Meet Moondog Roop
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I've been hiking since I was very young in Boy Scouts, going on to earn Eagle Scout. I logged thousands of miles on various trails before I ever attempted my first thru-hike, the Florida Trail, which also happened to be my first thruskate.
In 2019, I read a story about a hiker named Alex Fogt who brought a skateboard with him to ride the road sections of the Florida Trail. It was the coolest adventure I had ever heard of, and the idea stuck with me for years. Although I didn’t know how to skate at the time, a friend gave me an old skateboard deck, and for my 33rd birthday, I set it up as a present to myself. During the COVID shutdown, I dedicated a lot of time to learning how to skate. By 2021, I left the company I worked for to pursue what I believed was the coolest challenge ever. I thruskated the Florida Trail, made a new friend along the way, and together we skated the entire state of New Mexico and the Natchez Trace—setting the record as the first to skate a full National Scenic Trail. I then went on to skate the entire circumference of Puerto Rico, achieving another first.
One huge benefit of thruskating is the diversity of movement. When I’m tired of hiking, I can start skating along the road sections; when I’m tired of skating, I can simply pick up my board and hike. The board has also opened the door to interesting conversations and connections. Long-distance sports have given me a vibrant community, tremendous health benefits, and confidence in my abilities that I never had before.
I work as a general handyman in a small town of about 300 people, and I absolutely love it. Living and working in such a close-knit community means I get to help my neighbors directly.
I now live in Madrid, NM—a town I discovered while skating through New Mexico. A local convinced us to spend the night there, and that very night, I decided to move. Madrid is a genuine off-grid western town built on a “live and let live” philosophy, yet it remains incredibly neighborly. It’s like the Wild West with a backbone of kindness. Every person in this community is unique and eccentric, and we all look out for one another, emphasizing the importance of community.