{{short description|American thru-hiker (born 1987)}} {{For|the British paleoclimatologist|Liz Thomas (scientist)}} {{Infobox person | honorific_prefix = | name = Elizabeth Thomas | honorific_suffix = | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth year and age|1987}} | birth_place = Sacramento, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | nationality = | other_names = | citizenship = | alma_mater = | education = {{plainlist| *Claremont McKenna College *Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (MS) }} | occupation = Hiker, editor | organisation = | years_active = | employer = | agent = | known_for = | notable_works = | style = | title = | party = | movement = | boards = | spouse = | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | awards = Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship | website = | signature = | signature_size = | signature_alt = | footnotes = }}
'''Elizabeth Thomas''' (born 1987) is a thru-hiking champion and former women's unassisted speed record holder for the {{convert|2,181|mi|adj=on}} Appalachian Trail.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/globetrotters-redefining-the-way-we-travel |title=14 Globetrotters Redefining the Way We Travel |last=Jordan |first=Rick |website=Condé Nast Traveler}}</ref><ref name="auto8">{{Cite web |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/2240636/liz-snorkel-thomas-wants-you-thru-hike-your-city |title=Liz "Snorkel" Thomas Wants You to Thru-Hike Your City |last=Nelson |first=Glenn |date=September 19, 2017 |website=Outside Online}}</ref> She holds the hiking "Triple Crown," having completed the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.mountaineers.org/blog/urban-speed-hiking-with-liz-thomas |title=Urban Speed Hiking With Liz Thomas |website=The Mountaineers}}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{Cite web |url=https://www.boulderweekly.com/adventure/how-to-get-a-name-like-snorkel/ |title=How to get a name like Snorkel |last=Murray |first=Emma |date=June 7, 2017}}</ref> She is the pioneer of the Chinook Trail in Washington and the Wasatch Range in Utah.<ref name="auto4">{{Cite web |url=https://www.westword.com/restaurants/urban-hiker-liz-thomas-is-visiting-sixty-denver-breweries-on-an-eight-day-88-mile-trek-8883785 |title=Liz Thomas Is Visiting Sixty Denver Breweries on an Eight-Day, 88-Mile Hike |last=Shikes |first=Jonathan |date=March 16, 2017 |website=Westword}}</ref> She is Vice President of the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West, an ambassador for the American Hiking Society,<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web |url=https://americanhiking.org/blog/introducing-nextgen-leaders/ |title=Introducing American Hiking Society's NextGen Trail Leaders |date=February 2, 2018}}</ref> and an outdoors writer for ''Wirecutter'', a ''New York Times'' publication.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/guides/gifts/holiday-gift-guide?price=0-5000 |title=Gifts between $0 and $50 - The New York Times |website=www.nytimes.com}}</ref> She is also Editor-in-Chief of ''Treeline Review'', a hiking gear publication.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.treelinereview.com/whoweare|title=Who We Are|website=Treeline Review|accessdate=Jun 20, 2020}}</ref> As of 2018, she completed 20 long-distance wilderness hikes.<ref name="auto7">{{Cite web |url=https://www.tpl.org/blog/liz-thomas-city-thru-hiking |title=This master thru-hiker is trekking across a city near you |website=The Trust for Public Land}}</ref>
==Early life== Thomas was born in Sacramento, California and experienced a "typical suburban upbringing."<ref name="auto3">{{Cite web |url=https://bywayofblog.com/liz-thomas |title=Liz Thomas |website=By Way Of}}</ref> As a child she was "really drawn to nature, but [...] wasn’t really that active." However, a first-grade trip to a mile-long nature trail made a big impression on her, and from then on she attempted to get her parents to take her back to the trail on weekends. (''Cascade Hiker Podcast'', Ep. 127, 4:30) Thomas's mother was born and raised "in a Japan that--and even now--is not really for equality...not a great place to be a woman. Women didn't really do physical activity, they didn’t run or anything;" therefore, Thomas's "becoming physically active, becoming adventurous was a way [she] rebelled as a teenager."<ref name="auto3" /> Her first extended urban hike was in Los Angeles, during which she traversed a 180-mile route that connected 300 staircases.<ref name="auto7" />
==Education== Thomas attended Claremont McKenna College.<ref name="auto4" /> During her years there, she became involved in outdoors clubs with fellow students and met professors who were also enthusiastic about hiking. (''Cascade Hiker Podcast'', Ep. 127, 5:42) After graduating, she earned a Master's in Environmental Science from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.<ref name="auto1" /><ref name="auto6">{{Cite web |url=https://sgbonline.com/liz-thomas-x-crown-trails-headwear/ |title=Liz Thomas x Crown Trails Headwear | SGB Media Online |website=sgbonline.com}}</ref> In the process, Thomas received the Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship for her research on long-distance hiking trails, conservation, and trail town communities.<ref name="auto6" />
==Career== Thomas had never been backpacking as of 2007. A year later, the summer after her senior year of college,<ref name="auto5">{{Cite web |url=http://www.trailtosummit.com/wild-woman-liz-thomas/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225212239/http://trailtosummit.com/wild-woman-liz-thomas/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=December 25, 2014 |title=Wild Woman: Liz Thomas - Trail to Summit |website=www.trailtosummit.com}}</ref> she completed her first thru-hike, the Tahoe Rim Trail, solo in six days. At the time, she "had a lot of experience dayhiking solo and doing big peakbagging trips with <24 hour goals" and had "car camped" and led a five-day backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon, but had never "overnight-in-the-woods" hiked.<ref name="auto5" /> She later completed her first major thru-hike: the {{convert|2,181|mi|adj=on}} Appalachian Trail.<ref name="auto2" /> In 2010, Thomas completed the {{convert|3,100|mi|adj=on}} Continental Divide Trail.<ref name="auto2" />
Thomas has worked with the American Hiking Society since 2010, when she attended Hike the Hill in Washington D.C., a national event that unifies trail organizations, agencies, and politicians to advance the American trail system.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://americanhiking.org/blog/exhilarated-that-by-my-own-human-power/ |title=Exhilarated by my own human power |date=May 13, 2015}}</ref> In 2011, Thomas hiked the 2,181-mile Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine, in 80 days and 13 hours.<ref name="auto8" /> Her trek set a record for the fastest female thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.<ref name="auto7" /><ref name="auto5" /> The female record was broken by Heather “Anish” Anderson in 2015,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/10/30/how-this-woman-broke-the-record-for-hiking-the-appalachian-trail/ |title=How this woman broke the record for hiking the Appalachian Trail |first=Katherine |last=Arcement |website=Washington Post}}</ref> who simultaneously broke the male record held at the time by Matt Kirk.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rei.com/blog/hike/qa-with-heather-anderson-anish-speed-record-holder-of-the-at-and-pct |title=Q&A with Heather Anderson - Speed Record Holder of the AT and PCT |last=Michelson |first=Megan |date=November 18, 2015}}</ref> In 2018, Karel Sabbe beat Anderson's record.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a22865359/belgian-dentist-breaks-appalachian-trail-speed-record/ |title=Belgian Dentist Breaks Appalachian Trail Speed Record |date=August 29, 2018 |website=Runner's World}}</ref>
In 2013, Thomas near-completed a thru-hike of all of Denver, Colorado's breweries.<ref name="auto9">{{Cite web |url=https://www.porchdrinking.com/articles/2017/03/09/liz-thomas-urban-thru-hike-of-denver-breweries/ |title=Liz Thomas' Urban Thru-Hike of Every Denver Brewery |last=Bortz |first=Dan |date=March 9, 2017 |website=PorchDrinking.com}}</ref> In 2014, Thomas, Whitney La Ruffa, and Brian Boshart pioneered the approximately 290-mile Chinook Trail in Washington.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.columbian.com/news/2014/aug/06/outdoors-reality-chinook-trail-hiking/ |title=The reality of the Chinook trail |website=The Columbian}}</ref> In 2015, Thomas trekked the Sierra High Route. In 2017, Thomas published her book, ''Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gossamergear.com/blogs/our-blog/book-review-backpacker-long-trails-mastering-art-thru-hike|title=Book Review - Backpacker Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-Hike|first=Gossamer|last=Gear|website=Gossamer Gear|accessdate=Jun 20, 2020}}</ref> In August 2019, Thomas was featured in Condé Nast Traveller's feature story 14 Globetrotters Redefining the Way We Travel.<ref name="auto" /> In March 2020, Thomas will be the keynote speaker at the Texas Trails and Active Transportation Conference.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://texastrailsandactivetransportation.org/2019/10/03/keynote-speaker-liz-thomas/ |title=Keynote Speaker Liz Thomas |date=October 3, 2019 |website=Texas Trails and Active Transportation Conference}}</ref>
Thomas leads groups on urban hikes of 11 American cities.<ref name="auto" /> One of the tours is the eight-day Urban Brew Thru,<ref name="auto4" /> her thru-hike of every brewery in Denver, Colorado,<ref name="auto9" /> totaling 60 establishments,<ref name="auto4" /> the course charting in at 88 miles.<ref name="auto" /> She also leads the six-week online course Thru-Hiking 101<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aimadventureu.com/courses/plan-a-successful-thru-hike |title=Learn Online Classes for Any Outdoor Adventure | AIM Adventure U |website=www.aimadventureu.com}}</ref> for ''Backpacker Magazine''<ref name="auto2" /> and speaks at "colleges, outdoor clubs, hiking clubs, [and] women's groups."<ref name="auto3" />
==Bibliography== *''Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike'' (2017)<ref name="auto1" />
==Awards and recognition== *Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship<ref name="auto1" />
==Podcasts== {|class="wikitable" !Date !Show !Episode !Role |- |June 18, 2019 |''Tough Girl Challenges''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://toughgirlchallenges.libsyn.com/liz-snorkle-thomas-queen-of-urban-hiking-triple-crown-hiker-whose-completing-over-20-long-distance-hikes-in-the-usa-0 |title=Tough Girl Podcast: Liz Thomas - Queen of Urban Hiking, triple crown hiker, whose completing over 20 long distance hikes in the USA! |website=toughgirlchallenges.libsyn.com}}</ref> |"Liz Thomas, Queen of Urban Hiking" |Guest |- |Nov. 19, 2018 |''Cascade Hiker Podcast''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9ub3J0aGNhc2NhZGVzLWhpa2luZy5zcXVhcmVzcGFjZS5jb20vY2FzY2FkZS1oaWtlci1wb2RjYXN0P2Zvcm1hdD1yc3M&episode=NTRmMTE1YWVlNGIwOWVhOWI0YTk3NzI2OjU2YWM3NGQ5YzZmYzA4MmJmMTk0YmU1YTo1YmYzNDg4YjIxYzY3YzVkNTc3MzM3Mzg |title=Cascade Hiker Podcast - Backpacking and Hiking - 135 Treeline Review with Liz Thomas |last=Host |first=Rudy Giecek Hiker Backpacker Radio |website=Google Podcasts}}</ref> |"135: Treeline Review with Liz Thomas" |Guest |- |Nov. 5, 2018 |''By Land''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://byland.co/podcast/episode-52-learn-to-thru-hike-with-liz-thomas|title=Episode 52 Learn To Thru Hike with Liz Thomas|website=By Land|accessdate=Jun 20, 2020}}</ref> |"Episode 52: Learn To Thru Hike with Liz Thomas" |Guest |- |Sept. 24, 2018 |''Cascade Hiker Podcast''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://player.fm/episodes/cascade-hiker-podcast-backpacking-and-hiking.217498636|title=127 Liz "Snorkel" Thomas- Her Story|first=Player|last=FM|accessdate=Jun 20, 2020|via=player.fm}}</ref> |"127: Liz "Snorkel" Thomas—Her Story" |Guest |- |Feb. 19, 2018 |''The Adventure Sports Podcast''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.adventuresportspodcast.com/2018/02/ep-350-mastering-art-of-thru-hike-liz.html|title=Ep. 350: Mastering the Art of the Thru-Hike - Liz "Snorkel" Thomas|accessdate=Jun 20, 2020}}</ref> |"Ep. 350: Mastering the Art of the Thru-Hike--Liz 'Snorkel' Thomas" |Guest |- |Jan. 4, 2018 |''Dirt in Your Skirt''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stitcher.com/s?eid=52772331|title=#078 - Liz Thomas - Author, Thru-Hiker, Environmentalist, Record Holder, Talking Urban Thru-Hiking from Dirt in Your Skirt - The Podcast|website=www.stitcher.com|accessdate=Jun 20, 2020}}</ref> |"#78: Liz Thomas - Author, Thru-Hiker, Environmentalist" |Guest |- |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Liz}} Category:Hikers Category:21st-century American explorers Category:American nature writers Category:Yale University alumni Category:Claremont McKenna College alumni Category:Living people Category:1987 births