Some people decide to hike 2,190 miles on a whim. Naoto, a writer for backpacking site The Trek, has given himself three years to get ready — and his backstory explains why.
Born in Japan and raised between a Chicago suburb and the foothills near Boulder, Colorado, Naoto got his outdoor education early: summer camps, trips into the Southwest mountains, and a two-month canoe expedition through Algonquin. The thru-hiking seed was planted at age 11, when a camp counselor — prompted by a Nalgene bottle being run over by a truck — started telling stories about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. He was hooked on the idea from that moment on.
Then came a detour that most hikers don't have on their resume. Naoto enlisted in the Marines and spent four years as a Reconnaissance Scout, with combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. His units lived in the field for months at a stretch, no running water, showers counted on one hand per deployment. His military transcript reportedly lists "Adventure" among its bullet points.
After the service came 15 years in Austin, Texas — hiking and camping across the state, a year living in a van while studying, volunteering with a disaster-response nonprofit, and eventually teaching photojournalism at Austin Community College. Along the way he kept running into thru-hikers, and each encounter reinforced the same plan.
Now based in Las Vegas, he's found an unlikely training ground. Beyond the Strip, the city is ringed by mountains, and the mix of desert and alpine terrain supports a surprisingly active outdoor scene — a contrast to the casino image most visitors carry. With a health condition his doctor says can only be managed, not fixed, he's decided not to wait. The plan: use the next few years of shakedown hikes, fitness work and gear testing around Nevada to prepare for an attempt on the Appalachian Trail in 2028.
Why should a holiday traveller care? Partly for the reminder that Las Vegas is a legitimate base for wilderness trips — Red Rock Canyon, Mount Charleston and Lake Mead are all within an hour of the casinos. And partly because Naoto will be documenting the whole prep process: gear choices that work, training that doesn't, and the realities of planning a long-distance hike years in advance. Anyone dreaming about a big trek of their own could pick up useful lessons from someone doing it slowly and deliberately.
