About Joey Shonka

I’m Joey Shonka, a wanderer who traded lab coats for dusty trails and a biochemist’s precision for the wild pulse of the unknown. My life’s work? Chasing horizons—whether it’s the jagged spine of the Andes or the quiet truths hidden in a single step. Born with an itch for discovery, I’ve always been more at home in the dirt than in a desk chair.

As a biochemist, I studied life’s smallest miracles—elusive protein molecules—until the call of the open trail grew louder. So I became a long-distance hiker, conquering North America’s Triple Crown of Hiking (Appalachian, Pacific Crest, Continental Divide) and logging over 10,000 miles under my boots. But my greatest adventure was yet to come.

On a Nicaraguan beach beneath a sloth’s troubled gaze, I made a vow: to forge the first continuous hiking route through South America’s Andes, from Patagonia’s windswept fjords to Colombia’s Caribbean coast.

Three years, six countries, and thousands of untamed miles later, The Shonka Route was born—along with my memoir, The Caminante. It’s not just a story of peaks and perils; it’s a testament to what happens when you dare to walk your own path, no matter how daunting.

Through my Shonka Route Memoirs series, I invite you to join me—on Andean ridges, in vibrant village markets, through storms and solitude. And my other books (Darkness in the Light, An American Nomad, A Strong West Wind, and The Caminante) aren’t just about miles; they’re about the moments that remake us. The meals shared with strangers under starlight. The songs that linger long after the fire dies. The stubborn spark that says, “Keep going.”

So now that you have the overview, let’s talk timeline. My journey as an adventurer started early; I have always loved the wilderness. Our family explored natural spaces and National Parks all over the continental United States, with a focus on mountains, trails, and beaches. My first real backpacking trip was with my father, hiking into the rugged Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho to go fly fishing.

Following my graduation from the University of Georgia, I took a gap year to backpack across Central America and thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. That year of pure freedom solidified my desire to live a nomadic lifestyle. I then went on to hike the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, completing North America’s Triple Crown of Hiking. In between extensive international travel and long-distance hikes over the first years, I secured contract positions working as a scientist to pay for my adventures.

After the Triple Crown and a few years of work, I relocated to the Caribbean to become certified as a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer and volunteer with the Whale Shark and Oceanic Research Center. That year I was able to spend more than 500 hours breathing underwater <“)))><

After the Caribbean, I decided to create a hiking route across the longest continuous mountain range on the planet, the Andes of South America. Throughout that three-year adventure, I wore down the soles of seven pairs of footwear while hiking 10 hours per day.

I ended my Andes adventure with sore feet and in sore need of a job! After several years of work, first as a consultant and then as a project manager, I rode my motorcycle across Mexico from 2022 until 2023 while continuing to work online. The only roadblock I encountered was in a remote area of Chiapas by the Zapatista revolutionaries; a police blockade before these people rerouted me. I grew to love Mexico and her people deeply; my favorite beach, Puerto Escondido on the Pacific Coast; my favorite food, Oaxaca tamales or Guerrero pozole; my favorite coastal ride along the turquoise gulf waters of the Yucatan; my favorite scuba diving in Quintana Roo; and my favorite place, Tepoztlan, where part of my heart and soul still lingers.

After wrecking the motorcycle on a dark, lonely road in Mexico, I worked in Tennessee for a year, then started traveling across Asia while working remotely. I will post an update when I have some cool pictures. So if you like reading about me, want to learn more about the wild adventures I’ve shared with the world, or dig my vibe, pick up one of my books on Amazon!