9-Year-Old Coloradoan Set a Record by Completing Hiking Triple Crown
If you've never heard of the Triple Crown of hiking, it's no small deal. Most people wouldn't even attempt one third of it. But imagine what you'd see along the way! It consists of:
- The Appalachian Trail from Maine to Georgia
- The Pacific Crest Trail from California to Washington State, and
- The Continental Divide Trail that runs from Montana all the way to New Mexico.
That's just shy of 8000 miles altogether. Only 350 people have completed this, and now one of them is nine-year-old Christian Thomas from Boulder - although much of his strength was built at 9500' while living at Crested Butte.
When he was five, his stepdad took him out on the Appalachian Trail. He loved it so much, they decided to hike the whole thing. That alone took nine months! After that, they figured they might as well hike the other two trails. Now, he's made national news as the youngest hiker to complete this Triple Crown. People would oftentimes see him on the trail and say "Hey, buddy!" So now, he's dubbed "Buddy Backpacker," which is backed up by his Instagram and website.