Jessica Guo, a former consultant, has become the first woman to continuously hike the Continental Divide Trail and the Great Divide Trail in a single season, covering 3,541 miles from Mexico to Canada. She completed the five-month trek in September, leaving her six-figure job to encourage others to pursue their outdoor ambitions.
Guo, who turned 30 on the trail, maintained a pace of about 30 miles per day, battling mosquitoes, mud, snow, and wildlife including bears and caribou. She gained 588,750 feet in elevation, equivalent to climbing Everest 20 times. Her journey, documented on social media, attracted nearly 50,000 followers.
Starting at the Mexico-US border in New Mexico, Guo traversed deserts, high-elevation passes, Yellowstone National Park, and the Canadian Rockies. She finished at Kakwa Lake in British Columbia on day 152. 'Give yourself permission to do the thing,' she said in an emotional video.
Guo, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, noted the lack of diversity in long-distance hiking and hopes to inspire others. She encountered 'benevolent sexism' on the trail and in comments, but remains focused on encouraging more women and people of colour to hike. 'It's hard when you don't see people who look like yourself doing the things you want to be doing,' she said.
