The JMT- Part 4 (Intro to Derek & Katy)

Derek & Katy are a rugged pair, with an appetite for the outdoors. They are married, avid hikers, and are our last team in our JMT series for 2021. We’re very excited to have these guys share their journey on the trail with us here at The Rugged Outdoorsmen.

The Following is a short Bio & intro from them. I think you’ll like it !

Howdy fellow backpackers/hikers/outdoor enthusiasts!

My name is Derek and my wife’s name is Katy. Together with our pups Darla and Ellie Mae, we make up House Quinn. We’re originally from Ohio but now reside in Phoenix, Arizona. We’re so excited to team up with The Rugged Outdoorsmen on our John Muir Trail Adventure.

I grew up in the woods in Southeast Ohio so naturally I gravitated to the outdoors. Katy is from the big city of Columbus, Ohio and is a bit of a flower child, seeking the beauty in not only the outdoors but in the people she shares the Earth with. Her compassion for others was one of the main reasons I chose to do life with her. We moved to Phoenix to escape frigid winters and pursue a healthier lifestyle. I was also a fan of living in place where everything wants to destroy you. The sun, brother cactus, lady desert, rattlesnakes. Nothing natural wants us here but here we are. In addition to finding enjoyable employment and cleaning up our diets, we began hiking. Gradually moving from Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak, to significant mileage in the Superstition Mountains and anything the Sonoran desert had to offer. Our dear friends The Rumschlags, took us on our first official backpack as a couple, in the Santa Catalina Mountains in Tucson and we’ve never looked back.

After watching Elina Osbornes amazing PCT story for the 37th time and completing a 30 mile loop in the Sierras last year, we decided that the JMT is something we wanted to pursue. We are currently in the middle of Spring Training, eating up as many miles and as much elevation as we can in prep for the trail.

Beyond hiking, I’m a fan of fresh beers and coffee, strumming guitars, dogecoin, and I’ve been working on a hiking themed board game for a hot minute. Katy loves to get on the mat for a yoga sesh, cooking, boujie eateries, sipping wine and going for leisurely bike rides around central Phoenix.

We are so excited to share our experience with everyone. It’s easily going to be the hardest thing we’ve ever done. Good, bad or somewhere in between, we hope to articulate what life on the trail is like. The people, the wildlife, the beauty, the misery. In addition to teaming up with The Rugged Outdoorsmen, we will be documenting via Sony A7iii/iPhone/GoPro Max 360, the trip in its entirety and hope to share a quality piece of work that does the John Muir Trail justice.

We’ll leave you with Katy’s trail catchphrase. Happy Hiking!

From the desk of The Rugged Outdoorsmen- We are definitely looking forward to hearing about the trail experience from these guys. Stay Tuned !