngest hiker to complete the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide trails. It just sort of happened – one step at a time – starting shortly after his fifth birthday in April 2013.
“We thought it was going to be like a fun two-week trip,” the Colorado fourth-grader said of that first long hike with his mom and stepdad. “And then we just kept going and going.” Nine months later, they’d finished the Appalachian Trail. “And then we thought, ‘Why not do the other two?’ ”
So the next year, when Christian was 6, the family spent eight months on the Pacific Crest Trail, crossing snow-lined mountain passes and scorching deserts. He finished the Triple Crown by completing the Continental Divide Trail two months ago. (via)
Christian’s story over on the Denver Post is wild. He says he listens to podcasts when hiking (almost 8,000 miles), and he always carries his Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal in his hiking pack. He said he once saw a real bear on the trail and went to pet it, assuming it was just like his fairy tale Winnie the Pooh, but his mom pulled him back before anything catastrophic could happen.
Only a few dozen hikers complete the 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail each year. Less than 500 hikers completed the 2,660-mile Pacific Crest Trail the year Christian hiked it. And only 300-400 hikers complete the entire 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail each year. So not only is he the youngest hiker to ever complete the United States Triple Crown of Hiking, he’s in rarefied company just by completing these trails.
I highly suggest you click here to visit the Denver Post and read all about Christian’s remarkable hiking accomplishments.