37 Years on the Trail: What We’ve Learned About Hut-to-Hut Hiking

Founder Stories | 4 weeks ago

Our 2026 season is officially underway—our first as FieldHouse Adventures—and we already have one trip under our belt. We couldn’t be more excited for the season ahead, with guided and self-guided trips filling up, travel plans booked, and packs at the ready.

As we enter this new era, we’ve been reflecting on the evolution of the company, the mission and philosophy that shaped it, and—most importantly—the deep love and respect that founders Julie Head and Andrea Ellison Mulla have for this kind of travel. Carrying the company forward has felt like a shared journey, one where each step is navigated together and every challenge taken in stride. Their experience on the trail spans decades, and we’ve learned so much from their wisdom.

As we continue the legacy they built, we wanted to share a bit of what they’ve learned—and why these routes remain so timeless.

A Conversation with Founder Julie Head

To Julie Head, who founded Distant Journeys 37 years ago with friend and Outward Bound colleague Andrea Ellison Mulla, hut-to-hut hiking has never been just about the logistics of getting from one place to another. It’s about the rhythm of each day.

Her love of this slower way of traveling began after college, when she and a friend bicycled across the United States.

“That experience of having a routine for the day but not knowing what was going to happen,” she says, “creates a huge sense of freedom… the sense of feeling really grounded in a place and actually feeling the landscape and adapting to it.”

This same feeling is what she loves most about traveling by foot.

The hut systems themselves are extremely welcoming, simple spaces full of character.

“The camaraderie of other hikers who have gotten there under their own steam” says Julie, creates such a unique sense of community. “Being able to connect and talk to other people who are doing the same thing from all over the world, it’s a great way to experience a place.”

Since founding the company, Julie has walked thousands of miles along these routes. What keeps her returning again and again is partly the mountains themselves. Speaking about the company’s signature Tour du Mont Blanc route through the Alps, she notes how striking the landscape can be.

“There’s so much vertical rise in a short distance that it’s incredibly dramatic,” she says. “These places are just so spectacular.” But the culture surrounding hut-to-hut hiking is equally compelling. Whether it’s French alpine huts—many of them former mountain farms converted into accommodations—Italian rifugios, or small trailside inns.

“They all have their own character,” Julie says, “and that character reflects the customs and history of the place where they’re set.”

Much of that personality comes from the families who run these outposts. Many have cared for them for generations, and over time Julie and Andrea built relationships that became central to the experience they offered their travelers.

“Being able to go back and stay in those same places creates connection,” Julie explains. “When you arrive—whether it’s a hut or a hotel—and you already have a relationship with the owners, they’re welcoming you back.”

Those relationships took time to develop. When Julie and Andrea first started the company, they were two Americans launching a business in Europe—and two women working in a field largely dominated by men.

“At first, I think people thought, we’ll see how long this lasts,” Julie recalls with a laugh.

Over time, however, those professional relationships deepened into friendships.

“In some places we’ve moved into the second and third generation of owners,” she says. “Those connections are really what made everything possible.”

While the landscape of hut-to-hut hiking has changed over the decades—with GPS technology, digital maps, and easier access to international travel—Julie believes the heart of the experience remains the same.

“For people who are hiking it for the first time—seeing it for the first time, experiencing it for the first time—whether you’re looking at your phone map or following a guide, it’s still amazing.”

At the end of the day, she says, the magic hasn’t changed. “It’s really about the mountains. The power of nature.”

What continues to surprise her, even after more than three decades, is how rewarding this simple way of traveling can be.

The community you meet along the trail is, as she puts it, “eternally rewarding.” And while modern travel often emphasizes luxury and high-end amenities, hut-to-hut hiking offers something different.

“Sometimes just the basics are really all people need or want,” Julie says. “It gives them an even stronger sense of place.” There’s also the satisfaction that comes from moving through a landscape under your own power. “There’s a sense of accomplishment,” she says. “It’s a rewarding experience to be self-supported.”

When asked if she could go back and give one piece of advice to her younger self…

“Bring better rain gear,” she says, laughing.

Over the years, Julie has passed much of her knowledge on to Erin Jackson and Jenna Luberto, who will carry forward the mission of curated hut-to-hut hiking trips through FieldHouse Adventures. As she and Andrea step into a stewardship role and pass the business to Jenna and Erin, Julie is excited to see where the company will go next.

“Younger, fresher blood,” Julie reflects, has the potential to bring “more energy driving the business forward.” At the same time, the shared values among all four women make the transition feel natural. Andrea and Julie, she explains, were excited by the opportunity to pass the business on to “two women who remind us a lot of ourselves when we first started—and who are really willing to take it on.”

Looking ahead, Julie is excited about the possibilities: new trails, expanded offerings, and more opportunities for travelers to experience the magic of moving through a landscape on foot. Much of that future, she believes, will remain rooted in the same principle that shaped the company from the beginning: community.

“What we built the business on was our personal connections with people,” Julie says. “A grounded, down-to-earth approach” —where there’s always a human on the other end of the line, or walking alongside you down the trail.Those are the pillars Jenna and Erin are excited to carry forward.

There is so much shared experience in traveling by foot—so much to gain from the routes and roads we walk, no matter how many times we traverse them.

As FieldHouse Adventures begins this next chapter, we can’t wait to see what we keep learning along the trail.

Keep an eye out for our March newsletter for Spring and Summer highlights.

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