Today in stoke: Vicariously walk 4,680 miles in Andrew Skurka's boots

If you need some inspiration for your next epic trek (or just prefer to live vicariously through the tales of others), stop by Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder, 633 South Broadway Suite A, tonight at 8 p.m., where Boulder-based adventurer Andrew Skurka will share a multimedia presentation documenting his recent Alaska-Yukon...

By Colin Bane

March 24, 2011

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If you need some inspiration for your next epic trek (or just prefer to live vicariously through the tales of others), stop by Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder, 633 South Broadway Suite A, tonight at 8 p.m., where Boulder-based adventurer Andrew Skurka will share a multimedia presentation documenting his recent Alaska-Yukon Expedition, featured in this month's issue of National Geographic. Skurka spent six months last year skiing, trekking and packrafting his way around Alaska and Canada's Yukon for the trip, traveling 4,680 miles in all and going as long as 24 days without encountering another human. He makes up for the social deprivation of his solo trips by alternating them with public speaking engagements and, it turns out, he's one hell of a storyteller.

Skurka's 2010 trip took him on a massive loop from the Arctic city of Kotzebue, passing beneath Mt. McKinley, traversing the Brooks Range, and crossing the Yukon Arctic and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The trip was humbling, even for Skurka, whose previous adventures in the last decade include the 6,875-mile Great Western Loop trek that won him National Geographic's 2008 Adventurer of the Year honors and the 7,778-mile Sea-to-Sea trek that he completed in 2004, linking five trails in the National Trails System.

While you're in the shop, ask Skurka for tips on gearing up and packing light: He's an expert in getting by on bare minimums and you'll want to be, too, if you're planning on even a fraction of his mileage. His new book Hiking & Backpacking Gear: A Walker's Complete Guide comes out next month.

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