My name is Jackson, and in a few weeks, I’ll begin the longest walk of my life.

Now, if I had to guess, most of you are probably here reading this because you know me and I’ve somehow convinced you that following along and listening to my ramblings will be worthwhile. If so, thanks for tuning in.

But I’m also going to assume that at least a couple of you just happened to stumble upon my blogposts and have kept reading up till this point.

So, I figure an introduction is in order.

Who am I?

Now that’s a great question. I wish I had an easy answer for you. Originally from North Carolina, I moved out west for school. Between a Bachelor’s (BYU), Master’s (UArizona), and work (as a translation advisor), I’ve been out west for almost my entire adult life. Growing up, I had inklings that I might enjoy the outdoors—I went on two weeklong backpacking trips on the AT with a church group in high school and I’m pretty sure I was the only one who had a good time—but it was moving to Utah as a college freshman that really helped shape me and my interests into who I am today.

Speaking of my interests, I also love food (making/eating/talking about it), college football, history, and classic rock. But my most niche and abiding passion is the academic study of the Bible. My BA was in Ancient Near Eastern Studies (try saying that ten times fast) and my MA was in Classics. I’m a published author in the field of New Testament, and I’d be happy to send you a link to my article if you have any interest in reading through an overly technical argument about why we’re translating John 7:38 incorrectly. Immediately after finishing the trail, I’ll be moving cross-country to start a PhD program in religious studies (location as yet TBD)—hence my early start date.

The Trail

On that note, I should probably explain why I’ve decided to go on a 4+ month walk.

My first backpacking trips were the aforementioned week-long trips on the AT. With zero backpacking experience and even less suitable gear (my pack was between 50 and 60 pounds), these trips were my introduction to what we now call type-2 fun. It rained every day, equipment broke down, and the terrain was tough, but I realized… I enjoyed it.

From there, I dabbled off and on with shorter 2, 3, and 4-day trips until I snagged the golden ticket—a permit to hike the John Muir Trail starting in Yosemite Valley.

To say the JMT was life-changing would be an understatement.

It opened my eyes to a new kind of adventure—in no small part because my trip coincided with the NOBO bubble of PCT hikers, whose brains I picked every chance I could get. When I reached Mount Whitney after a couple of sublime weeks, I wanted to keep going. It was at this point that I realized that I was perhaps a little crazy, and the PCT began to loom large.

There’s no perfect time for a thru-hike. It’s a messy business any way you slice it. But this summer is about as close to perfect as I could hope. To return to school in the fall, I would have to quit my job anyway. And so, my reasoning went, I might as well quit it a few months early and knock a major item off my bucket list.

And so that’s where things stand. I have a lot to do before I leave in a few weeks (picking a school not the least among them), but my start date can’t come soon enough. I have optimistic goals to blog regularly, but we’ll see if those remain intact after a head-on collision with the realities of trail life. But no matter what, I’m grateful for your support and I look forward to keeping you updated.

Until next time,

switchbackjack