Sam Gardner Starts All-In Trek on NCT

Sam Gardner at Crown Point, NY (photo from his journal)

based on Sam Gardner's All-In Trek Journal

On January 1, Sam Gardner left Crown Point, New York on what he hopes will be a 12,500-mile trek. He plans to hike the North Country, Pacific Crest, Continental Divide, and Appalachian National Scenic Trails in one huge walk.

The first day out, he discovered that the route of the NCT in the Adirondacks is poorly defined, and admitted that perhaps he should have done a little more advance planning. He doesn't post exactly where he walked, but from his location on January 10 suggests that he hiked through on Route 8- doing all road walk. This road is south of the proposed NCT trail.

Sam's stated purpose for his hike is "is to prove a simple but important point: Life is what we make it. We all have choices. We can choose to change or not. We can be content with who we are or we have the option to work towards the person we want to be."

Sam Gardner (photo from his journal)

He's already found a little more excitement than he bargained for, with party-ers shooting toward where he was camped (innocently, he hopes!). Of greater concern is that he is already having some trouble with an Achilles tendon, and a sore leg. With a planned average of 34 miles a day, this is troublesome.

Sam is a long-time lover of the North Country Trail. He's from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and a member of the Peter Wolfe Chapter of the NCTA. Peter Wolfe was the NCT's very first end-to-end hiker, completing his trek in 1980. If Sam completes the trail according to his timeline, he will be number 11 to hike it all!

You can follow his journey at The Initiative