Our book is out now!Hiking Trails
About
Originally from North Carolina, Matthew “Tall Joe” Howard now lives in the Netherlands. He grew up car camping with his family in the mountains of North Carolina. Then in 2009 he purchased his first hiking backpack, a REI Flash 65, and from that day on was hooked. He has since gone on to hike over 8,000 miles completing thru-hikes of the Appalachian Trail (2012), Camino de Santiago (2017), Pacific Crest Trail (2017) and numerous “shorter” hikes from the TMB, AV1, WHW, Four Pass Loop, and multi-day hikes in the Grand Canyon.
“The best thing about long-distance hiking is the absolute freedom – the only things that really matter are where you’re going to sleep, where the next water source is, how many miles that day and where’s my next resupply.” These days he loves exploring classic European trails and staying connected to the hiking community through his blog and gear planning app.
