Active.com Endurance Sports

Great Western Loop

Andrew Skurka is a 26-year-old backpacker best known for being the first to complete the 7,778-mile Sea-to-Sea Route in July 2005. His 11-month, transcontinental hike began in Quebec and followed a network of trails to Washington. This accomplishment earned Skurka some of the top accolades in the outdoor industry in 2005 and 2006.

After months of careful planning, Skurka hit the trail again on April 9, attempting to become the first person to complete the Great Western Loop. This 6,875-mile footpath is made up of a network of five existing long-distance hiking trails and a self-designed section that passes through the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. The trip started on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and will take seven months to complete. Ending in early-November, Skurka will have passed though 12 national parks and over 75 wilderness areas during his journey.

In addition to impressive backpacking experience, Skurka is also a conservationist and well-respected public speaker. Skurka has been an ambassador of living a “lightweight lifestyle” in hopes to minimize his individual impact on the environment while raising awareness of the environmental implications caused by global warming.

Got Inspiration?

In anticipation of a longer marathon training run early tomorrow morning, I found myself in need of some extra motivation. Whenever I find myself in a struggle to regain focus on a big goal that at times seems out of my reach, I refer back to the age old acronym: S.M.A.R.T

1.    Specific: These goals are most clearly defined by the 6 “W” questions – Who, what, where, when, why. The answers to these questions will begin to bring your goals into focus.   

2.    Measurable: By establishing a system for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set, you will find increases in motivation by experiencing a sense of achievement when reaching the smaller incremental goals along the way. To prevent ambiguity and vagueness, make sure to incorporate a quantitative time frame allowing you to carry out those steps and feel successful.

3.    Attainable: Once goals are identified and the incremental goals begin to be accomplished, the larger goals that used to seem far away, begin to grow closer as you grow as a person. It's truly amazing how one begins to figure out ways to make goals become reality. Previously overlooked opportunities manifest themselves and bring you closer to the achievement of your goals, all the while, new attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial strategies develop to help you to reach them.

4.    Realistic: By truly believing that your goal can be accomplished, your goal will be realistic. This is something that you and you alone must decide. Be sure to set each goal as to represent ample growth. By following these guidelines, higher goals often prove to be easier to reach than lower goals because lower goals produce a lower level of motivational energy.

5.    Timely: Goals should be set within a time frame with a starting point, ending point, and fixed intervals along the way. This will perpetuate a sense of urgency to act as target dates approach. Goals without deadlines tend to fade in importance and fall in rank of priority where less commitment is established.

So good luck to all you weekend warriors who are on your way to S.M.A.R.T goals!

(Photo provided by Gettyimages / Photographer Gary S Chapman)