What are other hikers up to?
Welcome to the My Trail Story section of the Atlas Guides blog! This new series features thru-hikers of all ages and backgrounds sharing their personal, real life experiences from the trail.
Blog Archive: My Trail Story
Browse through our chronological My Trail Story history or check out our most recent posts to see who’s hiking what right now!
(Don’t) Hike for Change featuring Fidgit
Fidgit examines decisions to postpone or cancel a long distance hike through the lens of ancient Central and South American mythology and a 20,000 mile trans-American journey.
My (Postponed) Trail Story featuring Rabbit
Rabbit, a.k.a. Rachael DeLano, decided to put her plans to hike the Arizona Trail, West Highland Way, Colorado Trail, and the OR section of the PCT on hold.
Hiking in New Zealand: Te Araroa Trail Culture
Dahn Pratt shares practical advice on hiking and trail culture along Te Araroa. A 1,800 mile (3,000km) hike through both islands of New Zealand.
My (Postponed) Trail Story by Cyclops and McGoober
Chris and Kimberly, a.k.a. Cyclops and McGoober, were getting ready to start their thru-hike on the Continental Divide Trail when they made a hard decision to postpone their hike.
My (Postponed) Trail Story by Flamingo
Phill Toomasian, a.k.a. "Flamingo", was attempting a Calendar Year Triple Crown until he had to get off the Appalachian Trail due to COVID-19.
My Trail Story by Mindy
Mindy Bell shares her experiences exploring England as she hiked on the Cotswold Way, Coast to Coast, and Hadrian's Wall Path.
My Trail Story by Little Skittle
Becca Bergstrom, a.k.a. Little Skittle, reminds us that we all start somewhere and offers encouragement to anyone thinking of hiking in 2020.
My Trail Story by Early Bird
Deserrae Potts, a.k.a Early Bird, shares the story of how she went from a completely broke student and inexperienced backpacker to a thru hiker in one year.
My Trail Story by Chad Lubinski
Being an outdoor enthusiast his whole life, Chad Lubinski set out on a PCT section hike to see if the long-distance hiking lifestyle was for him.
Congrats Featured 2019 Thru-Hikers!
Each of these hikers contributed to our "My Trail Story" blog series and have all completed thru-hikes this year! Congratulations to these 2019 thru-hikers!
My Trail Story by Beta
During his John Muir Trail thru-hike, Beta (a.k.a. Zach Terpstra), woke up in the middle of the night by the loudest noise he had ever heard in his life.
My Trail Story by Furiosa
Amber Redfield, a.k.a. Furiosa, shares the lessons she learned after injuring her knee on her Appalachian Trail thru-hike and continuing to hike regardless.
My Trail Story by Adam & Leigh
Adam and Leigh share their story of thru-hiking the Te Araroa and then deciding to thru-hike Pacific Crest Trail the following year.
My Trail Story by Starburst
Jennifer Mabus, a.k.a. Starburst, shares why she decided to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail and how it changed her life.
My Trail Story by Tiny Slice
Justin Kernes, a.k.a. Tiny Slice, shares about his Pacific Crest Trail thru-hiking experience from before he started his hike to where he is now.
My Trail Story by Nav
Nav is thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail with her pup, Arrow, and her amazing trail family ("tramily") that they found along the way.
My Trail Story by The Purple People
Jillian and Logan Ivey, a.k.a The Purple People or The Mailboxes, experienced some serious "hiker hunger" on their thru-hike of the John Muir Trail in 2018.
My Trail Story by KP
The incredible trail magic that Scott Siler, a.k.a KP, experienced on the Appalachian Trail resulted in a wedding invitation and a restored faith in humanity.
My Trail Story – Jeff Garmire Sets the Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the Arizona Trail
Jeff Garmire, a.k.a Legend, established the newest Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the Arizona Trail on April 22, 2019.
My Trail Story by PYT
Dave Mizelle, a.k.a. PYT, shares his close call with nature while hiking in the Roan Highlands section of the Appalachian Trail.
My Trail Story by Justin Helmkamp
Justin Helmkamp spent 40 days walking over 800 miles on Te Araroa in New Zealand.
My Trail Story by Peanut
Peanut, a.k.a. Melanie Harsha, withdrew all of her applications to doctorate programs, adopted a dog, and started planning her first thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2016.
My Trail Story by Puff Puff
Alex Mason, a.k.a. Puff Puff, is a Brit who has made thru-hiking her lifestyle. She hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2015 and hasn't stopped since.
My Trail Story by Jim Murphy
Jim Murphy took a wrong turn in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, walked straight into a forest fire, and shares the story of how he survived.
My Trail Story by Lara Handwerker
After meeting on the Appalachian Trail, this thru-hiking couple got married and decided to hike the Continental Divide Trail for their honeymoon.
My Trail Story by Golden Girl
Alex Patino, a.k.a. Golden Girl, explains how he went from working in the fashion industry in NYC for seven years, to hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, Colorado Trail, and Appalachian Trail.
My Trail Story by Sochi
Ethan Gehl, a.k.a. Sochi, has hiked 6,000+ miles all over the world and shares what he's learned from his time in the wilderness.
My Trail Story by PCP
Chelsea Fisher, a.k.a. PCP ("Pretty Cool Person") shares her journey of becoming a thru-hiker from the AT to the Long Trail, and now on to hike the PCT in 2019.
My Trail Story by Crunchmaster
Trevor Pyke, a.k.a. Crunchmaster, shares how he's come to love thru-hiking and what he learned hiking the PCT, AT, and parts of the CDT.
My Trail Story by Squishy
Emily Schrick, a.k.a. Squishy, talks about her experience thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and how she stayed motivated to finish.
My Trail Story by Chicken of the Sea
Ben Coats, a.k.a. Chicken of the Sea, talks about the curveball he experienced on the Pacific Crest Trail and how he finished his thru-hike.
My Trail Story by Anish
Heather "Anish" Anderson's first book, Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home, about her 2013 Pacific Crest Trail hike is now available! Read all about her trail story.
My Trail Story by Craig Fowler
Craig Fowler shares his story of how he became a thru-hiker and bikepacker, and how he turned his passions into a full-time project.
My Trail Story by Larry
Lani Advokat, a.k.a. Larry, has thru-hiked the John Muir Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and the Colorado Trail in the last four years. Check out what she has to say about her experiences thru-hiking.
My Trail Story by Yuengling
Alec Santiago, a.k.a. Yuengling, shares a few stories from his experience thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.
My Trail Story by Token
Read about what it's really like to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail by Kathleen Neeves, a.k.a. Token.
My Trail Story by Dahn Pratt
Dahn Pratt shares the jitters he experienced beginning his thru-hike or thru-tramp across New Zealand on Te Araroa.
My Trail Story by Flower Power
Allison DiVerde, a.k.a. Flower Power, offers her advice for those who are new to thru-hiking after her journey on the Appalachian Trail this past year.
My Trail Story by Nar Nar
Kyle O'Grady, a.k.a Nar Nar on the trail, shares the story of how he became a thru-hiker from his first ever hike to summiting Mt. Katahdin on the Appalachian Trail.
My Trail Story by Croc
Kate Stelfox, otherwise known as Croc on the trail, talks about her experiences thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail.
My Trail Story by Grizzly
Our new "My Trail Story" series will feature thru-hikers of all ages and backgrounds sharing their personal, real life experiences from the trail. Michael Ivey, otherwise known as Grizzly on the trail, starts us off.