Elizabeth Thomas (born 1987) is a thru-hiking champion and former women's unassisted speed record holder for the 2,181-mile (3,510 km) Appalachian Trail. [1] [2] She holds the hiking "Triple Crown," having completed the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail. [3] [4] She is the pioneer of the Chinook Trail in Washington and the Wasatch Range in Utah. [5] She is Vice President of the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West, an ambassador for the American Hiking Society, [6] and an outdoors writer for Wirecutter, a New York Times publication. [7] She is also Editor-in-Chief of Treeline Review, a hiking gear publication. [8] As of 2018, she completed 20 long-distance wilderness hikes. [9]
Thomas was born in Sacramento, California and experienced a "typical suburban upbringing." [10] As a child she was "really drawn to nature, but [...] wasn’t really that active." However, a first-grade trip to a mile-long nature trail made a big impression on her, and from then on she attempted to get her parents to take her back to the trail on weekends. (Cascade Hiker Podcast, Ep. 127, 4:30) Thomas's mother was born and raised "in a Japan that--and even now--is not really for equality...not a great place to be a woman. Women didn't really do physical activity, they didn’t run or anything;" therefore, Thomas's "becoming physically active, becoming adventurous was a way [she] rebelled as a teenager." [10] Her first extended urban hike was in Los Angeles, during which she traversed a 180-mile route that connected 300 staircases. [9]
Thomas attended Claremont McKenna College. [5] During her years there, she became involved in outdoors clubs with fellow students and met professors who were also enthusiastic about hiking. (Cascade Hiker Podcast, Ep. 127, 5:42) After graduating, she earned a Master's in Environmental Science from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. [6] [11] In the process, Thomas received the Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship for her research on long-distance hiking trails, conservation, and trail town communities. [11]
Thomas had never been backpacking as of 2007. A year later, the summer after her senior year of college, [12] she completed her first thru-hike, the Tahoe Rim Trail, solo in six days. At the time, she "had a lot of experience dayhiking solo and doing big peakbagging trips with <24 hour goals" and had "car camped" and led a five-day backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon, but had never "overnight-in-the-woods" hiked. [12] She later completed her first major thru-hike: the 2,181-mile (3,510 km) Appalachian Trail. [4] In 2010, Thomas completed the 3,100-mile (5,000 km) Continental Divide Trail. [4]
Thomas has worked with the American Hiking Society since 2010, when she attended Hike the Hill in Washington D.C., a national event that unifies trail organizations, agencies, and politicians to advance the American trail system. [13] In 2011, Thomas hiked the 2,181-mile Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine, in 80 days and 13 hours. [2] Her trek set a record for the fastest female thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. [9] [12] The female record was broken by Heather “Anish” Anderson in 2015, [14] who simultaneously broke the male record held at the time by Matt Kirk. [15] In 2018, Karel Sabbe beat Anderson's record. [16]
In 2013, Thomas near-completed a thru-hike of all of Denver, Colorado's breweries. [17] In 2014, Thomas, Whitney La Ruffa, and Brian Boshart pioneered the approximately 290-mile Chinook Trail in Washington. [18] In 2015, Thomas trekked the Sierra High Route. In 2017, Thomas published her book, Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike. [19] In August 2019, Thomas was featured in Condé Nast Traveller's feature story 14 Globetrotters Redefining the Way We Travel. [1] In March 2020, Thomas will be the keynote speaker at the Texas Trails and Active Transportation Conference. [20]
Thomas leads groups on urban hikes of 11 American cities. [1] One of the tours is the eight-day Urban Brew Thru, [5] her thru-hike of every brewery in Denver, Colorado, [17] totaling 60 establishments, [5] the course charting in at 88 miles. [1] She also leads the six-week online course Thru-Hiking 101 [21] for Backpacker Magazine [4] and speaks at "colleges, outdoor clubs, hiking clubs, [and] women's groups." [10]
Date | Show | Episode | Role |
---|---|---|---|
June 18, 2019 | Tough Girl Challenges [22] | "Liz Thomas, Queen of Urban Hiking" | Guest |
Nov. 19, 2018 | Cascade Hiker Podcast [23] | "135: Treeline Review with Liz Thomas" | Guest |
Nov. 5, 2018 | By Land [24] | "Episode 52: Learn To Thru Hike with Liz Thomas" | Guest |
Sept. 24, 2018 | Cascade Hiker Podcast [25] | "127: Liz "Snorkel" Thomas—Her Story" | Guest |
Feb. 19, 2018 | The Adventure Sports Podcast [26] | "Ep. 350: Mastering the Art of the Thru-Hike--Liz 'Snorkel' Thomas" | Guest |
Jan. 4, 2018 | Dirt in Your Skirt [27] | "#78: Liz Thomas - Author, Thru-Hiker, Environmentalist" | Guest |
Elizabeth Thomas (born 1987) is a thru-hiking champion and former women's unassisted speed record holder for the 2,181-mile (3,510 km) Appalachian Trail. [1] [2] She holds the hiking "Triple Crown," having completed the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail. [3] [4] She is the pioneer of the Chinook Trail in Washington and the Wasatch Range in Utah. [5] She is Vice President of the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West, an ambassador for the American Hiking Society, [6] and an outdoors writer for Wirecutter, a New York Times publication. [7] She is also Editor-in-Chief of Treeline Review, a hiking gear publication. [8] As of 2018, she completed 20 long-distance wilderness hikes. [9]
Thomas was born in Sacramento, California and experienced a "typical suburban upbringing." [10] As a child she was "really drawn to nature, but [...] wasn’t really that active." However, a first-grade trip to a mile-long nature trail made a big impression on her, and from then on she attempted to get her parents to take her back to the trail on weekends. (Cascade Hiker Podcast, Ep. 127, 4:30) Thomas's mother was born and raised "in a Japan that--and even now--is not really for equality...not a great place to be a woman. Women didn't really do physical activity, they didn’t run or anything;" therefore, Thomas's "becoming physically active, becoming adventurous was a way [she] rebelled as a teenager." [10] Her first extended urban hike was in Los Angeles, during which she traversed a 180-mile route that connected 300 staircases. [9]
Thomas attended Claremont McKenna College. [5] During her years there, she became involved in outdoors clubs with fellow students and met professors who were also enthusiastic about hiking. (Cascade Hiker Podcast, Ep. 127, 5:42) After graduating, she earned a Master's in Environmental Science from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. [6] [11] In the process, Thomas received the Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship for her research on long-distance hiking trails, conservation, and trail town communities. [11]
Thomas had never been backpacking as of 2007. A year later, the summer after her senior year of college, [12] she completed her first thru-hike, the Tahoe Rim Trail, solo in six days. At the time, she "had a lot of experience dayhiking solo and doing big peakbagging trips with <24 hour goals" and had "car camped" and led a five-day backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon, but had never "overnight-in-the-woods" hiked. [12] She later completed her first major thru-hike: the 2,181-mile (3,510 km) Appalachian Trail. [4] In 2010, Thomas completed the 3,100-mile (5,000 km) Continental Divide Trail. [4]
Thomas has worked with the American Hiking Society since 2010, when she attended Hike the Hill in Washington D.C., a national event that unifies trail organizations, agencies, and politicians to advance the American trail system. [13] In 2011, Thomas hiked the 2,181-mile Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine, in 80 days and 13 hours. [2] Her trek set a record for the fastest female thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. [9] [12] The female record was broken by Heather “Anish” Anderson in 2015, [14] who simultaneously broke the male record held at the time by Matt Kirk. [15] In 2018, Karel Sabbe beat Anderson's record. [16]
In 2013, Thomas near-completed a thru-hike of all of Denver, Colorado's breweries. [17] In 2014, Thomas, Whitney La Ruffa, and Brian Boshart pioneered the approximately 290-mile Chinook Trail in Washington. [18] In 2015, Thomas trekked the Sierra High Route. In 2017, Thomas published her book, Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike. [19] In August 2019, Thomas was featured in Condé Nast Traveller's feature story 14 Globetrotters Redefining the Way We Travel. [1] In March 2020, Thomas will be the keynote speaker at the Texas Trails and Active Transportation Conference. [20]
Thomas leads groups on urban hikes of 11 American cities. [1] One of the tours is the eight-day Urban Brew Thru, [5] her thru-hike of every brewery in Denver, Colorado, [17] totaling 60 establishments, [5] the course charting in at 88 miles. [1] She also leads the six-week online course Thru-Hiking 101 [21] for Backpacker Magazine [4] and speaks at "colleges, outdoor clubs, hiking clubs, [and] women's groups." [10]
Date | Show | Episode | Role |
---|---|---|---|
June 18, 2019 | Tough Girl Challenges [22] | "Liz Thomas, Queen of Urban Hiking" | Guest |
Nov. 19, 2018 | Cascade Hiker Podcast [23] | "135: Treeline Review with Liz Thomas" | Guest |
Nov. 5, 2018 | By Land [24] | "Episode 52: Learn To Thru Hike with Liz Thomas" | Guest |
Sept. 24, 2018 | Cascade Hiker Podcast [25] | "127: Liz "Snorkel" Thomas—Her Story" | Guest |
Feb. 19, 2018 | The Adventure Sports Podcast [26] | "Ep. 350: Mastering the Art of the Thru-Hike--Liz 'Snorkel' Thomas" | Guest |
Jan. 4, 2018 | Dirt in Your Skirt [27] | "#78: Liz Thomas - Author, Thru-Hiker, Environmentalist" | Guest |