Trek Dirty to Me
AJ here. What is ‘Trek Dirty to Me?’ It’s a project that I have been wanting to do for over a decade. In short, it is the complete thru-hiking of the Triple Crown of American hikes - the three major American Scenic Trails: The Appalachian Trail (AT), the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT).
The longer version is that this means that I will be hiking three, roughly 6-month hikes covering 22 states and 7,900 miles (12,700 kilometers). I will be thru-hiking (hiking from start to finish) and mostly camping during the hikes, though there will be some truly awesome opportunities to go off-trail and check out some fantastic spots for eating (and cooking) and drinking. It’s also important to note that, though the number varies up to 500ish, the current number of folks who have officially been recognized for completing the Triple Crown stands at 396 (as of the end of the 2018 season).
Partly because my knees aren’t getting any younger (I plan to hike this over the course of three years from 2020-2023 when I will be celebrating my 40th, 41st, and 42nd birthdays on the trail) and because I would like to eventually dive into my first restauranteur adventure sooner rather than later, this seemed like my ideal next project.
Now the fun part, not only will I take you along for the ride, but I plan to interview as many folks as I can along the way (particularly past, present and future thru-hikers, restaurant and bar owners, food and beverage producers and writers) and feature them on my “Trek Dirty to Me” podcast. Get it? I thought it was clever.
If you have suggestions on who I should talk to (even if that means you), where I should go, what I should eat and drink, and with whom I should cook, please email tdtm@booksbourbonbacon.com with the subject line “TDTM Podcast.”
Finally, if you just want to meet and maybe hike a few days (or months) along the way, let’s do it! Many have already reached out and asked to do exactly that!
See you on the trail!
AJ
Trek Dirty to Me Video Stream
Courtesy of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Appalachian Trail (AT) (April 2020)
The AT covers 2,184 miles (3,515 km), between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. I will be hiking south to north.
The most hiked and most accessible of my three little walks. Seemed like a good idea to start here. Plus there are many opportunities to stop into towns along the way to meet and eat.
Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) (March 2021)
The PCT is was made famous recently in the book and movie ‘Wild.’ At least made famous enough to be the only trail recognized by my friends overseas, where I have been living for the last 4 years.
Spanning 2,654 miles (4,270 km), the trail takes me through Washington, Oregon, and California between Mexico and Canada following the highest portion of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range. I will be hiking south to north.
This means that I will be dealing with desert and little water to start, ice and snow and the need for an ice axe and crampons for the mountains. Also, mosquitos, rattlesnakes and bears. And wolves.
There should be some fascinating folks along the way, but there are far fewer opportunities to go off-trail to visit towns.
Courtesy of USDA
Image from ContinentalDivideTrail.org
Continental Divide Trail (CDT) (March 2022)
The CDT is both the most familiar yet also the biggest mystery of the three hikes for me. Hence, this is why it is the last that I will attempt.
It is familiar because I spent a significant portion of my early life around the Continental Divide in Colorado and New Mexico. A mystery, because it is the least developed and established of the three trails. Portions are still unfinished.
At 3,100 miles (5,000 km) between Mexico and Canada, it is the longest of the three hikes and follows the Continental Divide along the Rocky Mountains and traversing Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.
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Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting a global pandemic to shut down the world right before I was to set off on my Trek Dirty to Me project and my years-long planned 2,200 mile trek of the Appalachian Trail. But it did, and I could not have been luckier. What a ride these last three months have been!