Hello From Jamie

I also go by backcountry saunters.  Thanks to The Trek for allowing me this platform.  This spring I am ticking off a couple of jaunts in the UK.  First in April is the Pennine Way.   After walking up the spine of the UK, then I am headed deeper into Scotland for my first TGO crossing in May.   Fast forward to August where I will either do the Big Seki Loop in the Sierra, or the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier; we shall see which I can get permitted for. Followed in September/October with the Portuguese coastal Camino de Santiago.

I am also a Ham Radio operator who participates in a scheme called Summits on the Air (SOTA) where I setup a small temporary station and make contacts all over the world.   I combine distance backpacking and SOTA for the extra challenge.  My walk up the Pennines will include me doing ten summits that are right on the path, as well as the Dales 3 peak challenge.   I tend to do 50-60 such summits per year.  Most are day hikes, with at least one multi week trip as noted above.

In 2022 I retired from the tech industry, my wife and I sold everything, and now we are permanent nomads doing a combination of van living/travel, summer seasonal work in Tahoe, and house sitting internationally as we try and chase summer.

In 2025 I am planning on finally doing one of the Big Three in the US, either the CDT or PCT.

Some of my other walks/accomplishments over the years include the JMT, Tahoe Rim Trail, Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro, Annapurna Circuit, West Highland Way, the Wainwright Coast to Coast.  All of TN/NC for the AT, as well as some miles in VA and GA.  Most of the Sierras for the PCT and lots of Peak Bagging all over the world.

I also engage in a thing I call “Night Wanders,” a holdover from time in Tahoe where my doggo and I would wander our neighborhood. I will sometimes engage on this when I am out on my distance hikes.  The night sky and night in general offer a completely different experience, and I think it’s worth for maintaining a healthy mental balance. I will sometimes post nightwanders to my Insta.

A few other images of past trips: