The World's Most Daring Hikers and What They Can Teach Us All

Here are some accounts of some of the strangest hikers in the world, and you can see why.

Since then, many people have succeeded in climbing Mount Everest, but even though Everest is at the top of the world, it is accompanied by 14 other mountains standing above 26 000 feet tall. These mountains are recognized by the international community. In the 1920s, Englishman George Mallory attempted to summit Mount Everest aka the peak of the world for the third time. When asked why he wanted to do it, Mallory simply replied that it was there.

It took Italian superhuman Reinhold Messner seven years to set this world record, and up until a few years ago, this was the fastest anyone had ever done it. Messner was without a doubt a Pioneer, reaching all 14 Peaks in 1986 without using any additional oxygen because, as you may know, the air gets pretty thin above 26 000 feet.

Nims seemed to demonstrate that nothing was too far outside his reach when he named his Adventure project Possible and successfully led a team of four men to summit the world's most difficult mountain, Evere. Nims was a Nepalese mountaineer who suddenly appeared on the hiking scene and announced that he would climb all 14 mountains over the course of seven months. The hiking and mountaineering communities around the world were shaken by this statement alone. Nims completed the circuit in six months and six days, shattering more than six world records for mountaineering.

It's safe to say he made himself known.

As one of the best and possibly craziest extreme hikers in the world

Although it doesn't have to be this dramatic, trekking will undoubtedly force you to step outside your comfort zone, just as it did for our next hiker in the 1950s. Emma Rowena Gatewood left Ohio with just a pair of Keds shoes, a blanket, and a raincoat in a homemade denim bag because she had heard about the famed Appalachian Trail in an old National Geographic magazine.

The woman was inspired to hike the trail after reading an article she had found at home. Mrs. Gatewood was 67 at the time, and this was her first hike. In interviews, the woman who would later be known as Grandma Gatewood said that if she had known how difficult the trail was, she probably wouldn't have done it. However, since she was already there, she convinced herself she could finish it—or maybe she could—so she went ahead and did it.

Grandma Gatewood proves that there is no upper age limit for outdoor adventurers, and so do you, buddy.

Backpacker Christian Thomas, also known as Buddy, is the youngest person to hike the so-called Triple Crown. Buddy started hiking 14,000-foot peaks when he was four years old. He insisted on accompanying his stepdad on an attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail, which is 2000 miles long. Buddy got faster and faster by the day, breaking his own personal records and, of course, world records.

and he was prepared for two more years.

later He went to the Mexican border to start hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

He had seven months to complete it and set a new world record. He was indeed the youngest person ever to accomplish that achievement.

Then, at the age of nine, he completed the Triple Crown by hiking the Continental Divide Trail, which took him two years to complete and earned him his third world record title. What this little man accomplished in such a short period of time is incredible. If you've ever attempted to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in the last 30 years, you may have come across this guy. Billy Goat George Woodard Billy Goat retired from his work as a railroad conductor in Maine and has since hiked an astonishing 150 days each year.

He has hyped the PCT eight times and several additional paths totaling 32 000 miles to any PCT hiker. Billy Goat is a legend who inspires hikers to complete their tracks because he knows the way like the back of his hand. Every year, over 300 individuals attempt to trek the PCT, but only about 30% of them complete it. Billy Goat hiking is not an exercise or part of an outdoor vacation; it is his way of life. As an experienced long-distance hiker, hiking is the best way to connect to Nature and everything around you.

Billy walks at a steady two miles per hour and only stops to eat. Oh, and he follows the golden rule of Long Trails by keeping everything he needs under 10 pounds. If you've always wanted to cross the PCT or even the Appalachian Trail off your bucket list, make sure to follow Billy's simple tip.

Even if you don't do it at first, I'm sure you'll need to lighten your rucksack somewhere along the route.

Hey, if you're a bookworm, you've undoubtedly heard of John Krakauer's book, "Into the Wild." It relates the narrative of Christopher McCandless and his attempt to travel and hike across the United States by himself. McCandless left his Texas home and traveled all the way to Alaska, where he attempted to climb the Stampede Trail but failed owing to poor planning. McCandless was taken aback by a hard winter, which he spent mostly inside what is now known as The Magic Bus, oh yes, another golden hiking rule.

Plan well in advance, especially if the walk you're going on is arduous. Some hikers may plan up to three months ahead of time to get the most out of their experience, mapping the most difficult locations and attempting to pinpoint where things might go wrong. Unfortunately, McCandless' excursion did not end well because he ran out of food and, as you may know, ate a plant he should not have.

You may have heard of famous hikers.

Cheryl Strayed, the woman, has also been mentioned.

She traveled the PCT alone and changed her life around

The PCT has risen to prominence as the subject of a best-selling book called Wild the PCT.

Recently, primarily as a result of the success of the film adaptation of this novel, many inexperienced hikers are attempting to complete this 2650-mile track. Just FYI, that's roughly five months of non-stop walking. If you do attempt to spend that long on a walking spree, be sure to prepare your muscles.

Cheryl's story in Wild encourages us to try new things in life, but it also shows that you could have a better time if you don't.

if you plan ahead of time

Cheryl decided to hike over 2000 miles on a whim, and she describes how harsh a long-distance hike can be on an unprepared body. A good option for someone who wants to start hiking but doesn't know how is to hike the closest trails and see how they feel about it. You might love it and discover you have a new favorite activity, or you might just want to leave hiking for all the Cheryl and Billies of the world.