I’m Jamie, and I like to go hiking.
Are you planning a trip?
Your time on the trail can be everything you want it to be, and so much more.
I find a lot of fulfillment in my hikes, and I hope the same for you.
Backpacking is a strange thing. It can feel so meaningful, yet finding a tangible meaning in it is so elusive… like life itself.
DownTheTrail.com is here to help with your outdoor adventures
Like most hiking blogs, Down The Trail began as a self-indulgent place to chronicle my trips.
It all started back in 2001 when I hiked the Appalachian Trail and kept an online journal. Later in 2006 I rode my bicycle across the United States and kept a similar journal.
Both of these logs were hosted on other people’s sites. I wanted to consolidate them into my own online space, and this website was born in 2008.
I still maintain it as a place for my journals, but now there’s a lot more practical information here.
You know, stuff that’s actually useful.
You’ll find plenty of trail guides and articles like my gear list and best cameras.
Where’s everything from the Grand Canyon?
I used to have a good collection of Grand Canyon photos and information on here. I have more experience and knowledge in Grand Canyon than any other destination, so it made sense to create a separate site dedicated to it. That was my intent with ElvesChasm.com.
Elves Chasm is still online but the site is essentially dead. Once DownTheTrail is up-to-date I intend to take another stab at a dedicated Grand Canyon site, but I don’t anticipated getting to it for a long time. Elves Chasm will be up in the meantime, but I eventually intend to take it down and start over with a new domain.
Here’s my outdoor “resume”
- Appalachian Trail
- TransAmerica Trail (bicycle tour)
- Long Trail – Vermont
- John Muir Trail
- Teton Crest Trail
- Colorado Trail
- Inca Trail
- Trails in Hawaii (Nepali Coast, Mauna Loa)
- A season in Alaska (several weekend hikes)
- Hayduke Trail (long sections)
- Trans-Zion
- 4 Grand Canyon rafting trips (2 as boatman)
- 4,000 miles hiked in Grand Canyon (and 39 summits)
- Piecing together an end-to-end hike of Grand Canyon (Less than 50 people in all of history have done this)
- more day trips and weekends around the U.S.
- I’ve visited all 50 states
What’s the Next Big Adventure?
In 2019 I’m thru-hiking the Arizona Trail!
Sign up below to get live email updates from the AZT: