Who is Strider?

We have the privilege of speaking with the one and only, Luke Jordan or Strider!

Today we sit down to chat with Strider. We unpack many of the feelings and thoughts that went into his 2013 North Country Trail Thru-Hike. Not only was he one of the first people to accomplish such a feat, but more amazingly it was his very first long distance hike. No acclimation for him tackling a 2,000 mile, 2,650 mile, or 3,000 mile trail. No Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, or Continental Divide Trail would act as his introduction into the backpacking world. Instead tackling the massive 4,800+ mile North Country Trail would be his first!

We chat about how he was able to wrap his head around such a massive endeavor. The support from friends and family that helped fuel his fire. The internal drive to continue ahead even through hoards of mosquitoes. The one and only time he thought of "quitting" and how a chat with a fellow hiker, a warm meal, and an internal resolve to continue to live his dream propelled him forward.

We chat about the Great Plains Trail. 2022 will be it's 10 year anniversary. We unpack what it was like to help navigate and route a long trail. We compare and contrast it to other trails, which as you know at this point is never easy! We talk about trail magic on a "lesser known" trail. We chat about the beauty of Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota and how the great plains are anything but plain.

We chat about his current career with the National Park Service and how he works hand in hand with NCTA, the very trail that was his first thru-hike. We chat about the emotions of missing trail while still so actively involved in the everyday of trail. We chat about community and the three sides of volunteer, hiker, and employee and how the heart of everyone is the same, is Strider.

We wrap up the show learning about 423 National Park Sites, and ask Strider the burning question of, with all his routing skills learned over the years when is he going to create a thru-hike connecting all of them?

Truly a wonderful chat with Strider, thank you for sharing part of your story with all of us!

FAVORTIE QUOTES:

"As long as all my positive and mediocre experiences outweigh the bad ones, I think that is a good solid life."

"I am going to do whatever I can to make this happen"

"When you reach the end point, what is your purpose?"

To learn more about the Strider and get involved check out the link below:

Facebook: StriderNCT

Book: Through and Back Again

Email: StriderNCT@gmail.com

To learn more about who we are click the link below:

Website: https://www.elevenskys.com/

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