My name’s Troy, I am gay, and 29 years old. I’m currently located in the PNW but grew up living on the Jersey Shore with a strong passion for being outside and challenging myself mentally and physically. From a young age I have always sought out new ways of achieving happiness and accomplishing tasks which has ultimately led me to backpacking and thru-hiking….. One of my favorite things about hiking is overcoming challenges and immersing myself in the raw, untouched beauty of our natural world.
Ash Manning is a hiker and boater from the Northeast Georgia Appalachians where she grew up under the influence of her father and uncle in the outdoors. She currently works as a whitewater river guide in the summers and spends her off-seasons hiking and backpacking. She has an upcoming thru-hike planned for the Pinhoti trail in the spring of 2022.
My name is Elliot Pacheco and I was born in Puerto Rico. As a kid I learned mental discipline and grit through the sport of wrestling. I was always a minority everywhere I went and was even more so when I began and completed my Triple Crown of backpacking of the Appalachian Trail in 2018, Pacific Crest Trail in 2019, and the Continental Divide Trail in 2021. From the things I’ve learned and seen in these past few years of backpacking across America, what stands out most to me is how much love and kindness there truly is in the world and this beautiful country. America’s backcountry is unreal.
Hiiiii! My name is Anjelica, Jel for short, Casperina on trail. I’m a plus-size outdoor explorer. Backpacking has completely stolen my heart and representation in the outdoors matters so deeply to me. It’s important for me to show others that our possibilities in nature are limitless 💕
My name is Zack and I love hiking. When I’m not on trail I’m a couch hopping, rav4 living, travel trauma ICU nurse. I discovered thru hiking later in my 20’s and since then (a year ago) I’ve been hard at work, walking miles. Currently I’ve thru-hiked the AZT, CT, JMT, and I’ve done a section of the PCT. In 2022, I plan to hike the AZT and PCT!
Hi, I’m Brigid “Scrambles” Scott and I teach highschool math/science in Jasper, Alberta. This summer my hubby and I completed the Great Divide Trail from Waterton to Kakwa (how I learned about the FarOut app) and I have been bitten hard by the thru-hiking bug! I can’t wait to complete more thru-hikes, like the AZT, CT, PCT, and CDT (to name a few lol). I am also a landscape/adventure photographer and so I love to document our adventures and post about them on my IG, website, and YouTube channel so I can share all the beauty & adventures to those who don’t have the mountains as accessible to them.
Max Alpert is an avid hiker and adventurer who fell in love with backpacking while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. After completing the PCT, he moved to Colorado and has since hiked the Collegiate Loop as well as summited 23 of the state’s 58 14ers. He recently expanded his hiking team to two with the addition of his dog Riley (@goaheadriley), who is proving to be quite the adventurer herself!
My name is Zelzin Aketzalli, I am the first person from Mexico to finish the Triple Crown. I found my passion in Thru-hike and that passion would never have been found if I had never stepped out of my comfort zone. I like to support and inspire more people to follow their dreams despite all the obstacles.
After a lengthy battle with a rare brain disease, Crystal Gail Welcome came to recognize the healing power of nature. As an author, storyteller, activist, backpacker, and Black outdoor leader, she now uses her experience to break down barriers so more people can access the outdoors. Crystal chooses to speak out against racial injustice in the United States by hiking and giving voice to her experiences.
Lo Phong La Kiatoukaysy, known on trail as “Lil’ Buddha”, is a Hmong American adventurer, speaker, writer, and diversity & equity advocate. He has hiked over 48,000 miles since 1995, and is best known for his calendar year 2010 Eastern Continental Trail (Key West, FL to Belle Isle, Newfoundland), considered an ultra long-distance hiking first.
Outside Magazine named Lil’ Buddha as one of the 2021 Outsiders of the Year for his advocacy work with #StopAAPIHate campaign and mentorship of BIPOC hikers.
Liz Thomas is a professional hiker, speaker, and outdoor writer who held the women’s self-supported speed record on the 2,181-mile long Appalachian Trail from 2011-2015. Called a “thru-hiking legend” by Outside Magazine, Liz has hiked 20+ other long distance trails including the Triple Crown of Hiking (Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail) and first known traverses of the Wasatch Range and Chinook Trail.
She’s the author of Long Trails: Mastering the Art of the Thru-hike, which received the National Outdoor Book Award for Best Instructional book with judges calling it destined to become the “Bible of the Sport.”Learn more at www.eathomas.com or @lizthomashiking or Treeline Review.
Starting in 2019 as a thru hiker I have hiked over 7400 miles. The trails are a safe place for me to be alone with my thoughts and a place to suffer through what the Chaos of the “real world” hides from us. It’s also a place for me to meet some amazing people and create some of the strongest bonds possible. For me I find so much joy in life by helping others. On trail I accomplish this in many ways, but the best is to leave a comment on the FarOut app on each water source.
Retha is a long distance hiker, adventure travel writer, and ice cream connoisseur. She is a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts and is all about women supporting women, especially in the outdoors. Her blog roamingnanny.com has resources to help women get outside and explore our amazing planet. In 2021 Retha or as she’s known on trail, Pikachu, completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail and has sights on the CDT and PCT to become a Triple Crowner.
I’m known as Xisco on the Appalachian trail, “Mile Whisper” for other trails or just Francisco. I first became interested in hiking when I moved to Arizona back in 2000. In 2019, I decided to leave everything behind and started my hiking sabbatical. Since then, I have hiked over 7500 miles. That’s many days, nights of joy, laughter, pain, exhaustion, hunger, and sometimes sadness. But the most gratifying moment is when you realize you have reached your destination and it was your own two feet that got you there. That’s why I love hiking, it makes me feel my body, and emotions. I also love that through my experiences, I’m able to inspire others to discover what their bodies are capable of and explore nature to create lifetime memories of their own
Caro Kellough never grew up out of playing outside. After moving to the Pacific Northwest from Oklahoma, she began her journey as an outdoor guide. She now lives in Utah where she works as a wilderness based therapist and owns her own guiding and therapy company: Desert Song. In the off season she bakes her heart out and tries to soak in as much local community as she can. She’s planning on thru-hiking the Pinhoti trail spring of 2022.
Heather Anderson is a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, three-time Triple Crown thru-hiker, and professional speaker whose mission is to inspire others to “Dream Big, Be Courageous.” She is also the author of two hiking memoirs Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home and Mud, Rocks, Blazes: Letting Go on the Appalachian Trail and a preparatory guide to long-distance hiking Adventure Ready. Find her on Instagram @WordsFromTheWild or her website wordsfromthewild.net.