He Did It! Steve Gefell Completes the American Discovery Trail
Steve Gefell just walked across America. 5,007 miles. Cape Henlopen to Moab. The only 2025 ADT Southern Route finisher. After heat forced a flip-flop, he adapted and finished. Congratulations! 🥾
This afternoon, 'Saunterin' Steve' Gefell walked into Moab, Utah, and completed his coast-to-coast journey across America.
After 5,007 miles, eight months, and two weeks, countless challenges, and one brilliant mid-hike pivot, Steve just became the only hiker to finish the full ADT Southern Route within the 2025 calendar year.
Congratulations, Steve. You did it. 🥾⛰️
From Cape Henlopen to California to Utah
Steve's journey started on February 23, 2025, when he stepped onto the beach at Cape Henlopen, Delaware. The Atlantic Ocean stretched behind him, and the entire continent lay ahead. He had a plan, solid preparation, and the determination to walk all the way to the Pacific.
For the next five and a half months, Steve pushed westward.
Through Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado—each state fell behind him as he moved deeper into his transcontinental adventure. He dealt with rain, equipment issues, long road walks, mountain passes, and all the daily challenges that come with carrying your life on your back across America.
Then came Moab in early August.
The desert heat wasn't just uncomfortable—it was dangerous. Day after day of 100+ degree temperatures with no cover. The kind of conditions where pushing forward would have been reckless.
For most hikers, this would have been the end of the story. Pack it in, head home, maybe try again next year.
But Steve made a different call. Flip-Flop. 🩴🩴
On August 8th, he jumped ahead to Limantour Beach, California, the Western Terminus of the American Discovery Trail, touched the Pacific Ocean, and turned around. He started walking back eastbound, heading toward the very same Utah desert that had stopped him—but this time arriving in November instead of August, with temperatures in the comfortable range instead of the dangerous range.
That decision kept his dream alive. And today, he completed it.
What It Takes
Let's talk about what Steve actually accomplished here.
He walked 5,007 miles under his own power. Every single mile, carrying everything he needed on his back.
Through cities and wilderness, over mountains and across plains, in heat and cold and rain and wind.
He navigated through unmarked sections where the trail isn't obvious.
He dealt with detours, road closures, and sections where you're basically following breadcrumbs and hoping you're headed the right way.
He managed resupply logistics for months on end—figuring out where to mail boxes, which towns have what services, and how much food to carry through remote sections.
He pushed through physical exhaustion, blisters, sore muscles, and the mental challenge of waking up every morning and choosing to keep walking when everything in your body wants to stop.
He dealt with equipment failures, weather delays, and all the unexpected problems that crop up when you're living outside for most of a year.
And when conditions made his original plan impossible, he didn't quit—he adapted.
A Different Kind of Thru-Hike
Steve's flip-flop isn't a footnote to his accomplishment—it's central to understanding what makes the American Discovery Trail unique among long-distance trails.
The AT has a standard direction. The PCT has a standard direction. Even the CDT has a "normal" way most people hike it.
But the ADT is truly bidirectional. It's a coast-to-coast trail where either direction makes perfect sense. And Steve just proved that flexible navigation enables ambitious hikers to complete journeys that rigid planning would have ended.
He didn't take shortcuts. He didn't skip miles. He walked every bit of the Southern Route—he just walked some of it heading west and some of it heading east. The Pacific Ocean got touched in the middle instead of at the end. That doesn't diminish the achievement—it demonstrates smart adaptation to real-world conditions.
The 2025 ADT Southern Route Finisher
As of this morning, Steve is the only person who started the ADT Southern Route in 2025 and finished it in 2025. Other hikers who began this year are still walking or on a winter break and will finish in 2026. Steve's flexible approach and relentless forward progress enabled him to complete the entire route in a single calendar year.
That's not something to take lightly. The ADT Southern Route isn't a manicured trail with shelters and established campsites. It's a route across America that includes everything from backcountry trails to urban greenways to rural roads. You're not following white blazes—you're navigating through the real complexity of crossing an entire continent.
And Steve just did it.
Stephen "Saunterin Steve" Gefell
Westbound <-> Eastbound Flip Flop - Southern Route
Began: February 23, 2025
Finished: November 7, 2025 (8 months, 2 weeks)
Support Links: ImHikingAmerica, Instagram, YouTube
What's Next?
Right now, Steve is probably taking a much-deserved rest, eating real food, and processing what he's just accomplished. He walked across America. He earned every single mile.
For those of us who've been following his journey from Cape Henlopen to Moab (via California), this finish represents something bigger than one hiker's personal achievement. It's proof that the American Discovery Trail is achievable for determined hikers who are smart enough to adapt when conditions demand it.
Steve's success will inspire other hikers to attempt this incredible journey. His story shows that completion doesn't require perfect conditions or flawless execution—it requires resilience, flexibility, and the willingness to keep moving forward even when the path changes.
Congratulations, Steve
From all of us who've been cheering you on from behind our computers while you were out there, actually walking across the country—congratulations. You did something extraordinary.
You proved that the American Discovery Trail is more than just a line on a map. You showed that coast-to-coast hiking is achievable when you combine solid preparation, the right tools, and flexible execution. And you demonstrated that the toughest challenges often require the willingness to pivot rather than push through blindly.
Welcome to the other side, Steve. You walked across America, and you earned every step. 🥾
Now rest those legs. You've earned it.
Steve's journey was supported by Hiking America's comprehensive Gaia GPS navigation and turn-by-turn crowdsourced guides for the American Discovery Trail. If his story inspires you to consider your own ADT adventure, we're here to help with the navigation and planning. Learn more at HikingAmerica.com.
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