Where are we now?

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Meet the Authors

*updated April 2026

We're Don and Samantha, a.k.a. Moose and Bugs (learn about "trail names"), about 8 years ago we decided to experience as much as possible before life slows us down! In 2019 we hiked our first "thru-hike", the 1200 mile Pacific Northwest Trail, stretching from Glacier National Park in Montana to the western edge of the Olympic peninsula in Washington State. After that we were hooked, hiking the Grand Enchantment "Trail", an exciting 800 mile adventure route from Phoenix, AZ to Albuquerque, NM and finally the epic and awe inspiring Hayduke in the spring of 2024.

Moose's endless passion for hiking never wanes but we also felt the need for experiences beyond his backpacking obsession. So we traveled to the Mediterranean and spent time in Greece. A month was spent in Central Asia, exploring the ancient silk road in Uzbekistan and hiking in the Tian Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Another month was spent in Japan, with the monkeys on the subtropical southern island of Kyushu and in the northern coastal towns of Hokkaido.

Now in 2025 we're changing everything. Closing down our small business in the US and putting all our possessions in storage! We're combining our long distance hiking experience with an overseas destination and hiking the Transcaucasian Trail through Armenia and Georgia. After this 1000 mile hike we plan to spend the rest of the year and hopefully most of 2026 abroad. We have very few plans, only crazy hopes and dreams!

The Enchantments, Washington Cascades, backpacking, hiking, hiking with your partner, mountain goat

April 2026 Update

One year in and what a journey its been. Last summer we completed our 1600km hike of the Transcaucasian Trail, next we ran through the Balkans and found a new favorite Greek island, we returned to Georgia to meet family and flew to South Korea. The next six months were spent traveling though East and Southeast Asia, hiking through the rugged and exhilarating Central Mountain Range of Taiwan, eating exotic foods, celebrating the new year at the base of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and making new friends in Vietnam.

We saw the majestic ruins of Angkor Wat and slept alone on dry forest ridges in Thailand near the Burmese border. We been exhausted, sick, injured and unsure of what's next but our passion for sharing our journey with the world is only beginning. Check out our growing blog to get all the details and learn how you too can have these same magical and transformative experiences. Thanks for reading!