Hobnail Trekking Co.

Name: Hobnail Trekking Co.
Address: Kingston Springs, TN, 37082, US
Telephone: +18554626245

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America's source for epic adventures and life-long memories.

10/26/2026

Hobnail father and son team, Brent and Tanner Hopper, are currently in the high Khumbu valley, up near Everest Base Camp. Send them your well wishes here for a safe and successful competetion of their adventure!

10/17/2026

Some of our trekkers land in Paro, Bhutan, to begin Hobnail’s inaugural trek into this mystical country. More photos and videos to follow. See the itinerary at our website!

10/15/2026

Trekkers Molly Bray, Randall Sarosdy, and John Swallow just came in off the trail in Nepal. Check out some of their photos!
Ready to do this yourself? Visit us at www. hobnailtrekkingco. com or call Mark or Holly at 855-462-6245.

10/05/2026

HOB-BLOG by Hobnail's Mark Johnson: When airports go sideways: missed connections, missing bags, and life after customs

Airports are strange places. They’re the only spot on earth where it’s socially acceptable to drink a b**r at 6 a.m., nap on the carpet as hundreds of strangers walk past, and pay $14 for a bottle of water.

Most of the time, international travel goes more smoothly than you’d expect. But every so often, the travel gods decide to have a little fun at your expense. When that happens, the difference between a hiccup and a meltdown is knowing what to do next. So let’s cover the big three.

You missed your connecting flight

First, don’t panic. (Fine, panic for 30 seconds. Then stop.)

If your whole journey is on one ticket, and I hope it is, the airline has to get you to your final destination. Here’s your game plan:

1. Go straight to the airline’s transfer or service desk. Don’t wander off to find a Cinnabon first.
2. Call the airline or open its app while you stand in line. Sometimes you can rebook before you reach the front. This has happened to me twice.
3. Ask whether your checked bag will follow you to the new flight. It usually will, but ask anyway.
4. Stuck overnight? Ask about hotel and meal vouchers. Airlines don’t always volunteer them.
5. Let us know. We’d much rather move your airport pickup to the appropriate time rather than having our Hobnail staffer at arrivals holding a sign for a person who’s still in Doha. That’s no good for anyone.

Your bag didn’t show up

You’re watching the carousel. Bags go around. Other people’s bags. A cardboard box wrapped in duct tape goes around twice. Yours does not. Here’s what to do:

1. Don’t leave baggage claim. Once you walk out past customs, getting back in is a whole thing.
2. Find the baggage desk for the airline that flew your last leg, even if a different airline started your trip.
3. File a report before you leave the airport. You’ll get a file reference number. Guard it with your life.
4. Give them your hotel address and phone number. Snap a photo of your bag tag receipt too.
5. Keep receipts for any essentials you buy. Many airlines reimburse reasonable expenses.

Most delayed bags show up within a day or two, which is exactly why you arrived early. Also: pack your medications, a change of clothes, and your rain jacket in your carry-on, and wear your boots on the plane. You can buy almost anything overseas, but you can’t buy broken-in boots.

You made it through customs. Now what?

Congratulations, you’re officially in-country! This is also where first-timers often get overwhelmed. The doors slide open and suddenly there are a hundred people, taxi drivers calling out, and a guy who very badly wants to carry your bag.

1. Keep a firm grip on your luggage. A friendly stranger who hauls your bag 40 feet will expect a tip. A polite, firm “No, thank you” works wonders.
2. Look for your name. If your trip includes an airport pickup, someone will be holding a sign with either your name or the Hobnail logo.
3. Can’t find your ride? Stay put. Don’t leave with the first person who claims to be your driver. Wait near the exit and contact the number in your trip documents.
4. Get cash from an ATM, not the exchange counter. The rates are almost always better.
5. Get connected. Buy a local SIM at the airport, or set up an eSIM before you leave home.

Airports test your patience. Adventure rewards it. Get through the first one, and the second is waiting just past those sliding doors.

See lots more travel-related posts like this at our website! www . hobnailtrekkingco . com.

09/29/2026

Gear companies love the word “packable.” They slap it on jackets, pillows, daypacks, and, for all I know, burritos. It sounds like marketing fluff, but it actually means something. And on a trek, it matters a lot.

Specifically, "packable" means the item compresses into a small space without losing its function. The classic example is a down jacket that stuffs into its own pocket, then fluffs right back up when you pull it out.

When you shop, look for two numbers: weight and packed size. The lower both are, the more packable the item.

Why it matters

1. Weight limits are real. On many treks, a porter or pack animal carries your duffel, and there’s a strict weight cap. For example, flights to Lukla, the gateway to Everest Base Camp, limit you to somewhere around 33 pounds (15 kg), checked bag and carry-on combined. That fills up fast.

2. Your daypack is small. Mountain days change constantly: cold at breakfast, warm by 10 a.m., freezing when clouds roll in after lunch. Every layer you take off has to fit in the pack on your back.

3. Space is a zero-sum game. Every inch your bulky jacket eats is an inch you can’t use for snacks, a first aid kit, or some oddly shaped souvenir you didn’t plan to buy...

Read the rest of this post in the Hob-Blog section of our website!

09/22/2026

Buying a headlamp used to be simple. It had one button. You pushed it, and light came out.

Now they have more modes than a microwave, and the manual reads like a tax return.

So we broke it all down: what turbo actually does, why red light is the unwritten law of shared tea-house rooms at 3 a.m., how many lumens you really need (hint: way fewer than the box wants you to buy), and the one mode that keeps your headlamp from quietly draining itself inside your duffel all afternoon.

Here's a graphic that explains a lot, but also read Mark's post. If you're heading to Kilimanjaro, Nepal, or use a headlamp around the house, this one's for you. 🔦

One last thing: Facebook, in its ultimate wisdom, has decided to make us PAY to post links to our website. Ain't happening. So, to read this story, find the website link in our profile, go there, and click on Hob-Blog at the top. You'll see the new post.

09/21/2026

This is amazing. Montanan Marilu Duke is currently undertaking a custom Hobnail itinerary — The Camino by Horseback — through the hills of Spain. This is something we designed for her specifically. Although our Camino Primitivo trek includes a horseback element, Marilu asked for a start-to-finish equine experience. We will make this itinerary available on our website for 2027 soon. Meanwhile, cheer on Marilu as she rides onward toward the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela! www.hobnailtrekkingco.com

09/17/2026

Still a little unclear about the difference between Merino wool and synthetic hiking clothes? This chart will help, along with this new Hob-Blog post. https://hobnailtrekkingco.com/merino-vs-synthetic-hiking-clothes/

09/06/2026

The Peruvian Odyssey: Salkantay Trek is 15 days in Peru, and it covers a lot more ground than the standard "fly to Lima, take the train to Machu Picchu, fly home" itinerary. We designed this one ourselves, with our in-country team, because we wanted something that actually shows you the country and is actually an adventure.

Here's what that looks like in practice.

You'll start in Cusco — three days to acclimatize, including a cooking class where you'll learn to make ceviche and lomo saltado, and a full day in the Sacred Valley visiting the ruins at Pisac and Ollantaytambo. Then the trek begins at Humantay Lake, a turquoise glacial pool tucked beneath the Salkantay glacier. Night one on the trail is in glass cabanas with views of the mountain. Night two is in sky domes — open to the stars above you. Night three is in what we call the Hobbit Houses, nestled into the cloud forest as the landscape transitions from alpine to lush and green.

Your meals on the trail are prepared by chefs with actual culinary school training. This is not trail mix and freeze-dried pasta. It's three courses, cooked fresh, every night in camp.

Day six takes you over the Salkantay Pass — the high point of the trek physically and emotionally — and down through coffee country to natural hot springs. After that: Machu Picchu with a local expert guide, Rainbow Mountain (which genuinely looks like something out of a geology textbook — stripes of turquoise, lavender, and gold across an entire mountainside), the floating Uros Islands on Lake Titicaca, an overnight homestay with a family on Amantani Island, and a bike tour through Lima's Miraflores and Barranco neighborhoods along the Pacific coast before you fly home.

If you've been thinking about Peru, this is the version worth doing.

📅 NEXT DEPARTURE: November 11–25, 2026
⏰ Booking deadline: September 11
💰 $4,803 per person (double occupancy)
🌎 This itinerary is exclusive to Hobnail — you won't find it anywhere else

Send us a message (Mark or Holly will get back to you personally) or visit the link below for the full day-by-day breakdown.

👉 hobnailtrekkingco.com/peru-treks/peruvian-odyssey/

08/28/2026

Mark, here. Today, I need to address a somber topic: the recent flash floods in Nepal. I'm sure you've all seen the footage. Frankly, it's horrifying. When I first saw it on X, I assumed I was looking at an AI video, but was shocked to learn it was real — and in our beloved Nepal. Many people have perished.

After the initial shock, the next obvious step was to reach out to our team there. While we can't account for every porter we've ever hired (these folks are usually freelancers), we know that our director, guides, yak handlers, and Sherpas are all safe. Thank the Lord! Nima, our Nepali Director, told me yesterday that the flood happened roughly 60 miles west of the nearest point of the Everest Base Camp route, so none of that area was affected. Our scheduled fall treks will proceed as normal.

Several folks have asked Holly and I about how to make a donation. We learned years ago that making a charitable donation in Nepal can be tricky, so you have to be super careful about the organization you choose to donate to. As of now, the best bet that I've found is the Nepal Red Cross/International Federation of Red Cross. This is a reputable organization and is currently working directly on this particular disaster. I'll post the donation link at the end of this message.

Let me add a caveat to this. Almost without fail, our staff and partners in countries that have suffered disasters have told us that the best way to support them is not to send money — it's to come visit in person. Each trek uplifts a wide variety of people, from guides, Sherpas, and porters to drivers, cooks, and local merchants to the employees of hotels, restaurants, and airports. Whether you travel with Hobnail or someone else, I urge you to book a trek and go experience another country on your own two feet.

One more thought. We go to places like Nepal and Bhutan because they represent true adventure and a step back in time. Speaking as an American, we are immeasurably blessed to have been born in a country where our way of life is — as compared to many other places — safe, stable, and remarkably affluent. Citizens of areas like Nepal don't tend to enjoy the same advantages, and much of their land and infrastructure is as wild and untamed as America was 150 years ago. That's not a knock; it's just a fact.

For me, this is the appeal of adventure travel. Even with all the forward planning, video chats, emails, and safety precautions, our treks are nonetheless actual adventures, not luxury getaways. And that's what makes them worth doing. Every time.

As the image says, prayer for Nepal.

https://donate.redcrossredcrescent.org/ifrc/nepal-flash-floods/~my-donation?ns_ira_cr_arg=IyMjIyMjIyMjIyMjIyMjIyMjIyMjIyMjIyMjIyMjIyOAeRQw6BCYPth-7-M9blYeAAoC2hG-u9uafooag3maxw&utm_source=chatgpt.com&_cv=1

Address

Kingston Springs, TN
37082

Telephone

+18554626245

Website

http://www.hobnailtrekkingco.com/

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