Lauren Roerick
Long Distance Hiker
Lauren Roerick is a long distance backpacker and public speaker who chronicles her adventures from all over the world on her YouTube channel.
She’s hiked some of the most popular and obscure trails in the world, including the Hexatrek, Te Araroa, PCT, Colorado Trail, Via Dinarica, Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage and more. It’s no wonder then, why her trail name is ‘Longway’.
Where are you from and what's your first memory of Nature?
I’m originally from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, but more recently I have been based out of Vancouver, BC. This year, however, I packed everything up and hit the road full time and have been hiking trails (with a little bit of biking) since February.
My first memories of nature are with my family. On a small scale, when I was very young, my grandma’s backyard felt like the wildest place to explore. She had so many trees to climb, flowers blooming and small hideaways to look for bugs and watch for cats. On a larger scale, I grew up not far from the Rocky Mountains, and at least once a year we would all head out to Waterton National Park to hike and explore and get ice cream. Waterton has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth and the mountains there are really special.
When / where did you go on your first thru hike?
My first thru-hike was the PCT, first attempt was NOBO in 2020, then again SOBO the following year.
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Lauren Roerick
You've recently been hiking in some very interesting places, Japan, the Balkans, Georgia... What draws you to a trail?
These days I’ve been looking for trails that are more off the beaten path and ones that put my skills to the test. I wanted to see what it was like to hike a trail that doesn’t have other hikers on it, doesn’t have a set route or even great maps/gpx, and has limited information on resupply options. I wanted to test out how that felt and learn how to adapt in less ideal circumstances than on trails like the triple crown that have so much information readily accessible. It’s also a great way to get to know a country outside of the tourist hubs and see how people really live there.
I’ve also been trying to get my family to tag along with me, so that’s why I’ve done a couple of pilgrimages this year, like in Japan and Spain.
Sounds like the Via Dinarica was brutal! When a trail is serving it up like that, how do you connect with Nature vs. fight with it?
Haha! The Via Dinarica was a serious test of my sanity! It was a lot less trail than I was anticipating and a lot more bushwhacking, road walking, and just winging it. On top of that, it passes through 5 countries which all have different languages, customs, border crossings, and rules around camping, so it was a huge logistical puzzle on top of the physicality of pushing through head-high nettle for miles. There were some beautiful sections for sure, and the food in Bosnia and Herzegovina was excellent, but it’s not a trail I would do again.
A big part of hiking that trail was learning to adjust my expectations and roll with the punches. I slowed down through the more beautiful sections to soak them in, and leaned harder into the cultural experience to distract me from the terrain. Filming the hike helped me to notice the beauty more as I went along, and gave me chances to stop and appreciate and reflect on what I was doing rather than just suffering through it. That and just laughing at the absurdity of it all, I mean this is what we do for fun?!
“Laughing at the absurdity of it all, I mean this is what we do for fun?!”
– LAUREN ‘LONGWAY’ ROERICK
Describe the perfect / dream trail. Where is it? How long is it? What type of landscapes does it go through?
Oooh that’s a tough question! What I love though is a trail that is challenging with steep climbs and technical terrain, but then has real payoff for the effort, whether that be with amazing views or great camp spots, or beautiful water features. My dream trail would also have no road walking, be mostly in the alpine, and probably take around 3 months.
Do you prefer to hike solo or with others?
I usually hike solo these days or with one other person. That’s probably my preference, however I haven’t done a lot of trails that have many other people on them! On the PCT I had a small trail family of 4 and loved that, and then travelled in a trio on the Te Araroa, which also worked out great. I guess all that is to say that it really depends on the people!
Do you like to hike fast or slow?
I would not consider myself a fast hiker, but it’s so relative! Since I picked up trail running my pace has definitely increased, but I’d say I just go at a moderate pace and don’t stop much all day.
You're headed to Spain next. What's on tap there?
I’m currently in Northern Spain hiking the Camino del Norte with my dad. I took my brother to Japan earlier in the year to walk the 88 Temple Pilgrimage and had so much fun I invited my dad out to do one as well. I figured he’d really enjoy the architecture and the cultural experience (and of course hanging out with me!), and I would enjoy wine with dinner and shorter walking days!