About

Hi! Welcome to my website! My name is Jack Jones and this site is a collection of my adventures. It is also a place for me to share my thoughts on proper fitness training and nutrition for ultra-long distance events like thru-hikes and bike-packing trips.

I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2016 and this adventure lit a fire inside me. A fire to explore the world, to push my boundaries of comfort, and to live fully from my heart.

Since then I’ve hiked the Continental Divide Trail, Arizona Trail, Colorado Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and most recently completed a Calendar Year Triple Crown(AT, PCT, and CDT in 9.5 months)

Background

I was born in Lanzhou, China and moved to Missouri after I was adopted at the age of eight. My parents gave me up for adoption because during the 1989 Tienanmen Square protests my father, a political science professor lead a pro-democratic student protest on the campus he taught at. He was arrested and imprisoned for two years because of his actions and blacklisted by the government. My parents wanted a better life for me. I grew up in Missouri and attended the University of Missouri where I earned a Masters in Accounting. During that time I also enlisted in the US Army as an Infantryman because I felt very strongly that freedom is precious and that I needed to serve the country which had given me so many opportunities. I served for six years in the National Guard and when I got out I was a sergeant in charge of a fire-team. In 2012 I started my company The Healthy Gamer where I shared my struggles with gaming addiction and how fitness helped to literally save my life from suicidal depression. The Healthy Gamer has now impacted the lives of over 12 million gamers worldwide through articles and YouTube videos.