2004 Thru-Hiker Heading to Triple Crown

Rick Laney's story titled "Playing ‘save the toes’: Stranded hiker returns to Maryville" in the Daily Times ("serving Maryville, Alcoa, and Blount County Tennessee") dated 30 December 2007 describes Bert Emmerson's recent southbound Continental Divide Trail hike that ground to a halt in a 4 day frost-biting snow storm. He'd started in Montana on 15 June, and had hoped to finish by Christmas. The weather delay has put his completion off until April or May.

Anyway, Emmerson knows what he's doing:

"During his first year of retirement, Emmerson hiked the 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. The next year, he hiked the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail. He didn’t schedule any long-distance hikes for 2006, but started planning his Continental Divide Trail trek for 2007."

Emmerson's got a website detailing his hike.