Posts
Walking Across Japan: 250 Miles Coast to Coast (Part Two)
Japan is such a pleasant place to explore. It's safe, clean, and incredibly easy to navigate. So why not experience it on foot? Japan wasn’t a typical thru-hike where you spend every day on single-track trail. Instead, we picked a starting point, gathered various trail beta, connected the dots, and created our own route through a foreign country. And honestly, maybe this is how I always want to experience a new country: walking across it from one border to the other. Because when you slow down enough to walk through a place, you experience it differently. You see the little towns, meet people you would have otherwise passed, stumble upon unexpected places, and discover a version of the country that you simply can't experience from a train, bus, or car. Imagine what you could discover along the way.
Walking Across Japan: 250 Miles Coast to Coast (Part 1)
Japan Alps Traverse Length: ~250 Miles Time: 19 days Start Point: Toyama on the Sea of Japan End Point: Shizuoka on the Pacific
The Final Miles of the HRP (Pyrenees High Route): Part 3
With Andorra behind us, the Mediterranean seemed closer than ever. We estimated we had only about a week of hiking remaining. With just a few big mountain climbs left to summit, we assumed we would soon be leaving the mountains behind and descending into lower elevations as we neared the ocean. However, with the limited research we had done on this trail, we would later discover that we were wrong. The Pyrenees would keep us challenged all the way down to the final two miles.
Through the High Pyrenees: Snow, Scree & Second Thoughts – Part 2
I’m a firm believer that to truly experience a place, you have to walk through it first. To slow down to a pace dictated only by your own two feet, allowing your senses to tune into the sounds, smells, and scenery unfolding around you. I also believe that you need a minimum of two weeks immersed in a new landscape or culture to begin experiencing it for what it truly is at its core. Not simply as a visitor passing through, but as someone who has had enough time to slow down, observe, and connect with the place. That’s why I would argue that thru hiking may be the best way to immerse yourself into new terrain.
500 Miles Across the Pyrenean Haute Route (HRP): Part 1
We climbed toward Mount Orhi, eventually reaching a steep two-summit section with a technical ridge between them. Unfortunately, the wind was howling, and the exposed ridge was more technical than we were comfortable attempting in those conditions. So we retreated. We descended a steep rocky chute and eventually discovered that we’d actually missed the proper trail earlier. Classic.
Sea to Sea: A Thru-Hike Across England
This hike wasn’t originally part of our Around the World plan, but before the year began we promised ourselves we’d stay flexible and adapt our itinerary as opportunities presented themselves. After spending the previous month recovering from the Hayduke Trail and traveling by car in Africa, we knew our legs needed some trail miles before taking on the notoriously rugged Pyrenees.
Caravan Travel and Tips for Planning a Thru Hike in Namibia, Africa
If you’re planning an overnight backpacking trip in Namibia, there are a few things you absolutely need to know. You can’t simply show up at the trailhead and start hiking like you often can in the United States or many other countries.
Tears Under a Bridge: The End of the Hayduke
We hadn’t planned on finishing the thru hike here. But somehow, it feels right. No official monument. No sign marking completion. Just a graffiti-covered underpass beneath a bridge, hidden in plain sight. In that moment of realization the tears start flowing. I wasn’t prepared for it to be over, but that’s where this story ends. Tears beneath a bridge, a lifetime of stories, and countless moments of fear, wonder, and adventure that I’ll carry with me forever.
The Section of the Hayduke Trail Everyone Talks About
We covered only seven miles all day. It was the hardest day of hiking I’ve ever had. But we did it. That night, lying in my sleeping bag after eating as much food as I could spare from our nine-day ration, I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. The fear that had consumed me for days had finally lost its grip. For the first time in a long while, I felt completely at home out there.
The Grand Canyon Trail That Scared Me for Six Years: Hayduke Trail Edition
The wind was relentless that day, with gusts approaching 30 knots. Hiking the Beamer Trail above the Colorado River became a nerve-racking exercise in concentration. At one point, a powerful gust knocked me to the ground. For a brief moment, sitting near a 500-foot drop, I found myself in tears. It was one of those moments that reminded me just how small I was compared to the landscape around me.
