About Me — Cody James Howell PhD, “Raiden”
Scientist | Educator | Investor | Adventurer
Call me Raiden.
My real name is Cody James Howell PhD. I’m a neurobiologist, investor, author, teacher, long-distance hiker, rock climber, and traveler.
In 2019, immediately after finishing my PhD in Neuroscience, I completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.
Total distance: 2192 miles. Total time: 143 days.
During this time I would be christened with the trail name “Raiden”. And yes, it’s because of the hat!
I use Raiden to this day as a pseudonym for my writing in minimalism and outdoor skills. I also met “Chilly bin” on day two of the thru-hike — we were married in late 2020 just before we started traveling and tramping in her native New Zealand!
At its core, a thru-hike acts to destroy preconceived notions: who we are, what we want, our goals, plans, and beliefs about ourselves and about the world we live in. Even now, months after completing the AT, I continue to gain clarity on the meaning of my thru-hike. It was nothing like I could have expected and yet everything it was promised to be.
Our experience was one that we wanted to share with others, and so I began writing a book about it even…
