Mark Wilson from The Breakfast Flakes Talks ‘Going the Distance’ in Montana

Today's topic is "going the distance".

I saw on Q2's website a story about a guy who was planning on a 400-mile paddleboarding trip that would take him from Gardiner to Terry. Very ambitious.

And last week there was a soldier that walked 22 miles in full gear.

So I got to thinking about my longest treks.

Growing up I recall doing the March Of Dimes Walkathons a couple of times. And I think those were 20-mile walks. Which was no big deal when I was twelve or thirteen. I didn't even have to train. I just had my mom drop me off at the starting line about two minutes before the scheduled time and off we went.

One year I entered a Bike-A-Thon that went from the Great Falls airport to Vaughn. Out and back was 26 miles round trip. Todd Greenwalt and I made the trip four times. Even then I recall being very sore.

But what was probably the hardest trip was when I backpacked into the Bob Marshall Wilderness at Upper Holland Lake. I think that it was seven miles in and up some 2500 vertical feet. In August. And I was carrying a pretty good-sized backpack. Along with a twelve gauge shotgun because I don't believe in bear spray.

If you're one of those people who claim that they just can't ever lose weight, hike into this place. Without some crazy diet, I lost eight pounds in four days. And all we had to drink was water. But while it was a healthy trip, it wasn't the most fun that I've ever had.

And after four days of freeze-dried food, I had the absolute best double cheeseburger that I've ever had at The Mo Club.

And to this day, I enjoy cheeseburgers far more than walking around where a bear could eat me.