Better known by his trail name of “Buddy Backpacker,” seven-year-old Christian Thomas has already hiked the entire Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails, two 2,000-mile-plus trails that most would consider the achievement of a lifetime. Furthermore, he completed the 498-mile Colorado Trail last summer, and he’s currently gearing up to tackle the 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail and become the youngest-ever hiker to complete the Triple Crown of long-distance hiking in the U.S.
Although critics have attacked his mom and her boyfriend for pushing a young child far beyond limits acceptable for his age, those who see Buddy on the trail describe him as a happy-go-lucky kid with unbounded amounts of energy.
