Monday, October 15, 2012

The Triple Crown of Hiking

The Triple Crown of Hiking informally refers to the three major U.S. long distance hiking trails:

Pacific Crest Trail - 2,654 miles (4,270 km) long, Washington, Oregon, and California between Mexico and Canada following the highest portion of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range.

Appalachian Trail - 2,184 miles (3,515 km), between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine.The trail passes through the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The path is maintained by 30 trail clubs and multiple partnerships, and managed by the National Park Service and the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy.The majority of the trail is in wilderness, although some portions traverse towns, roads and cross rivers.

Continental Divide Trail - 3,100 miles (5,000 km), between Mexico and Canada following the Continental Divide along the Rocky Mountains and traversing Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.
The total length of the three trails is about 7,900 miles (12,700 km); vertical gain is more than 1,000,000 feet (300,000 m) (190 miles). A total of 22 states are visited if the three trails are completed. The American Long Distance Hiking Association - West (ALDA-WEST) is the only organization that recognizes this hiking feat. At the ALDHA-West Gathering, held each fall, the Triple Crown honorees are recognized and awarded plaques noting their achievement. As of October 2011, 155 hikers have been designated Triple Crowners.

The Triple Crown Award is recognition of the dedication, commitment, and achievement of those who have completed the three major National Scenic Trails; the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail. ALDHA-West is the only organization that officially recognizes the accomplishment of these few intrepid hikers. At the ALDHA-West Gathering, held each fall, the Triple Crown honorees are recognized and awarded plaques noting their achievement.

Operating on the honor system, ALDHA-West gives equal recognition to thru-hikers and section-hikers and assumes that those who apply for Triple Crown status have hiked the entire length of all three trails. Reasonable alternate routes or required road walks are considered viable substitutes for an official route, assuming one exists. ALDHA-West does not consider issues such as sequence, direction, speed, duration, frequency, or whether one carries a pack. If you have reached this incredible level of hiking, then you too are entitled to be recognized at our next Gathering. As of October, 2011, 155 people hace received their Triple Crown Award.

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