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Joe Baur

@baurjoe

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🏃‍♂️ Adventure writer / filmmaker
📺 YouTube videos every Thursday
📩 Business inquiries - [email protected]

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Don’t judge! As much as I run, you gotta let your imagination wander off into la la land every once in a while.

In this case… I’m heading into Final Fantasy Revelations. by @baurjoe

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3 days ago

I just thru-hiked the most beautiful trail I’ve ever seen — and it wasn’t the Pacific Crest Trail, Tour du Mont Blanc, or something tucked away in Patagonia.

This trail is about 180 kilometers with 11,000 meters of elevation gain, crossing in and out of three different European countries. Most people do it in about 10 days, which is what we did, staying in simple guesthouses along the way.

And you make all kinds of friends along the way. Cows, sheep, and dogs. The best.

We started in Theth, Albania, which operates as the capital of this trail and worked our way in a loop around the border, crossing in Kosovo, and Montenegro before finishg up back in Theth.

Crowds were minimal to non-existent on most days, the trail was challenging but approachable, and the food phenomenal.

This, sports fans, is the Peaks of the Balkans. taken in Theth -Albania by @baurjoe

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5 days ago

I can’t be the only one running around Hyrule in their mind 👀

10 days on the Peaks of the Balkans was pure Zelda energy. Felt like I was in that world, especially with how quickly the weather and landscape changed.

Can’t wait to do it again! Just not on November 5th 😂 taken in Hyrule by @baurjoe

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8 days ago

Why are runners traveling thousands of miles to East Africa?

Many travelers head to Africa to watch cheetahs sprint or lions give chase. But some visitors want to do the running themselves.

Eager to train under the same conditions as East Africa's world-renowned marathoners, runners are racing to countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda for running camps. Coached by locals and challenged by altitude and heat, runners not only have the chance to become better athletes, but they also get to personally experience the traditions and regimens of some of the world's greatest running cultures.

From training in Kenya's "Home of Champions" to community-led experiences in Uganda and Ethiopia, these running stays offer fresh, new ways to experience East Africa; not from a 4x4 Jeep, but on your own feet.

Link in bio.

@homeoffriendsguesthouse @runkapchorwa @kenya_experience_camps @hailehotelsandresorts @magicalkenya @visit.ethiopia.official @exploreuganda

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#runningtravel #adventuretravel #eastafricatravel #runningcamps #running #kenya #ethiopia #uganda taken in Kenya, Africa by @baurjoe

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13 days ago

I will never *not* do the Michigan J. Frog dance when left to my own devices, even on the top of a mountain. by @baurjoe

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16 days ago

Poop shovel *not* actually a requirement to hike the Peaks of the Balkans, FYI.

Special thanks again to @bn_adventure for organizing! taken in Peaks of the Balkans by @baurjoe

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19 days ago

During our Peaks of the Balkans run, Melanie mentioned that the landscape reminded her of when I play Zelda.

And so with all the excitement over the Ocarina of Time remake coming out, I thought I’d do my own version of the old title screen—Peaks of the Balkans style. 🤓 taken in Peaks of the Balkans by @baurjoe

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21 days ago

PEAKS OF THE BALKANS ✅

We spent the last 10 days running around this phenomenal trail covering over 180 kilometer and 11,000 meters of elevation, wrapping itself around the borders of Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro. It’s something I long wanted to do, so I pulled the birthday card to finally make it happen.

Balkan Natural Adventure (@bn_adventure) jumped in to support us along the way, booking the guesthouses and creating a self-guided itinerary for our day-to-day. And it’s easily been one of the greatest experiences of my life.

These are just a collection of random snaps I’m tossing up for now, but suffice it to say I have loads of photos and videos to come—both for Instagram and eventually the YouTube channel. So please forgive me if this page briefly turns into a Peaks of the Balkans cheerleading platform 🤓

It’s been a long time since I got to experience such unspoiled nature. Even what human presence we found was minimal, integrated seamlessly with the natural landscape. I even got a little schmaltzy at one point, waxing poetically about my belief that trails like these offer a bit of hope in an increasingly hateful, violent world.

Within my lifetime, this place was a war zone. We saw the memorials to fallen fighters along the trail. It would’ve been incomprehensible in the ‘90s of my childhood to say that one day I’d go frolicking along the stunning landscapes of these Balkan countries.

I said it before when filming my Berlin Wall Trail documentary, about how running, cycling, and paddling around the 100-mile/160-kilometer scars that once separated the city would’ve similarly been incomprehensible during my childhood. But now it’s one of the finest assets of the city. Similarly, the Peaks of the Balkans gives me hope (perhaps foolishly so) that one day some of today’s most violent, guarded borders will also be trails. And trails always, always beat borders.

Thank you to Melanie for going outside her box to join me on this little adventure, to Balkan Natural Adventure for taking care of the logistics, the guesthouses for welcoming us, and to all the friends (cows, sheep, fox, cats, and doggos) we made along the way. taken in Peaks of the Balkans by @baurjoe

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23 days ago

Last day on Norway’s Gudbrandsdalsleden! 🇳🇴

I woke bright and early to make sure I’d hit the trail by 8am at the latest because I had a bus to catch!

The plan was to run 36km from Kongsvoll to a bus stop I found outside of Oppdal. That bus ride would save my feet 10km. Considering I have Peaks of the Balkans coming up, I wanted to try and take it a little easier than going a full 46km after having just done 41km a couple days earlier.

Anywho, it was a wonderfully crisp, misty morning in Kongsvoll where I started. I love being outside on those kinds of mornings. The sting of the air against my bones makes me feel alive, doubly so once I start moving and warming up a bit.

All in all it was a great little section to wrap up my short, 100km-ish four days on the Gudbrandsdalsleden. I’ll share some more footage from this trip on a pair of upcoming YouTube videos featuring an American who moved to Norway and another on the country’s “Right to Roam” law. I’ll also write about the country’s Pilgrimage network for Outsid Magazine, so keep an eye out for that!

Distance: 36.61km
Elevation: 915m taken in Kongsvoll, Sor-Trondelag, Norway by @baurjoe

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a month ago

Day 3 hiking Norway’s Gudbrandsdalsleden 🇳🇴

This was a nice respite after the previous day’s nearly 42-kilometer schlep across the Norwegian countryside. With just 12 kilometers or so on the day, I decided to hike and take it easy. And I’m glad I did.

As much as I love running, I’ve started to miss hiking a bit. Sometimes I’ll be on a trail and just want to slow down and hike. Sometimes I need to run when I’m covering massive distances for a story, so it was great to take my time and just enjoy being outside.

Distance: 12.68km
Elevation: 504m taken in Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella nasjonalpark by @baurjoe

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a month ago

Day 2 running and hiking Norway’s Gudbrandsdalsleden 🇳🇴

This was the longest trek o the trip with nearly 42km on the day and over 1,000 meters of elevation. The section from Dovre to Hjerkinn was the one I was most looking forward to when planning the trip.

Just as I’d hoped, the trail was a remote stretch for just about the entirety of the run. But I was plenty happy to reach the fjellstue (mountain lodge) in Hjerkinn at the end with dinner just an hour later.

Stats according to Strava...

Distance: 41.87km
Elevation gain: 1,396 meters taken in Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella nasjonalpark by @baurjoe

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a month ago

Day 1 on Norway’s Gudbrandsdalsleden! 🇳🇴

The trail is a 643-kilometer pilgrimage trail from Oslo to Trondheim. I’m tracing bits of it by train and foot over the next five days.

Today I started with a 2.5-hour train ride out of Oslo to Ringebu where I ran along hillsides to Sygard Grytting — a really cool home that hosts hikers, built in 1860 alongside some hostel rooms that date back to the 1300s.

After a ‘warm up’ of about 17km and 400 meters of climbing, tomorrow is a big one with 41.5 kilometers and over 1,000 meters of climbing. I’ll be going across the Dovrefjell. (I hear good things.)

Oh, and I’m here to write about Norway’s entire pilgrimage network for @outsidemagazine. So... Stay tuned for that—and more from the trail. taken in Sygard Grytting by @baurjoe

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a month ago