Michigan woman hikes North Country Trail hike

In 1991, when Joan Young took her first hike on the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCTA), she never guessed she would be the first woman to traverse all 4,400 miles of it end to end. Now the woman from Scottville in Michigan's lower peninsula ranks as one of only nine hikers to complete the seven-state route.

Raised in upstate New York, Young was familiar with the Appalachian Trail and had long dreamed of hiking it. But adulthood brought her to Michigan and her husband and three sons weren't big fans of outdoor adventures.

"I was driving to Cadillac, Michigan, one day in 1988, when I passed a brown sign that read 'North Country National Scenic Trail.' I had to stop," Young recalled. "But the blazes had disappeared and I couldn't locate the path."

The North Country Trail is the longest of the 11 National Scenic Trails. Spanning seven states, it is nearly twice the length of the popular 2,175-mile Appalachian Trail and the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail.

In the fall of 1991, Young hiked her first 16 miles of NCTA in the Manistee Forest - a short hike by Young's standards, but one that changed her life.

"It was September and I was alone in the woods and it was so wonderful to recapture many of the feelings I had always had about being in the forest from the days before I was so busy being a mom and supporting my family's dreams," Young said.

In 1992, her childhood friend Marie Altenau joined her for a three day hike. "We wanted to see if we still enjoyed that type of activity," Young said. "We sure did, and we made a pact to do one trip per summer for as long as we could."

Altenau would hike a total of 2,660 miles of the NCTA with Young.

Every year Young logged more sections of the trail and totaled her mileage on a spreadsheet. Her longest continuous hike of 182 miles took her through the northern tier of Minnesota. Her longest continual backpacking trek equaled 131 miles in North Dakota.

After her second long hike, she started writing up the stories thinking she would share them with a few friends. Soon she had a fan club encouraging her to publish her notes as a book. So for the 25th anniversary of the North Country Trail in 2005, she chronicled the 2,300 miles of trail she had completed by then in North Country Cache: Adventures on a National Scenic Trail.

But now there's a new book to be written. One that covers the entire 4,400 miles. Because on Tuesday, August 3, after wearing through seven pairs of hiking boots, she took the final steps of her 20-year quest to complete the trail.

"Twenty-five people joined the celebration, including Altenau, her son David and two granddaughters, 5-year-old Mia and 8-year-old Anja. We had three generations," Young said with a wide smile.

Bruce Matthews, executive director of the NCTA, also witnessed the historic event. "I wouldn't have missed this for the world. Joan is the spirit of the North Country Trail," he said.

In addition to a hiker, Young is a past member of the NCTA Board of Directors, currently heads the Long-Distance Hikers Committee and volunteers for her local North Country Trail chapter, Spirit of the Woods, where she personally maintains nine miles of the trail. She also presents media programs about her experiences on the trail and is working on a second book about the journey.