Traveling Prepared

Traveling Prepared

Photograph by Michael Christopher Brown, National Geographic

When he isn’t traversing the Alaskan wilderness, competing in a 100-mile ultrarun, or delivering a powerful presentation about his many hikes, adventurer and National Geographic grantee Andrew Skurka is planning his next great trip. His expeditions have taken him as far as 7,775 miles at a time—on foot. Hikes like this require foresight, and Skurka always travels prepared. Here, he stops to try on a new pair of shoes at a post office in Cordova, Alaska.

"After my parents, the United States Postal Service played the most important role in my trip logistics. Food, supplies, maps, and fresh gear were all sent in Priority Mail flat-rate boxes, addressed to General Delivery. I'm still not sure how a 12-pound box of food can be shipped from Massachusetts to bush-village Alaska for just $15, but I don't want to question it. Receiving new shoes, a stack of crisp maps, pounds of chocolate, and (if I was lucky) some homemade cookies from Mom was one of the most cherished experiences of the trip."