Mexico Has No Epic Trails. She's Out to Change That

Zelzin Aketzalli isn't just chasing miles—she's chasing history. The 31-year-old made waves in 2019 as the first Mexican to finish hiking's Triple Crown, the 7,910 miles that make up the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide trails. Now she's set her sights on something even bigger: building Mexico's first long-distance hiking trail. Outside Online reports that her vision is a route the runs the length of Baja California, the world's second-longest peninsula at 775 miles. There's no trail yet—just mountains, deserts, canyons, and beaches—so Aketzalli is starting from scratch. She's plotted a potential route and plans to walk it this fall, but she's realistic: This could take decades to complete.

Aketzalli grew up in Mexico City's most densely populated neighborhood, but her father—an athlete and former alpinist—instilled an early love of the outdoors. She was a mountain biking "phenom" before a fateful encounter with American cyclists who mentioned the Pacific Crest Trail to her. Six months later, she was hiking it. Aketzalli's vision faces hurdles: the concept of thru-hiking is barely known in Mexico, and there are the usual headaches of permits, land rights, and funding. But she's determined. "We have to demonstrate that it is possible. I want to see more Mexicans thru-hiking. I believe wholly that a trail changes lives. I want to change the history of Mexico." (Read the full story here.)