We’re constantly amazed at the backpackers who moonlight as artists, or the artists who moonlight as backpackers. If you’re one of the lucky people who can do both in equal measure, double kudos to you. We wanted to highlight some of the hikers in the community who are also artists, photographers, furniture makers, and gear builders.
This is just the start of our collection—if we missed someone special, or you’re an artist looking to be included, shoot us an email. We’d love to add you.
Our feature image is a collection of watercolors by Backpacking Routes co-founder Andrew Marshall. Andrew is a writer, painter, essayist, poet, and avid backpacker. More of his work can be found here.
Alina “Abstract”Drufovka
Mixed-Media Art and Printed Products
Alina, also known as “Abstract” has hiked the Appalachian Trail, the desert section of the Israel National Trail, and 1,800 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. She’s also worked as a wilderness guide in Maine, Colorado, and Wyoming.
Alina describes her art as “surreal adventure art.” She is a mixed-media artist creating “portals” back to the trail. Her work is available on stickers, as prints and cards, and even on the popular Kula Cloth.
Sean Kamp
Thru-Hiker Wallets
I had always wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. After college I found myself with a cozy government job doing environmental permitting, but spending 40 hours a week in an office was driving me up a wall. Only a few months after getting hired I was offered a promotion and decided that if I took it I would be stuck and I’d never follow my dream. I put in my notice the next day and a few months later in March of 2015 I hit the trail. After completing the AT I moved to Asheville and eventually scored a dream gig as a traveling festival rep for ENO hammocks.
While living on the road I had the opportunity to meet a ton of small gear makers and check out their shops. It stuck with me. In 2019 I got off the road and hiked the CDT. The pull toward learning to sew was always sitting in the back of my mind but with no solid “home” I didn’t have the ability to make it happen. 2020 was shaping up to be another year full of traveling and thru-hiking. COVID-19 ended all of that. The festivals were canceled and my old job disappeared. I decided it was the right move to bail on my PCT thru-hike plans. At first I felt stuck and disappointed but I soon used this opportunity to settle down and finally buy a sewing machine. I started making my wallets as a way to learn to sew and they’ve quickly turned into a growing side gig. I like taking a simple item like a zip wallet or a stash pouch and focusing on using the highest quality materials and patterns for the perfect blend of functionality and aesthetics. Ultimately I want to keep branching out on some larger projects and continuing to grow my skill set.
Monica Aguilar
Drawings, Paintings, Murals
I hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2018. My first day was in snow, I couldn’t feel my hands, and I am sure (actually, I know) I had no idea what I was doing but I was on cloud nine! I was so happy and grateful to be there. I just kept thinking to myself; it can only get warmer from here! Since that first thru-hike, I have craved experiences and I have come to realize that life is more about doing what you love rather than living to work.
After the trail, I started creating art again and have begun to paint and draw on and off the trail. I biked the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route and carried a small journal to paint in throughout the ride. Most of my artwork is inspired by the natural world around me and the places I have been or places I want to go. I hope to create art during my next thru-hike on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2021. I sell prints, stickers, and create commissioned paintings.
Luke Pearsall
Fine Art Photography
Luke Pearsall is a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. His career in media has spanned over 19 years, including work on large-scale television and film productions in Los Angeles as well as print advertising photography work with global clients.
In 2006, Luke took a hiatus from film to work as a guide in South America, where his love for the outdoors grew. Luke credits this time for sparking what would become a lifelong pursuit of working creatively as a creative professional working primarily in the adventure lifestyle and outdoors industry.
In 2015 Luke hiked 550 miles across Spain on the Camino de Santiago and after a 2020 NOGO of the PCT, Luke hiked 495 miles, completing the Colorado Trail in the state where he has lived since 2016 and where he relocated his studio after 12 years in Los Angeles to be closer to the mountains.
Custom fine art prints are available by direct message or email.
Joel “Matador” Quinones
Out in the Wild Apparel
I lived in the Middle East for two years helping persecuted people groups from 2014-2016. Though I had never really hiked or camped overnight before, I knew that the trail was a place where I could release all the pain that gets stuck to you when you help those who are hurting. I decided to do the Appalachian Trail 2017. Since moving to the West Coast, I have hiked 1,600 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail.
The trail has changed my life. The community is like no other. Starting Out in the Wild was more for nostalgic purposes. First with the “Hiker Trash” hat and T-shirts. Now with the other apparel, I feel like something is growing. My heart’s desire is to promote diversity on the trail and to encourage that there is healing in the outdoors.
Livio Melo
Allmansright Gear
I’ve been making my entire life—hiking only came along recently. I dove right into hiking and wasted money on used gear because I ended up making my own just months after getting the other gear. It’s only been two years since my first overnight trip and I’m hooked.
I have a deep relationship with making and nature cultivated over a lifetime, and being a designer / hiker is a nice closed loop for me right now. The goal is to design and make one of every piece of gear I carry. So far I’m at a 35L pack, stake, ditty, and food sacks, as well as multiple food cosies, and different kinds of alcohol stoves, many of which are available online.
Tina Tempest
Bead by Bead on the AT Necklaces
I am a 2009 southbound Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, owner of the Quarter Way Inn at mile 555 in Southwest Virginia, and an AT volunteer. The tiny silver lining to being closed for the 2020 season is that I finally had the time to finalize the design of this necklace and start making them!
The Bead by Bead on the Appalachian Trail necklace is a unique representation of the nearly 2,200 mile footpath stretching from Georgia to Maine. Each of the 14 states the AT passes through is represented by a different-colored bead, and the number of beads corresponds to the mileage per state. Each bead color was chosen to represent a prominent feature along the AT in that state. The movable ring can be used to track a hiker’s progress or mark a special place. This Appalachian Trail necklace is a perfect gift for the hiker in your life, a celebratory or inspirational piece for yourself, and can even be worn by those at home to follow their favorite hiker along the trail. More trails to come in 2021!
Colleen “Spot” Goldhorn
Photography & Design
I discovered the Appalachian Trail a few years back, and life hasn’t been the same since. After completing my 1,000th mile on the trail, I moved from Philadelphia to Colorado, and have spent the last few years backpacking every trail I can get my boots on. I’m currently working on completing the Colorado Trail in a series of LASHes, and hope to someday have all 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail under my belt.
I believe that creating art and spending time in nature go hand-in-hand, so when I’m not outside, you can almost always find me being creative. Both my photography and design work tend to focus on my travels, and I strive to make the outdoors feel approachable to people of all experience levels and backgrounds. My artwork has brought me so much joy over the years, and has brought me closer to nature in countless ways. I hope my work inspires people of all types to hit the trail. I sell calendars, posters, stickers, and shirts with my photography and design.
Storm
Handmade Furniture and Woodcraft
I worked in forestry after college, and recently switched to engineering. When I switched careers I made a promise to myself that I would stop postponing things that I want to do because of school, work, parents, money. Though I don’t hike as much as I did before switching careers, when I get out I tend to go for 15- 20-mile day hikes. I need that much time to really feel at peace and clear my mind.
Since high school I have been creating fine woodworking projects—everything from a clipboard to a fluted door freestanding cabinet. Lately I have been working with live edges. My dad and I cut down and hauled out a dead maple tree, making tables and a desk from the tree. My next project is a live edge dining room table. I focus on making items that will make an impact either artistically or personally, and that are one of a kind. The world doesn’t need another Ikea bamboo cutting board.
Dylan Harris
Outdoor Photography + Film
I’ve been hiking/backpacking for about nine years. I grew up playing soccer, and once I accepted the harsh reality that the sport wouldn’t be my career I then was forced to search for a new “thing.” Fast-forward a few years. I became obsessed with testing myself on long trails and enjoyed the community that came with it. My first long hike was done by using 60 days of my summer break in college to hike the PCT. I made it 1,200 miles to Northern California. Since then I’ve walked the AZT twice, CT, and the SHR. Nowadays, I prefer to backpack for shorter durations of time in the landscapes that I’m inspired to get to know better.
I’m a freelance photographer and filmmaker who specializes in story telling. My goal is to share the unique breakthroughs of inspiring people in an honest way. Currently my focus is on capturing the essence of the desert through fine-art landscape photography, and telling thought-provoking stories of endurance athletes through filmmaking. Thanks Backpacking Routes for showing love to the creatives!