The story of Will Robinson, the triple crown trailblazer

Less than 600 people have completed "The US Triple Crown of Hiking." This refers to successfully traversing the Appalachian, Continental Divide, and Pacific Crest trails – or about 8,000 miles spread across 22 states.

For Will “Akuna” Robinson, it was never his conscious goal to achieve this title. The nature-loving veteran just loved to hike. But now, he's become the first Black man to achieve the impressive feat. 

🕰 Lets back up: Will was born on an Army base in Germany, and had to learn early on how to adapt to new environments. He joined the US Army as soon as he could, but sadly returned home at 22 years old with chronic body pain, PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

Desperate to find solace while dealing with these new issues, he turned to substances to mute his intrusive thoughts. For twelve years, this continued.

• It wasn't until he watched a documentary on long-distance hiking that Will decided to start fresh and hit the trails. He never imagined the journey would completely change his life. 

🥾One foot forward... For the last six years, Will has gone from "Danger, Will Robinson" to "Hiking, Will Robinson." The now 41-year-old has hiked thousands of miles across the continental US, and was awarded the Triple Crown in 2019 after successfully traversing the Continental Divide trail.

Along the way, he picked up the nickname “Akuhna” (like Hakuna Matata) due to his always-positive vibes.

• "I noticed how much surrounding myself in nature improved my mental state, he shared. "I became hooked on the thru-hiking lifestyle, so it was just natural for me to explore other long-distance hikes.”
• He hopes that his accomplishments will inspire other people of color to enjoy the outdoors. 

❤️ Bottom line: “I think the major benefit of outdoor activities is simply having the time to unplug from the normal routine. I turn the cell phone to airplane mode, and take much needed 'me' time. With work, family, friends, emails and social media notifications, we tend to not take the time we need for self-care. The outdoors provides the arena for me to do that.”