Andrew Skurka is an accomplished 27-year-old professional backpacker who is most well known for his two monumental long-distance hiking firsts -– the 6,875-mile Great Western Loop and the 7,778-mile Sea-to-Sea Route. He was named the 2007 “Adventurer of the Year” by National Geographic Adventure and the 2005 “Person of the Year” by Backpacker. (read more)
LATEST NEWS
January 5, 2008
I am giving several slideshows and clinics in Ohio and Connecticut over the next 2 weeks.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park Monthly Lyceum Series
Friday, Jan 9, 7pm
Happy Days Lodge, Brecksville, OH
$8 admission; call (330) 657-2909
or purchase at door
Lightweight Backpacking Clinic for Boy Scout Troop 321
Saturday, Jan 10, 10am-noon
Hudson, OH
This is a private clinic but if you would like to attend I am sure the Scoutmaster would welcome you. Please email me.
Mystic Seaport Adventure Series
Thursday, Jan 15, 1:30 PM and 7:30 PM
Mystic, CT
$5-$15 admission
November 28 -- Seekonk, MA
Another beautiful day here on the East Coast...“Mostly cloudy with scattered rain showers. Highs in the upper 40s. Gusts up to 25 mph this afternoon. Chance of rain 60 percent.” It’s so dark outside that it looks like it’s 4pm already, not 10am. Yuck.
It’s been great to see my parents and one of my sisters, as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins over the Thanksgiving holiday. But without question, after visits “home” I always look forward to returning West, where the air is thinner, where the sun shines more often, and where land conservation was not a distant second consideration after development.
I had a great stretch of speaking events and appearances prior to arriving in Massachusetts. It began at Colgate University, where I gave a lightweight backpacking clinic for the Outdoor Education program and a Great Western Loop presentation afterwards for the community. The students were awed by the lightweight and ultralight equipment and clothing that was demoed. The biggest “Wow!” product was a 3-oz Cuben Fiber backpack from Mountain Laurel Designs, which by comparison made the GoLite products look far more reasonable.
To Washington DC for the National Geographic Adventure 2008 Adventurer of the Year event... This year the distinction was given to British schoolmates Rob Gauntlett and James Hooper, both 21 years-old, for their epic 180 Degrees expedition from the magnetic north pole to the magnetic south pole. It was great to see the National Geographic family again and to meet the legendary Rick Ridgeway, who was given a Lifetime Achievement Award.
From Washington I flew to Poland for the Explorers Festival, an event that exceeded even my highest expectations. The 325-seat auditorium was packed for every presentation, with overflow filling the aisles and doorways. Each presentation concluded with a thunderous round of applause followed by a swarming of paparazzi and an autograph session. The All-Star list of North American presenters included climbers Lynn Hill and Hans Florine, around-the-world adventurers Colin and Julie Angus, outdoor photographer Corey Rich, filmmaker Michael Brown, alpinist Araceli Segarra, and mountaineer and writer John Harlin. I stitched together a 6-minute video of the event with clips of presentations by Corey Rich, Michael Brown, and myself: