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An ADT First  

Eight months, 4,921 miles—and 4 days off?  No sweat 

Long-distance veterans Ken and Marcia Powers of California are known to encourage struggling thru-hikers to take a few motel days as a way to regain their footing. Which is funny given that the 50-something duo is about as likely to stop walking as Emeril is to stop shouting "Bam!" every 30 seconds When they recently became the first individuals to thru-hike the American Discovery Trail, they covered the 4.921 miles in 231 days averaging 20 miles a day. What drives this power duo? We caught up with them to get the lowdown.

BP    Only 4 zero days for the entire hike? You two have some crazy stamina.

MP   After the first week stamina is all mental. You have to have the desire to get up and walk 20-plus miles; that's it. We couldn't handle the thought of 4.900 miles. but we could accept the challenge of hiking 20 miles today, and we're always curious about what we'll see ahead,

BP    So was it fun?

KP    People think walking across the country is romantic. and really it is-seeing America like that But it's an immense amount of work, so the answer is yes and no.

BP    How did you encourage each other on days you'd like to quit?

KP    Having two of us hiking was a real advantage in this regard. When one wanted to quit, the other could be a voice of reason. You slow things down and reas- sure the other that things will get better tomorrow. The urge to quit usually didn't last iong and was frequently the result of not eating or drinking enough.

BP    Which were the toughest states?

MP   Ohio was tough because of rain and flooding; part of the trail hadn't been cleared after winter and was overgrown. Colorado was a challenge too, but in an ironic way. We expected remoteness, but spent time on roads and urban bike trails.

BP    In hindsight, would you have taken more rest days?

KP    Nope We had nothing to prove; we just didn't feel like we needed to stop. That's how we got our trailname—Gottawalk.

For more info, visit www.discoverytrail.org.