Joanna On The Trail

Hi, I’m Joanna! I was born in Tennessee, lived briefly in Texas, and by the time I was in 1st grade we landed in Tampa, Florida where my parents were born and raised (Go Bucs!). After graduating from the University of South Florida (Go Bulls!), I spent the next 25 years in aerospace and tech — 15 at Lockheed Martin and the last 10 at Apple. I’ve gotten to live lots of places across the US along the way, but I’ll always consider Florida home.

I currently live in California with my husband Lee and our two sweet, quirky rescue hounds, Lola and Gigi. Lee and I have been adventuring together since we met through mutual friends at Lockheed Martin in 2008 — we’ve backpacked in Guatemala, gutted and renovated a row house in Philadelphia, and logged thousands of miles across the US in our Sprinter van.

In April 2026, I retired at 48 and did what any reasonable person would do: booked a 200-mile hike across the north of England.

This site documents my post-retirement hiking adventures and, I hope, serves as a useful resource for other hikers. I’m documenting my preparation and journey on the UK Coast to Coast — roughly 200 miles across northern England — as well as the training hikes leading up to it: MammothMarch Boston, Segments 1-5 of the Colorado Trail, and countless day hikes. If you’re researching any of these routes, I hope what I share here saves you some time and helps you feel more prepared.

While I’ve always enjoyed hiking, I am by no means an expert — I’m someone who finally has the time to do the things she always meant to do. If that resonates with you, welcome.