GYPSUM, Colo. — A study by Ordnance Survey found that most people walk about 1,182 miles a year. Meanwhile, Gypsum's Charlie Janssen just hiked nearly 8,000 miles in under 12 months.
The history teacher just spent a year away from the classroom, spending most of his time joining the extremely rare group of people who have hiked the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail in a calendar year. It's a trio of long-distance trails called the Triple Crown of Hiking.
Charlie estimates only around a dozen people have ever accomplished this. According to Backpacker.com, by 2019, only 10 people had ever completed this trifecta of treks in such a short time.
"It's like one of those weird, bizarre callings to, you know, test your physical and psychological limits... Just [to] see what you're made of," said Janssen, virtually.
In the above story, you can see the wide range of terrains that Janssen traversed across the entire country, and see the moment that he finally reached the finished line.
