Hiker Speeds Through Pacific Crest Trail In Record Time

Joe McConaughy hiked the full 2,660 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in 53 days, 6 hours and 37 minutes — a new record. The 23-year-old Seattle man ran or speed-hiked the entire trail, which runs along the West Coast, from Mexico to Canada, and beat the previous record by six days.

But McConaughy credits his success to the support of friends who assisted him along the journey, following his route in a car chock-full of supplies so that he did not have to carry them on his own.

Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson speaks with Joe McConaughy and a member of his support team, Jack Murphy, about the record-breaking expedition, which was inspired by McConaughy's cousin Colin, who passed away from a pediatric brain cancer at the age of 2 in 2012.