There aren’t many people who can say they were the first in history to do something amazing — but Craig Fowler can.
There also aren’t many people who can say they are the only person in history to do something amazing — but Craig Fowler can.
In 2017, Fowler became the first (and still only) person to complete both the thru-hiking and bikepacking Triple Crowns. If you’re not familiar with these two ambitious challenges, they include thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, as well as bikepacking the Tour Divide, the Colorado Trail and the Amazon Trail. In total, this challenge consists of more than 11,600 miles of hiking and biking.
“For me, I love the planning aspect of these adventures and I love doing it,” he says. “The lifestyle of hiking or bikepacking like that is almost like living life in one of its simplest forms.”
Fowler was inspired to complete the double Triple Crown after watching the movie The Martian, which led him to consider what he could do that no one else in the world had ever done — making him the only one out of seven billion people to achieve something. With both the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail already under his belt, the idea for the challenge was born.
Dubbed the One of Seven Project, Fowler now hopes to inspire others to find their passions and chase down their goals. “It’s not to inspire people to do what I did necessarily,” he says. “The goal is more to just encourage people to know themselves and their passions. It’s one thing to know who they are, but people let life get in the way.”
And just because he’s completed his challenge doesn’t mean Fowler is done chasing down big passions. While he coyly alludes to “another crazy idea” that he isn’t ready to share just yet, he’s still an avid hiker who has devoted his life to seeking out adventures. Up next: the John Muir Trail, which is 211 miles in the heart of the Sierras. Fowler completed portions of the trail during his Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike in 2007 and calls it, “the cream of the crop.”
“The PCT is my favorite,” he says. “It’s the remoteness of the Sierras — there’s no road for 200 miles — and the views. I love that granite and the sparse pine trees out there.”
Throughout his hiking and bikepacking journey, Fowler has naturally tried out a lot of gear. “It’s one of those things where you find something you like and it works well, so you don’t change it. That’s FITS socks for me,” he says. “My oldest pair is a couple of years old and they’re holding up really well.”
For his upcoming hike on the John Muir Trail, Fowlers says he’ll be packing several pairs of FITS socks to get him through. Good luck, Craig! We can’t wait to see what you do next.