Who is Zach Violett? The trip

Hello everyone. I’m Zach. My trail name is Bird-dog, but it’s funny to say since only 3 other people know me by that name. I got my trail name on the Sierra High Route a few years ago when I kept running looking for a way through the technical sections. I guess he was zigzagging while looking for a trail on the hillside, and he appeared like a bird dog following a trail. Since then, almost all the other trails I’ve done are in other countries where trail names aren’t used…

Backstory:

A little about me: I grew up in Northern California, not far from the PCT. My family was pretty active and took at least one 7-day camping trip every year, but we never did any serious backpacking. I was a competitive cross-country ski racer from the ages of 13 to 25, and my life centered around this sport. I spent two years living and training in Norway, then five years in Alaska for the college ski team. I eventually settled in Bend, Oregon to take advantage of the long Cascades ski season.

When I finished my ski career, I got a big kid job and did all the adult things. I bought a house, got a dog (yes, a bird dog), got married, bought a bigger house, and moved up the corporate ladder. During this time, I started Ultra running to stay in shape, as well as backpacking and other longer adventures when I could escape the office.

Fast forward, and 2019/2020 was quite a transformative period for me. My ex and I separated and then divorced. The pandemic hit. And I really spent some time figuring out who I was and what I cared about. I realized that I was spending a lot of time and energy on things that didn’t make me happy. I didn’t really care about «keeping up with the neighbors.» I wanted a life of adventure and set some new priorities. I started really working to get out of the corporate routine. Summer 2020, a friend and I did the JMT and loved it. It was a great experience of healing and self-reflection. It was also a festival of total suffering…

Later that year I met «Jetpack,» and our first date was a hike to the top of Mount Bachelor. In the years that followed, we hiked the Sierra High Route and the Wind River High Route. In 2023 we get married. In early 2024 I was offered a position in Europe and we were able to move to the French Alps. In May 2025 I “retired” from my company after 17 years with them.

Since May, we’ve taken a hard hit on adventures. We walked the 800km GR11 through the Spanish Pyrenees (and cycled 1000km from our house to the start). I then took many multi-day trips to huts here in France before heading to Nepal and spending two months on the Great Himalayan Trail. 2025 was an amazing year and 2026 should be even better!

The arrival of the GR11

2026

This year we have many adventures planned:

• May 15 – July 30: We are touring the Transcaucasian Trail (TCT). It is a 2,000 kilometer trail that crosses Armenia and Georgia.
• August: Multiple trips to shelters in Italy to train on the racecourse
• September 11-20: Tor Des Glaciares 450km race (think of it as a 300 mile hiking race with 100,000 feet of elevation gain)
• October 1-15: Hike the Vermont Long Trail
• October 20 – November 30: Hike the Arizona Trail

I will write mainly about TCT. As it is a relatively new trail, I would like to share the experience with others. It’s a totally new part of the world for me (and I assume most readers here). Perhaps sharing our lives on the trails will help others get into these new and “exotic” trails. I’ll also be sure to post some posts here about other trails and trips we do.

2027 and beyond:

Partial list of future trails I’d like to do (in no specific order):

• Trans-European Alpine Route (TEAR)
• Hexatrek
• Of course, the US Triple Crown trails.
• Va’Sentiero from Italy
• Via Dinárica
• Lycian Way
• Pamir Trail (we planned to hike it in 2026, but changed plans)

At the JMT

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