These are my upcoming planned adventures, and an ever-evolving list of some longer-term hiking goals.
Autumn 2023: Arizona Trail, “AZT”
1287km / 800 miles
Direction: Northbound
Dates: October – November 2023
Description: The AZT begins at the US-Mexico border, traversing biomes ranging from desert to boreal forest. Continuing across the Sonoran Desert, the route crosses the Gila River, winds through the Superstition Mountains and the Mazatzal Wilderness on its way to the Mogollon Rim and majestic San Francisco Peaks. The trail north takes hikers across the Grand Canyon, and topping out on the North Rim. On the Kaibab Plateau, the trail winds through conifer forests and red bluffs, and finishes at the Utah border on the edge of the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.
Summer 2024:
Brooks Range Traverse, “BRT”
1533km / 953 miles
Direction: Westbound
Dates: June 23 2024 – August 6 2024 (45 days)
Description: I’ve attempted to create a route that traverses the spine of Alaska’s Brooks Range (the continental divide), starting at the Alaska/Yukon border, and ending at the Chukchi Sea on Alaska’s west coast. The route passes thru the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Gates of the Arctic National Park, and Kobuk Valley National Park. Encounters with civilization are very rare, the route crosses only one road, the Dalton Highway, aka the Haul Road. It also passes thru only one village, Anaktuvuk, which is only accessible by plane. The route lies entirely above the Arctic circle, this means daylight hours will be long, and treeline will be very low. For the first 600 miles, I will be hiking across tundra, tussock, glacial rivers and rocky passes; the last 350 miles will be a packrafting adventure down the Noatak and Kobuk Rivers. The route finishes at Kotzebue, a small town of 3,000 people, where the Noatak River enters the sea.
2024 and beyond:
Great Divide Trail (Canada, 702mi/1130km)
Idaho Centennial Trail (Idaho, 901mi/1450km)
Grand Enchantment Trail (Arizona/NM, 775mi+/1250km+)
Kings Canyon High Basin Route (California, 128mi/206km)
GR5 (France, Switzerland)
Tour de Mont Blanc (France, Switzerland, Italy)
Alps Haute Route (Chamonix to Zermatt)
Ice Age Trail (Wisconsin, 1145mi/1843km)