Man walks 2,660-mile trail, takes selfie every mile to prove it

Over the course of five months, Andy Davidhazy hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,660-mile walk that began in Mexico and snaked up the West Coast. He took a selfie at every mile, and by the time he reached his destination in Canada, he was 50 pounds lighter and completed what he calls an “unambiguous challenge.”

“I was looking to do something that I could derive confidence and meaning and apply to other aspects of my life,” the 47-year-old designer told the NewsHour. The weight loss, Davidhazy said, was a “collateral benefit.”

One of the hardest parts of the 2013 hike was right in the beginning, when Davidhazy began the journey with not enough water. He also got lost, a product of his being unprepared. He allowed himself only two to three weeks before embarking on the trail.

“I learned a valuable lesson to be very aware of where I was,” he said, adding that he quickly realized how much water was needed for the hike.

Eventually, he created a time-lapse of the selfies that captured the long, arduous journey in just four minutes.

“The taking of the photographs were a way for me to fully commit to the hike,” he said. “If I were to skip ahead or cut my trip short at any point, most importantly, (I) would know it and everybody else would know it.”