I've been following Lil Buddha's journey on trailjournals.com and it sounds like he is about to finish the ECT. I wonder if the SIA/IAT sponsored him to hike this route. Does anyone know?
Also, I read that the first person was John Brinda, and then Nimblewill Nomad hiked the ECT second and is perhaps the most famous hiker, but apparently Lil Buddha will be the first person to hike the new route of the ECT, because he will have hiked Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and also Newfoundland which were just added recently.
According to the SIA/IAT website, that is big news since he is the first and they seem to be really making a big deal out of his hike. I think they are gearing up to make a case to extend the trail over into Greenland, Europe and then Morocco.