Three Trails
Two PoleS
Seven Summits

ABOUT DAVID & PROJECT 327

David “Ghost” Phillips

Service

U.S. Navy, 1998–2023, Retired Master Chief Petty Officer

Progress

6 of 12 objectives complete

Next EXPEDITION

Mount Vinson and the South Pole, December 2026

Cause

Project proceeds are donated to Disabled American Veterans.

Hometown

San Antonio, Texas

WebSITE + INSTAGRAM

grandexplorerscrown.com
@grandexplorerscrown

PRESS & MEDIA

• Silverback Media (Podcast)

• Stronger is Better by Starting Strength Gyms (Podcast)

• SA Live by KSAT (Local ABC News Affiliate Piece)

• American Forces Network — Pacific

EVENTS

• Back into the Cold
  Estes Park CO · 10/26

SHORT BIO

David “Ghost” Phillips is a retired U.S. Navy Master Chief and 25-year veteran pursuing Project 327: Three Trails, Two Poles, Seven Summits.

It’s his attempt to become the first person to hike America’s three great long-distance trails, reach both the North and South Poles, and climb the highest peak on every continent. A recreational hiker, he has completed six of the twelve objectives, including Mount Everest.

In December 2026, he heads to Antarctica.

FULL BIO | UNDER 230 words, 1400 characters

David “Ghost” Phillips is a recreational hiker who spent 25 years in the U.S. Navy as a Cryptologic Language Analyst, retiring in 2023 as a Master Chief Petty Officer, the Navy’s top enlisted paygrade. Working in Dari, Persian Farsi and Korean, he supported intelligence operations in Hawaii, South Korea, Bahrain and Afghanistan, with three years at sea across the Middle East and Africa.

After retiring, he hiked the Appalachian Trail, where fellow hikers named him “Ghost” for the way he quietly progressed along the trail. That walk officially launched Project 327: Three Trails, Two Poles, Seven Summits.

He’s attempting to be the first person to hike America’s three great long-distance trails, reach the North and South Poles, and climb the highest peak on every continent. Together they form hiking’s Triple Crown and the Explorer’s Grand Slam. Six of the twelve are complete: the Appalachian Trail and the summits of Denali, Kilimanjaro, Aconcagua, Carstensz Pyramid and Mount Everest. That last summit, in May 2025, came at a cost: severe frostbite that later took five of his toes. In December 2026, he heads back into the cold to climb Mount Vinson, Antarctica’s highest peak, and ski to the South Pole.

Project 327 proceeds are donated to Disabled American Veterans. David lives in San Antonio, Texas with his wife, Karen, a U.S. Air Force veteran.