Brian Robinson (hiker)
Encyclopedia
Brian Robinson is the first to hike the Pacific Crest Trail
, the Appalachian Trail
and the Continental Divide Trail
(or the Hiker Triple Crown) in one year, a feat that means he hiked a total of over 7,000 miles.
Robinson decided (in 2000) to take a six-month leave of absence from his job at Compaq
and attempt the Pacific Crest Trail with his father Roy, who himself is a seasoned back-packer. Mid-way through the trip, Brian realized the Triple Crown might be achievable in a single year.
Robinson completed the Triple Crown with tremendous support from friends and family. Support ranged from notes of encouragement in trail registers to regular food re-supplies mailed to strategic points along the route, and even a complete equipment replacement by a near-stranger after his backpack was lost with most of his original gear. His father maintained a website with frequent updates from his daily journal and the most current photographs.
During his travail, he had to overcome several emotional obstacles to complete his goal, including having his pack mis-routed during a bus transfer, discovering on September 12, 2001 that the US had been attacked and encountering a woman that might have been "the one." His fellow through-hikers began calling him "Flyin' Brian", a trail name he continues to use.
In the years following the Calendar Triple Crown, Robinson became an active ultra-marathoner. He has completed several 100-mile races, including the Western States 100 and the Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run
. In 2008 he set the course record at the Barkley Marathons
, a grueling 100 mile course in Frozen Head State Park
, Tennessee
. A feature in the Washington Post chronicles his attempt to finish the race in 2007.
Pacific Crest Trail
The Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance mountain hiking and equestrian trail on the Western Seaboard of the United States. The southern terminus is at the California border with Mexico...
, the Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
and the Continental Divide Trail
Continental Divide Trail
The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail is a United States National Scenic Trail running 3,100 miles between Mexico and Canada. It follows the Continental Divide along the Rocky Mountains and traverses five U.S. states — Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico...
(or the Hiker Triple Crown) in one year, a feat that means he hiked a total of over 7,000 miles.
Robinson decided (in 2000) to take a six-month leave of absence from his job at Compaq
Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
and attempt the Pacific Crest Trail with his father Roy, who himself is a seasoned back-packer. Mid-way through the trip, Brian realized the Triple Crown might be achievable in a single year.
Robinson completed the Triple Crown with tremendous support from friends and family. Support ranged from notes of encouragement in trail registers to regular food re-supplies mailed to strategic points along the route, and even a complete equipment replacement by a near-stranger after his backpack was lost with most of his original gear. His father maintained a website with frequent updates from his daily journal and the most current photographs.
During his travail, he had to overcome several emotional obstacles to complete his goal, including having his pack mis-routed during a bus transfer, discovering on September 12, 2001 that the US had been attacked and encountering a woman that might have been "the one." His fellow through-hikers began calling him "Flyin' Brian", a trail name he continues to use.
In the years following the Calendar Triple Crown, Robinson became an active ultra-marathoner. He has completed several 100-mile races, including the Western States 100 and the Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run
Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run
The Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run is an ultramarathon in length, with of climb at an average elevation of over . The race is held on a loop course on 4WD roads, dirt trails, and cross country in Southern Colorado's San Juan Range, USA...
. In 2008 he set the course record at the Barkley Marathons
Barkley Marathons
The Barkley Marathons is a 100 Mile Run and a 60 Mile Fun Run held annually in Frozen Head State Park near Wartburg, Tennessee in late March or early April....
, a grueling 100 mile course in Frozen Head State Park
Frozen Head State Park
Frozen Head State Park and Natural Area is a state park in Morgan County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park, situated in the Crab Orchard Mountains between the city of Wartburg and the community of Petros, contains some of the highest mountains in Tennessee west of the Blue...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. A feature in the Washington Post chronicles his attempt to finish the race in 2007.