Howling winds, walls of snow, and grizzly bears are just a few marvels Beau Baker, an Iowa City resident, said he encountered while hiking up and down the continental US.

During the past 13 years, Baker said he completed what some hikers call the "Triple Crown" of hiking, including the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Continental Divide Trail — more than 7,000 miles of US wilderness combined.

Last summer, Baker took time off from his job at Reach for Your Potential Incorporated - an Iowa City company that provides residential services to people with disabilities - to complete the Continental Divide Trail, which took him from the border of Mexico through states including New Mexico, Colorado, and Montana, north to the Canadian border.

Baker said his hiking experience was filled with well-spent alone time and spectacular views. Sometimes there was a trail to follow, other times he had to make his own path.

"You kind of have to get rid of the idea of being lost," he said. Baker said the Continental Divide Trail is among the hardest in the nation because of its remoteness and ruggedness. "It’s like earning your doctorate degree," he said.

His hike on the Continental Trail started in the middle of nowhere, and took him through the desert, where he said he "just prayed for water." He said water caches, or metal storage spots for water, were sprinkled along the trail and he occasionally found water to drink there.

Several days into his journey, Baker met Mark Karum, who lives in Brooklyn, NY. Karum said he intended to hike the Continental Trail alone but hit it off with Baker. They split up shortly after meeting but kept in touch on the trail via text and occasionally met back up.

When loneliness struck at the end of their journey near Montana, they began hiking closer to each other. "It was a well-needed friendship there at the end for both of us," he said.

Karum said he considers Baker, whom he remains in touch with, a dear friend. He said during their hike, he called Baker by the nickname "Puck," inspired by a Shakespeare character with a tricky nature.

Baker said hiking with a friend can be like a lava lamp — both parties may pull apart on the trail, but, eventually, they come back together. He’s still figuring out what his adventure on the Continental Divide Trail meant to him.

During the hike, he said he only wore sandals and went through three pairs. The adventure cost him about $6,000, including gear — though he already owned some of the equipment he needed. He spent 18 months saving up and preparing, or "getting his ducks in a row."

Baker started and finished his previous hikes — through the Appalachian Mountains and near the Pacific coast — about a decade ago, in 2000 and 2003, respectively.

He didn’t grow up in an outdoorsy family and started on the Appalachian Trail as a novice, with a feeling like he was being drawn there. "I couldn’t deny its calling. It was like a magnet pulling me," he said.