Man Traveling 4,700 Miles Around Alaska

The trek will cross into six U.S. national parks and two Canadian national parks. Skurka will also spend time hiking in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Alaska Range and the Brooks Range and on the Iditarod and Chillkoot Trails. He’ll also have to float on the Copper, Yukon, Peel, and Kobuk Rivers.

Throughout the course of his hike, Skurka will only cross eight major roads. He anticipates covering 24 percent of the expedition on skis, 28 percent by packraft and 48 percent by foot.

Skurka is not a novice to long-distance treks. According to his website, he has hiked more than 23,000 miles since 2002. On his resume of extreme hikes are the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail, 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, 6,875-mile Great Western Loop and 7,778-mile Sea-to-Sea Route.

His ability to complete 35-45 miles a day is in part due to his ultralight packing strategy. The packraft, for example, weighs a mere 4.5 pounds.

Despite being so remote for the majority of his hike, Skurka’s adventures will be updated via a blog at National Geographic Adventures as well as a Twitter feed at @andrewskurka.

Community Connection:

Andrew Skurka isn’t the only person currently chasing a personal hiking milestone. For more inspiration, follow the story of blind hiker Mike Hanson, who is currently thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.