Continental, Appalachian, Pacific: Mansfield native completes US thru-hiking Triple Crown
Mansfield native David Humeston completed the Triple Crown of long-distance thru-hiking in the United States by completing the Continental Divide Trail in November.
He completed the Appalachian Trail in 2013 and he completed the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016.
Humeston, 42, now of Columbus, started July 1 and completed the Continental Divide Trail ― all 3,100 miles — in 131 days, from Chief Mountain at Glacier National Park in Montana to Crazy Cook monument in New Mexico at the Mexican border.
Humeston, a 1999 graduate of Lexington High School, said in a first-grade show-and tell presenter, one of his schoolmate's grandfathers, Charles Bradfield, whose trail name is "Grey Fox," told the class about how he had hiked the Appalachian Trail and showed on a map how far he had walked.
This was the first recollection Humeston has of hearing about the Appalachian Trail.
Twenty-five years later he would meet with Grey Fox before starting his own thru-hike attempt of the Appalachian Trail.
Humeston said he was involved in Boy Scouts at a young age where his love for hiking, camping and backpacking began. He earned his Eagle Scout rank in 1997.
Humeston studied finance and economics at Ohio University and graduated in 2003. He moved around the country, working a variety of jobs and traveling internationally after college, eventually settling in Seattle. There he worked in the healthcare industry and was heavily involved with the local music scene. He continued to foster his love of backpacking in the Pacific Northwest.
In fall 2012, he and his partner, Amy Popp, decided to relocate back to the Midwest to be closer to family.
During this transition period, he prepared and planned his attempt at a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail for spring 2013.
After successfully completing the Appalachian Trail, he moved to Columbus and started a career with local startup CoverMyMeds as well as a part-time job with outdoor retailer REI as they opened their Easton location.
In 2016, Humeston took a sabbatical from CoverMyMeds and REI to successfully thru-hike the PCT.
In summer 2019, he was involved in a serious bicycling accident when an 80-foot tree fell on him during his commute home during a thunderstorm. He suffered serious injuries, but none that were permanently disabling, and he recovered within a few months.
In winter 2021, he joined the board of directors for the local chamber orchestra ProMusica.
In fall 2022, he and Amy Popp were married at Chapel Cave in Hocking Hills.
Humeston will be recognized by the American Long Distance Hiking Association this coming spring at an awards ceremony.
Latest trek filled with adventure
Humeston wore two pairs of Merrell Moab boots on the CDT; coincidentally, he wore two pairs on each of the other two treks as well.
"On all three trips, Merrell replaced the set of boots for free because I was thru-hiking ― a very generous company," he said.
He went alone on this latest trip but was familiar with most other thru-hikers attempting the hike.
"It's a small group that starts to run across each other from time to time and begin to learn who is out there doing the same thing. It's a roving band of thru-hikers that may not see each other that often but keep tabs on one another," he said.
"I pushed my pace harder than the pace I kept on the AT and the PCT to be able to do the Colorado sections I was most interested in, Collegiates and San Juans. Pushing was the right decision ― I barely got thru the San Juans. The last couple days were brutal thundersnow storms and reports after me were that people weren't able to get thru," he said.
Wildlife experiences include seeing a bear
A marmot stole his shirt at Scenic Point in Glacier National Park. "I had to chase him down the mountain shirtless to get it back."
A porcupine ate the cork handles of his trekking poles in the Wind River Range in western Wyoming. "I had heard about him from other hikers' reports and they called him 'Quilliam Shatner.' "I felt like I spotted an infamous villain."
A mad rattlesnake on the side of the road outside Rawlins, Wyoming.
22 moose in Colorado.
A lynx outside of Ghost Ranch in New Mexico.
A javelina roaming around the desert his second-to-last day before the southern terminus in Mexico.
"So many amazing examples of humanity ― the trail angels, the fellow hikers, the trail community ― just heartwarming. I'm back home in 'normal' society and see the lack of humanity in normal life. Experiencing the trail is refreshing, rejuvenating and renewing faith in the world and our ability to connect with each other while connecting with nature," Humeston said.
lwhitmir@gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Ohio hiker puts finishing touches on US trails Triple Crown
