Islander aims for the triple crown

Since the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) gained notoriety through the 2014 movie, "Wild," people have flocked to hike the PCT. Others have hiked the Appalachian Trail (AT) and some have hiked both, but few have achieved the pinnacle of hiking by also traversing the third and most difficult trail, the Continental Divide (CDT).

Since the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) gained notoriety through the 2014 movie, “Wild,” people have flocked to hike the PCT. Others have hiked the Appalachian Trail (AT) and some have hiked both, but few have achieved the pinnacle of hiking by also traversing the third and most difficult trail, the Continental Divide (CDT).

Islander Lizzy Corliss, 24, plans to throw her backpack into the pool of the select few — under 200 — who have hiked all three, achieving the Triple Crown of hiking.

Corliss, who hiked the PCT — pre-“Wild” release — in 2014, and the AT in 2015, is busy with plans to traverse the CDT at the end of June. But before she goes, the intrepid adventurer is organizing two events related to hiking the fabled trails.

The first, aptly named “The Triple Crown,” will be a PowerPoint presentation about all three trails given by Corliss at 6 p.m. Friday at the Land Trust. She is collecting donations for the Student Conservation Association (SCA), which first introduced her to hiking the long trails.

“I wanted this hike to be a give-back,” Corliss said. “I want to introduce our youth to the great outdoors and to SCA. If it hadn’t been for SCA, I wouldn’t be doing this, so I wanted to give back full circle.”

The second event will be a screening of “Walkumentary,” a film by a CDT finisher who, in 2006, walked and filmed the trail, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 21, at the Vashon Theatre. Tickets are by donation, but no one will be turned away at either event.

“The two events,” Corliss said, “are a background to let others live the trail.