HOB-blog
Don’t be a slave to your bucket list
A few days ago, I was out hiking alone and thinking (always dangerous) and I had a bit of an epiphany: I believe that we, as a travel community, sometimes limit ourselves by adhering to the concept...
The allure of adventure travel
Adventure travel offers an exhilarating escape from the ordinary, taking us to new places and pushing our physical limits. Whether it's trekking through the Himalayas, hiking the Peruvian Andes, or...
A day in the life of the EBC trail
When Holly and I do our "Everest Base Camp Trek Experience" presentation, we always have one slide that covers a typical day on trek — and it's really fun. So today, I've decided to provide you the...
‘Living vicariously’ isn’t living
May I vent for a moment? OK, thanks. Social media is often The Devil, I'm convinced. But, it is an interesting devil. It can be very revealing about us humans. For example, one of our trekkers just...
What we do, what you do
Today, I want to provide you with some of the basics about why Hobnail exists and what it is that we do. First, there are lots of adventure travel companies, and I'm sure that most of them are...
HOw tough is a trek to everest base camp, anyway?
Today, I want to address what, on the surface, seems like a very simple question: How tough is a trek to Everest Base Camp? First, we must agree that is a very subjective question, and it really...
Jeff & Patricia’s Peruvian Odyssey, Pt. 5
One thing about it, flexibility is important! While our itinerary said we leave at 8am, Ruben sent a note and said 7:15am is the plan. Partly to pick up a couple of folks for the Pisac tour, partly...
Jeff & Patricia’s Peruvian Odyssey, Pt. 4
This post was a hard one. I wanted to keep it relatively chronological (this is an odyssey after all, it’s what Homer would do). And I didn’t want to bore anyone with too much detail (but then...
Jeff & Patricia’s Peruvian Odyssey, Pt. 3
Our international flight from Houston landed in Lima around midnight on the 2nd of September. Customs was surprisingly easy. No forms to fill out and there was a departure gate that said “Nothing to...
Jeff & Patricia’s peruvian odyssey, Pt. 2
Planes, trains, vans, buses, taxis, boats, bikes, horses, and of course, our feet. I enjoy maps. And I like looking back and seeing what’s been accomplished. I tried two methods of capturing the...
Jeff & Patricia’s Peruvian Odyssey, Pt. 1
A whut? An odyssey. (ŏd′ĭ-sē) – noun An extended adventurous voyage or trip. An intellectual or spiritual quest. An epic poem, attributed to Homer, in which are celebrated the adventures of...
Why travel with Hobnail?
I've heard the question of "why should I travel internationally through an American company?" batted around a bit, so I wanted to address it for you today. Traveling can be a very personal thing,...
Trekking with Thubten
I met Himalayan trekking guide Thubten Sherpa in 2011 when I signed up for a trip to Tibet with REI Adventures. I had seen a picture of the Potala Place in Lhasa on their website and thought that...
Scary logistics? We got you.
Let's address the elephant in the room: planning an overseas adventure holiday can be daunting and downright scary, especially if you've never done it before. In fact, most people simply give up...
How we choose our treks
When Holly and I first conceived of Hobnail Trekking back in the fall of 2016, we quite literally had no clue that it would become what it is today. Back then, we developed the idea around a single...
Take it from Harry — The time is now
Committing to an expensive, two-week-long overseas trekking adventure can be a bit daunting; I get it. Back in 2016, when Holly and I made the decision to book Everest Base Camp for 18 months later,...
Devilish beauty along the Peaks of the Balkans trail
God took six days to create the Earth, the sea and the sky. But, so a local legend goes, the devil took only 24 hours to create the Accursed Mountains. It was a full day’s work. He would have scored deep ravines with his pointy tail. He would have sculpted spires of rock with his evil little claws. And, long after he finished the mountains, the curse remained, for this range has always been synonymous with bandits, blood feuds, avalanches, and miscellaneous misfortunes for anyone foolish enough to visit.
4 Critical Tips For Mental Toughness in Trekking
When planning a long-distance trek, it's natural to consider physical fitness first. After all, propelling yourself up and down rough terrain over multiple miles is no easy task, so you obviously...
Why you should never wait for the ‘right time’ to travel
As you would expect, the adventure travel industry has been all but shut down since the appearance of COVID in the spring of 2020. For the first year or so, the world essentially freaked out,...
The Ultimate Guide to Merino Wool
By Paul Ronto Reprinted from runrepeat.com Technical gear is made from dozens of materials and fibers. It’s dyed, woven, and sewn into millions of pieces of clothing designed to keep us...
11 amazing Reasons Why Adventure Travel should be a priority for you
The concept of “adventure travel” is a relatively recent trend that is gaining in popularity among Americans. It is loosely defined as a trip to an exotic locale where at least part of your agenda involves physical activity like hiking, climbing, scuba diving, or swimming vigorously immediately prior to being eaten by a crocodile that can swim faster…
The Fiery Gizzard Trail: Certa Mors
As the Owner of an International Trekking Company, I approached this trek with all the optimism and preparation of a total nincompoop. I had good boots, a good Camelbak pack, and a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I was also hiking with my company’s trek leader, Dawa, an Everest Region Sherpa and veteran of hundreds of long-distance Nepali hikes at altitude. So hiking with Dawa is like calling an Uber and Richard Petty shows up as your driver…
