Hiker: Andrew Skurka, long-distance hiking machine, guide, and writer

In His Words: The John Muir Trail is an overcrowded highway and it too often goes low when the best terrain is almost always high. The Sierra High Route is not necessarily more stunning than the other big routes I've done, but it's certainly more concentrated, putting the effort- and time-to-reward ratios off the charts. While the Colorado Rockies may be home for me, the High Sierra is the most majestic and rugged mountain range in the Lower 48.

Length: 195 miles

Why You Should Go: Many of Skurka’s biggest accomplishments are out of reach for mere mortals. Not the case for this route, a challenging tour of all the best California’s High Sierra has to offer, including Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, John Muir Wilderness, Ansel Adams Wilderness, Devils Postpile National Monument, and Yosemite National Park.

Shrewd route-finding skills are required, since more than half of this escapade scrambles over peaks and ridgelines sans trails. Many hikers choose to tackle this five-segment route in chunks over several separate trips, though Skurka and ultrarunner Buzz Burrell cranked it out in just eight days and four hours.

When to Go: Summer or early fall, after the snows have melted and before they begin again

About Skurka: An accomplished adventure athlete, speaker, guide, and writer, Andrew Skurka helped define light and fast backcountry travel with a number of solo long-distance backpacking trips, most remarkably the 4,700-mile, six-month Alaska-Yukon Expedition; the 7,800-mile, 11-month Sea-to-Sea Route; and the 6,875-mile Great Western Loop, which took him seven months.

Named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2007, this author of The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide leads trips in which he shares his knowledge with those interested in learning about backpacking gear and skills.

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