Slideshows on Disk

I have given over 130 presentations about my hikes all over the country. Still, I know there are many who have never had the opportunity to attend or who missed the opportunity to attend; and there may be some out there who wish to watch a slideshow for a second time. So I have made my two core slideshows -- one based on my Great Western Loop hike, the other on my Sea-to-Sea Route hike -- available on DVD for a give-away price of $6 (including US postage, or $9 for international postage).

How to Order

I strongly prefer that you order via Google Checkout. This is a secure and efficient method. To purchase, click on the buy button:

I also accept PayPal. My email address is askurka_at_comcast.net. Please make sure to specify your product request and your mailing address.

Lastly, you can send a personal check or money order to: Andrew Skurka, 51 Donald Lewis Drive, Seekonk, MA 02771. Again, please specify your product request and your mailing address. If you send a personal check, you also must email brogan_elizabeth@hotmail.com (my friend who is fulfilling orders for me while I am out on the Alaska-Yukon Expedition) and tell her that you have sent a check to Seekonk. Once your check has been received, your order will be filled.

The Slideshows

Great Western Loop
~45 minutes; voice-over, slides, and videos; recorded January 2009

On November 3, 2007, I became the first person to complete the 6,875-mile Great Western Loop, an ambitious journey that linked the American West's great long-distance hiking trails while traversing 12 National Parks and over 75 wilderness areas. I averaged 33 miles per day for 208 days, covering a distance equivalent to 262 marathons or twice the distance between Boston and San Francisco. In addition to experiencing many of the most pristine and beautiful landscapes in America, I surveyed the toll that mankind is taking on them. The hike was landmark in the sheer athleticism displayed, in the pinnacle outdoor experience had, and in the sobering observations made along the way.

Great Western Loop -- FAQ
36 minutes; voice-over and slides; recorded January 2009

After I present my Great Western Loop slideshow for a live audience, which takes about 45 minutes, I open up the floor for a 10- to 20-minute "Question and Answer" segment. To improve the quality of my answers to the twelve most frequently asked questions, I use prepared slides to better illustrate my points. If you are watching the GWL presentation on DVD, you obviously will not have the chance to ask a live question; so I went ahead and supplied my answers to the twelve most FAQ in case you are interested.

Sea-to-Sea Route
~50 minutes; voice-over and slides; recorded May 2006

In July 2005 I became the first to complete the 7,778-mile Sea-to-Sea Route, a transcontinental network of long-distance hiking trails from Quebec's Cape Gaspe to Washington's Olympic Peninsula. The trip was 11 months long and involved 1,400 miles of snowshoeing (through Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota during the first three months of 2005). For the achievement I was named "Person of the Year" by Backpacker and was included in Men's Journal's 2005 "Adventure Hall of Fame."

How to View

Before you can watch the slideshows, you need to make sure you have the necessary software. Please see "System Requirements" for more information.

To watch the Great Western Loop presentation, open the folder "Great Western Loop" and double-click on the file "_Great Western Loop.ppsx," the icon of which is unique among other files in this folder. Once the file is opened, you can sit back and relax -- the slideshow will begin, with my voice-over and the slides being automatically synched.

To watch the Great Western Loop -- FAQ presentation, open the folder "Great Western Loop - FAQ" and double-click on the file "_Great Western Loop - FAQ.ppsx," the icon of which is unique among other files in this folder. Once the file is opened, you can sit back and relax -- the slideshow will begin, with my voice-over and the slides being automatically synched.

To watch the Sea-to-Sea Route presentation, open the folder "Sea-to-Sea Route" and double-click on the file "_Sea-to-Sea Route.pps," the icon of which is unique among other files in this folder. Once the file is opened, you can sit back and relax -- the slideshow will begin, with my voice-over and the slides being automatically synched.

System Requirements

Windows and Mac Users

Your computer must have a DVD drive and speakers. If you only have a CD drive, please email me so that I can burn a CD disk for you; unless requested I will send a DVD.

Windows Users

To watch the "Great Western Loop" or "Great Western Loop - FAQ" presentations, either Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 or Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer 2007 must be installed on your computer. (PowerPoint Viewer 2007 is included on the DVD. See below for more information.) You can also use PowerPoint 2003 if you have installed the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack. The presentations are not compatible with PowerPoint Viewer 2003.

To watch the "Sea-to-Sea Route" presentation, either Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 or 2007, or Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer 2003 or 2007 must be installed on your computer. (PowerPoint Viewer 2007 is included on the DVD. See below for more information.)

Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer 2007 is a free program that allows you to watch (but not edit) PowerPoint files without ever buying PowerPoint, which retails for about $200. A copy of Viewer 2007's installation software is included on the DVD. To install, double-click the file "PowerPointViewer.exe," which you can find in the main folder. If after installing Viewer 2007 the program does not automatically launch when you double-click a .ppsx or .pps file, you may have to start Viewer via the Start menu, and then open the .ppsx or .pps file that you want; or, you can right-click the .ppsx or .pps file and tell your computer to open the file with Viewer by selecting it from the list or by browsing for the program.

You can also download PowerPoint Viewer 2007 directly from the Microsoft website.

Mac Users

If you use Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac, you will be able to watch all three presentations without an issue.

If you use an older version of Office for Mac (e.g. 2004), you will need to download the Open XML File Format Converter from Microsoft. This will allow you to open, edit, and save files created with either Office 2008 for Mac or Office 2007 for Windows.

If you do not have any version of Microsoft Office for Mac, I think it is possible to view the files if you download NeoOffice. Not being a Mac user myself, I don't know how exactly this works, but I understand that this will work.

Order for $6