Have you ever even thought about hiking 45 miles in one span of daylight?
It's strange how some of these insane feats go unnoticed beyond those in the hiking world. 45 miles per day for two months straight. 45 miles is more than most of us drive in one day. Anyway I should probably stop admiring this guy and just get to the facts-
Only 40% of the athletes who set out to thru-hiker actually succeed, and with the average time being 4 months on the shorter end. The average trip costs $4000-$8000 depending on how well prepared you tend to be.
With that in mind there is a lot of preparation that goes into an accomplishment such as this. Though it will probably not be widely recognized beyond the hiking community, Garrett is an athlete that separated himself from the pack.
So what should we take from this: One, employment as a college professor (and the vacation days that come with it) may just be one of the best hiking occupations ever. And two, I don't think I can muster any more sympathy out of my friends and family after a 10 mile day hike.
Because Mother Nature can be a pain.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2013/08/12/pacific-crest-trail-hiking-record/2642917/