I’m Hiking 3,500km Across Europe This Spring on The Wolf Trail
I’m Hiking a Trail That Doesn’t Exist Yet
My passport is sitting in a visa office somewhere in Germany right now, and my whole spring hinges on getting it back in time.
That’s probably not the most inspiring way to open a post about the one of the most exciting plans I’ve ever announced — but that’s where I’m at right now, and I hate to lie.
So, here’s the news.
In mid-April, I’m heading to Gdańsk, Poland, and walking to Trieste, Italy. About 3,500 kilometres over five months. I’ll be heading through countries I’ve never hiked before, on a route with no guidebook, no trail reports, and no community of past hikers to turn to for beta.
Because this trail technically doesn’t exist yet.
The Wolf Trail
Jack Wolfskin — yes, the outdoor brand — reached out to me back in October after I published my series hiking through Georgia on the Transcaucasian Trail. They’re launching a brand new long-distance route called the Wolf Trail, running from the Baltic coast of Poland all the way down through Germany, into the Alps, and finishing on the Adriatic coast of Italy. The trails already exist, but the route itself is brand new.
And they asked me to be the first person to hike it.
I’ve been piecing together long-distance hikes on my own for years now. The PCT, the Colorado Trail, the Hexatrek, Te Araroa, the Via Dinarica, the TCT, and more— each one planned from scratch, solo, and figuring it out as I go. So there’s something surreal about being approached by a brand to pioneer a route they’ve created. It’s a different kind of challenge than anything I’ve taken on before.
What hasn’t changed: I’ll be carrying my own pack, camping along the way, and figuring out logistics one day at a time. I’ll still be totally self-supported and living off whatever’s in my bag.
What has changed: for the first time, I have a team behind the scenes. They’re designing the route, supporting me with gear, and sending a photographer out for stretches to capture the adventure. I’ll also be with a small team of other hikers on the trail, and the four of us will meet up in Poland mid-April. We will be starting at the same time, but not necessarily hiking together the entire way. We each have our own paces, timelines, and plans along the route, so we get to play that part by ear.
Why This Feels Big
I’ve now hiked more international long thru-hikes than I can count on 2 hands (I think I’m over 12 now?). I say that not to brag, but because it means I know what it feels like to hike trails with almost no information out there — the Via Dinarica, the Transcaucasian Trail — so going in without a stack of trip reports isn’t new for me. That part I know how to handle.
What’s actually new here is everything around the hiking.
This isn’t a remote wilderness route. It’s long, it passes through towns and cities, and it’s going to be less physically demanding than a lot of what I’ve done. So the challenge isn’t survival. Instead it’s being the first person to string it all together as a continuous thru-hike and document it in a way that’s useful for everyone who comes after.
And then there’s the brand partnership piece. I’ve always planned my trails completely solo — every resupply, every logistics decision, every “is this actually a good idea” moment made entirely on my own. For the first time, there’s a team involved and events along the way to attend. Jack Wolfskin has been incredible to work with, and it’s genuinely so cool to have support behind the scenes.
Right Now Though…
Right now I’m sitting in Vancouver waiting on my German visa. My passport is out of my hands, my April start date is creeping closer, and I had originally intended to be hiking the Arizona Trail right now to stay in shape. Instead I’m doing what any sensible adventurer does in the off-season: catching up on my emails and editing and going for runs.
Winter without a thru-hike has been weird. Last year I was on trails across the world for about ten months straight, so aour months off has felt like a very long pause.
But, I’m hopeful that the visa will come through. They seemed optimistic at the consulate in Toronto, so I will be too.
Come Along
This is going to be a super fun long trail and you can watch it unfold in real time — because I’m going to share every bit of it.
The planning, the challenges, the countries, the days where everything goes right, and the ones where nothing does.
Here’s how to follow along:
- Subscribe to my email list (form below) — I’ll send updates directly to your inbox when new posts and vlogs go live
- Subscribe on YouTube — the vlog series will live there, and it’s going to be good
- Join me on Patreon— I’ll be building out a full Wolf Trail resource as I go, and eventually this will be the most comprehensive guide to the trail that exists. Everyone on Patreon gets behind the scenes, first looks at what I’m building, and access to all my resources and trail guides. Oh, and your name in the credits of my vlogs!
And if you’re new here and wondering what kind of hiker I am before you commit to five months of content — start with my Hexatrek guide (https://www.laurenroerick.com/store/p/hiking-the-hexatrek-the-complete-guide). It’s the most comprehensive resource out there for France’s 3,000km thru-hike, and it’ll give you a pretty good sense of how I approach these things.
Now someone send good visa vibes to Germany.
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