‘A pretty overwhelming feeling’: Greensburg Salem, Slippery Rock grad completes 'Triple Crown of Hiking'

Greensburg native Jared Frith witnessed plenty of breathtaking sunsets and sunrises from the tops of mountains while hiking more than 8,000 miles from June 2021 to November.

But Frith found much greater value in the low moments of his journey — shivering in rain-drenched clothes for days during a tropical storm in Shenandoah National Park or crouching under a tarp to escape lightning in Wyoming’s Great Divide Basin, the hairs on his arm rising as bolts flashed through the air.

“Some of those low moments, when you come out of them, you’re the happiest you’ve ever been,” said Frith, 41, a 2001 Greensburg Salem graduate.

In nearly three and a half years, Frith traveled the Pacific Crest, Continental Divide and Appalachian trails, a feat known as the “Triple Crown of Hiking.” He started each trail in June, completing them about five months later.

Frith dodged black bears and rattlesnakes on the Appalachian Trail in 2023, and heavy snowfall instilled uncertainty around his start date for the Continental Divide Trail in 2022. Frith searched for alternate routes on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2021 while the Dixie Fire burned through 85 miles of land, leaving behind thick fog as white as a glass of milk.

And apart from sharing a few days of hiking with strangers he passed on the trails, Frith spent most of his miles alone.

All of the difficulties, Frith said, were worth it each time he passed through a town along his route, where he would shower, resupply his food stock, wash his clothes and call his family.

“The moment you come into town after that section and you can treat yourself to that beer or that steak or whatever, I think that’s a pretty overwhelming feeling,” he said.

‘You either do one or three’

Frith was grateful for the solitude on the trails. Since he began working on a sailboat in 2016, he has become accustomed to sharing tight living quarters.

“After being stuck on a boat with the crew members and the guests, it was kind of like — I could go out into the woods and be alone,” Frith said. “I realized I could wake up at my campsite alone and decide how many miles I wanted to hike that day, how long I wanted to stay in town.”

A backpack and tent were the only nonessential possessions Frith could fit onboard a boat. Overnight backpacking trips became a staple adventure in his days on shore.

Interest in sailing skyrocketed during the pandemic, Frith said. Facing burnout, he decided to take a step back from his work in 2021. Thru-hiking — an end-to-end backpacking trip on a long-distance trail — seemed like the perfect escape.

Frith had no plans to continue long distance hiking, let alone to complete the Triple Crown, when he took his first step on the Pacific Crest Trail. But after missing out on about 300 miles of the trail because of wildfires, Frith was not content to leave his thru-hiking days behind.

“When I accomplished the PCT, I didn’t feel like I did what I set out to do,” he said.

A glowing review of the Continental Divide Trail from a fellow hiker was all the convincing Frith needed.

The joke in the hiking world, he said, is “you either do one or three” of the trails in the Triple Crown. Sure enough, a month after completing the Continental Divide Trail, Frith “got the itch” for another thru-hike.

“I was craving being back on the trail again,” he said.

He set off for the Appalachian Trail, starting in Quebec to include the optional 750-mile international section.

‘Leave your life behind’

When Frith told his sister, Jacelle, of his plans to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, she was unaware of the magnitude of the challenge.

“We’re not from a hiking family,” Jacelle said. “So I would say I wasn’t completely aware of the trail and how intense and enduring it was.”

ALDHA-West, a nonprofit that educates and creates outreach opportunities for long distance hikers, has recognized 665 Triple Crown finishers since the organization was created in 1994.

The Oregon-based nonprofit recognized less than 10 finishers per year from the 90s to early 2000s, said secretary Lisa Slutsken. In 2023, 86 were recognized.

“To be able to go on a thru-hike of this scale, even if you are sectioning it into chunks, you need to take a lot of time off (work),” Slutsken said. “You need to kind of leave your life behind.”

Thru-hiking is not always as romantic as it looks in photos on Instagram or videos on YouTube, Slutsken said. Triple Crown hikers spend a lot of time alone and face an average of 20 miles a day for about five months.

Consuming enough food is a struggle for many hikers, new and experienced, Slutsken said. One of her favorite meals is ramen noodles topped with Thai spices, dehydrated vegetables and peanut butter, but quick, high-calorie snacks such as Snickers bars are common among hikers.

Triple Crown finishers can apply to be recognized at the nonprofit’s annual award dinner by submitting a photo of themselves on each trail and listing the dates of completion, Slutsken said.

“Hikers, it’s a really small community overall,” Slutsken said. “Hikers that haven’t been truthful in the past have been called out.”

‘He can do anything’

Jacelle had no doubt that her brother could complete the Triple Crown.

“I guess I also have a lot of faith in him, so it’s not really surprising to me,” Jacelle said. “I feel like he can do anything he puts his mind to. This is another example of that.”

Jacelle stayed in touch with Frith during his hikes, mailing resupply packages with food and other essentials to the towns he would pass through. The two exchanged texts and, when cell service was strong enough, Jacelle gathered her 8-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter to say hello over a phone call.

Frith has always been drawn to the outdoors. Before moving to Greensburg, Frith’s family lived on about 40 acres of land in a rural town in Potter County. Growing up in a small school district with the closest friends miles away, Frith and Jacelle often spent time together — exploring the woods near their home, playing games in the yard and riding bikes on their driveway.

Upon graduating from Slippery Rock University in 2005 with a degree in park and resource management, Frith aspired to work for the National Park Service.

In the summer of 2005, Frith worked in Utah as a backcountry ranger, patrolling Zion National Park to ensure visitor safety. He moved to Breckenridge, Colo., later in the year and stayed there until 2013, running the town’s noxious weed program to manage invasive species, assisting with trail maintenance and handling snow removal in the winter months.

After two years of traveling through Central and South America, Frith returned to Breckenridge for another year before starting in the sailing industry in Key West, Fla.

Since November, Frith has lived with his sister in Ligonier and enjoyed spending time with family in between construction jobs.

“I enjoy him being around,” Jacelle said. “But I also think it’s great to surround my kids with somebody who has accomplished so many things and has so much passion. And it also kind of gives them a unique perspective on the things they can accomplish.”

‘Many pots in the fire’

Frith has considered pursuing further education or moving to Maine to do maritime delivery work, but for now, he plans to work short-term jobs to tide him over.

And his schemes for future hiking trips have not skipped a beat. Frith has tossed around trips that include canoeing, “shorter” monthlong hikes and the 700-mile Great Divide Trail in Canada.

“I’ve got so many pots in the fire and I’m adding more to them,” Frith said. “There’s so many trails and areas I want to see.”

People tend to think they are not cut out for thru-hiking, Frith said. He believes just the opposite.

“I think it’s attainable and I think everyone should spend more time in the woods.”