As good a time as any.

Hello everyone // Hello everyone!!

I’m Josef/Jo/JML from Wellington, New Zealand, and I’m attempting a northbound hike on the Appalachian Trail (AT) this summer. This will be my third long-distance ride, following the Pacific Crest Trail in 2023 and the Hexatrek, the new 3000km long-distance route in France, which I completed last summer.

While the AT has been a fixture on my growing hiking bucket list for several years, deciding to come here and try it this summer has been very last minute. In fact, it’s been less than three weeks since I decided on the AT, booked my flights, and arrived in the United States. I’ve long held the opinion that there is never a perfect time to go hiking (or embark on any type of long-term trip, if hiking isn’t your thing). It can be quite disruptive to normal life (taking you away from friends, family, career or partner) for 3 to 6 months at a time. So when you get even half a chance to do something like this, you just have to take advantage of it.

So when I found myself between contracts in early 2026, with a couple of quiet months ahead, I thought: why not? And here we are, back in the United States, about to embark on a historic and special path.

Thank you for taking the time to read my upcoming posts and The Trek for allowing me to share them here.

See you on the way.

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