11/21/2025
Meet the woman who turned 30 walking alone through the wilderness and became the first female to link two of North America's most grueling trails, Jessica "Stitches" Guo.
This past September, after 152 days and 3,550 miles, Guo completed the Continental Divide Trail and Great Divide Trail in one continuous push. She averaged 30 miles a day through scorching deserts, snowbound mountain passes, and remote backcountry where she went 28 days without seeing another soul.
The numbers tell one story: 588,000 feet of elevation gain (the equivalent of climbing Everest 20 times), six states and two provinces, and nearly 50,000 people following her journey online. But Guo's real achievement goes deeper.
Every single day for five months, she filmed, wrote scripts, and edited videos while walking, sharing her reflections on perseverance, climate change, and what it means to push past your own limits. She texted the files to her brother whenever she had cell service, turning profound solitude into shared inspiration for tens of thousands.
Guo reached the Canadian border on her 30th birthday in tears, then kept going for another 750 miles. Through swarms of mosquitoes, muddy bogs, rocky ridgelines, and weeks without human contact, she pushed through the mental lows that define the final stretch of any monumental goal.
When asked why she chose this intimidating route, Guo's answer cuts to the heart of real ambition: "I'm hiking it because it intimidates me, and I want to push the boundary of what I think I'm capable of."
Here's what moves me most about Stitches: she openly shares that she's not some superhuman endurance athlete. She was scared to sleep alone in the woods when she started backpacking. She doubted herself constantly. But she gave herself permission to pursue what called to her.
Stitches reminds us that extraordinary achievements start with giving yourself permission to be scared and doing it anyway.
Note: This is the 40th post of a weekly series I simply call 'people I admire.' I focus on creative, soulful leaders and humans who lift others up and make a real impact. Let me know in the comments who YOU admire. Let's shine some gratitude and focus on the ones who move us forward.
