Featured Hobnailer: Ed Leist

by | Apr 1, 2025 | 0 comments

Our “Featured Hobnailers” series spotlights past and upcoming Hobnail trekkers. In this episode, we interview Ed Leist of Bel Air, Maryland. Along with his wife, Samantha, and their daughter and son-in-law, Margaret and Dylan Sweeney, Ed completed our Peaks of the Balkans trek in July of 2023. (From left, above, is Samantha, Ed, Dylan, and Margaret.)
Q: Where do you live? What are your occupations?
A: Bel Air, Maryland. Samantha is a pastor and I’m currently a contractor with CMS working on quality of health care for Medicare.
Q: How and when did you get into adventure travel?

A:  I have always been interested in adventure travel and have done a lot of hiking, canoeing, camping, etc. And I read a lot of books about adventure travel, climbing, etc. Samantha signed us up for our Nepal trek after reading about it in the paper and thinking it sounded cool.

Q: Where was your first out-of-country adventure? How did it go?

A:  Our first real out-of-country adventure would be our Himalayan trek in Nepal in 2016. We had done some hiking in Korea, travel to Canada and Mexico before then, but Nepal was our first big adventure out of the country.

Q: How did you discover Hobnail Trekking?
A: I read Mark’s book Doofus Dad Does Everest Base Camp and learned about Hobnail there. I enjoyed the book and Mark’s writing so much that I knew I wanted to do a trek with Hobnail.
Q: Which Hobnail adventure(s) have you done and when?
A: We went on the Peaks of the Balkans Trek in July 2023, and it was awesome.
Q: What is your favorite memory, moment, or story from this adventure?

A: It’s hard to pick one favorite, but being with our oldest daughter and her husband for the trek was so wonderful. Our guide, Momir, was so professional and thoughtful, the food and accommodations were great, the scenery was beautiful, and the local people and other trekkers we saw along the way were so nice. On our last full day of trekking, we hiked up a mountain in Montenegro while an ultramarathon was going on. It was pretty cool seeing the participants and also talking to the folks managing on of the checkpoints.

Q: How did your expectations for your trip (or the destination) differ from reality?

A: The accommodations and food were absolutely wonderful and so much more comfortable than our trek in Nepal. They far exceeded our expectations.

Q: Were you nervous or concerned about anything before your adventure? If so, was is better or worse than you thought?

A: Honestly, we were most nervous about the flights and making all our connections. Everything worked out fine (but we did spend our last night on the way home in the Amsterdam Airport. That was interesting lol). We were also a little nervous being the first Hobnailers to do this trek, and it was just the four of us and our guide, but that turned out to be great.

Q: What other destinations are on your adventure-travel bucket list?
A: We went to Peru and also to Germany and Austria last year. The Canadian Rockies and a trip back to Korea are high on our list, and the Camino de Santiago is still a dream for us.

Hobnail’s Peaks of the Balkans trek is an extraordinary journey through the remote and rugged landscapes of northern Albania and eastern Montenegro, where the Accursed Mountains—also known as the Albanian Alps—rise in dramatic, jagged beauty. This off-the-beaten-path adventure takes you through traditional shepherd villages, across wildflower-strewn valleys, and over breathtaking mountain passes, all while immersing you in the warmth and hospitality of local cultures. With its Tolkien-esque scenery, deep historical roots, and trail systems only recently opened to international travelers, this trek offers a one-of-a-kind blend of wilderness and cultural richness that’s unlike anywhere else in Europe.

See the details HERE.

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